KalkiSelf-host it

Getting started

Kalki runs on your own machine. You need four things installed:

  • Bun 1.3 or newer
  • Docker, for PostgreSQL with pgvector
  • FFmpeg on your PATH, or its path in FFMPEG_PATH
  • A Google Gemini API key

1. Clone and install

git clone https://github.com/harshitwandhare/kalki && cd kalki
bun install

2. Configure

cp .env.example .env.local

Open .env.local and set at least DATABASE_URL, AUTH_SECRET (run openssl rand -base64 32) and GOOGLE_GENERATIVE_AI_API_KEY. Every variable is described in Configuration.

3. Start the database

The compose file binds Postgres to 127.0.0.1 and refuses to start without a password, so export one that matches DATABASE_URL first:

export POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me
bun run db:up
bunx prisma migrate deploy

4. Create the owner account and demo channels

SEED_OWNER_EMAIL=you@example.com SEED_OWNER_PASSWORD='a-long-password' bun run db:seed

The seed creates your owner login and three demo channels (Viral India, Parent Pulse and Karma Reels), each with two characters and a world.

5. Run it

bun run dev

Open http://localhost:3000, sign in, and go to Generate. Write a one-line prompt, pick a channel and press Generate Reel. The live agent feed shows each stage as it runs. Finished files land in public/videos.

Production

bun run build
bun run start

Run it behind a reverse proxy with HTTPS and set AUTH_URL to the public address. See Deployment.

Next: Configuration