Quickstart

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Get a concept kernel running in minutes. This guide walks through creating a kernel directory, writing a processor, and executing your first action.

Prerequisites

You need Python 3.11 or later and pip. NATS is optional for local development -- the processor can run in CLI mode without it.

Install CK.Lib (when available)

pip install cklib

Create a Kernel Directory

A kernel is a directory with a genome file and a processor. Create the minimal structure:

mkdir -p MyKernel/tool MyKernel/storage/instances MyKernel/storage/ledger

Write the genome:

# MyKernel/conceptkernel.yaml
apiVersion: conceptkernel/v3.5
kind: ConceptKernel

metadata:
  name: MyKernel
  version: "0.1"
  type: cold
  governance: AUTONOMOUS

spec:
  description: "My first concept kernel"
  urn: "ckp://Kernel#MyKernel:v0.1"

actions:
  unique:
    - name: status
      access: anon
    - name: greet
      access: anon

Write the processor:

# MyKernel/tool/processor.py
from cklib import KernelProcessor, on

class MyKernel(KernelProcessor):

    @on("status")
    def handle_status(self, msg):
        return {"status": "ok", "kernel": self.name, "version": self.version}

    @on("greet")
    def handle_greet(self, msg):
        name = msg.get("payload", {}).get("name", "world")
        instance = self.create_instance("greet", msg)
        instance["data"]["greeting"] = f"Hello, {name}"
        return self.seal_instance(instance)

if __name__ == "__main__":
    MyKernel.main()

Run It

Check the kernel status:

cd MyKernel
python3 tool/processor.py --status

Execute the greet action:

python3 tool/processor.py --action greet --payload '{"name": "CKP"}'

This creates a sealed instance under storage/instances/ with a manifest.json, data.json, and computed hashes. The instance is immutable after sealing.

Listen on NATS

If you have a NATS server running locally, start the kernel in listener mode:

python3 tool/processor.py --listen

The kernel subscribes to input.MyKernel and publishes results to result.MyKernel.

Next Steps

Read the Architecture to understand the Three Loops model that organises your kernel. Explore Kernels to learn about the genome structure and instance lifecycle. See the Proof Model to understand how sealed instances are verified.

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