:zap: LFK - Lightning Fast Kubernetes navigator
LFK is a keyboard-focused, yazi-inspired terminal user interface for navigating and managing Kubernetes clusters. It brings a three-column Miller columns layout with an owner-based resource hierarchy to your terminal.
Install
Pick your platform:
# Homebrew (macOS / Linux)
brew install janosmiko/tap/lfk
# Scoop (Windows)
scoop bucket add janosmiko https://github.com/janosmiko/scoop-bucket && scoop install lfk
# Winget (Windows)
winget install janosmiko.lfk
# Chocolatey (Windows)
choco install lfk
# AUR (Arch)
yay -S lfk-bin
# APT (Debian / Ubuntu)
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/janosmiko/lfk/setup.deb.sh' | sudo -E bash && sudo apt update && sudo apt install lfk
# DNF (Fedora / RHEL)
curl -1sLf 'https://dl.cloudsmith.io/public/janosmiko/lfk/setup.rpm.sh' | sudo -E bash && sudo dnf install lfk
# Go
go install github.com/janosmiko/lfk@latest
# Nix
nix run github:janosmiko/lfk
Then run it:
lfk
lfk --demo
lfk uses ~/.kube/config and ~/.kube/config.d/*. lfk --demo runs against a built-in fake cluster, so no kubeconfig is needed.
kubectl is required and must be configured. helm and trivy are optional, for Helm management and image vulnerability scanning.
docs/installation.md covers Docker, NixOS and home-manager, binary releases, building from source, and the full list of optional CLI dependencies.
Usage
# Start in a specific context / namespace
lfk --context my-cluster -n kube-system
# Use a specific kubeconfig
lfk --kubeconfig /path/to/kubeconfig
KUBECONFIG=/path/to/config1:/path/to/config2 lfk
# Use a custom directory for kubeconfigs (repeat the flag for multiple)
lfk --kubeconfig-dir /path/to/configs/
lfk --kubeconfig-dir /team-a/configs --kubeconfig-dir /team-b/configs
KUBECONFIG_DIR=/path/to/configs/ lfk
KUBECONFIG_DIR=/team-a/configs:/team-b/configs lfk
docs/usage.md has the full CLI reference and the runtime tuning options: mouse capture, no-color mode, read-only mode, watch-mode interval, discovery cache, and Secret lazy loading.
Sponsor
LFK is Apache-2.0 and stays free. I build it in my free time, and the tools it takes to build it are not free.
Do you use LFK at work? Ask your team to sponsor it. A company expenses this without noticing, and an individual feels it. Most clusters LFK gets pointed at are company clusters.
Sponsorship pays for the IDE licenses and AI assistants that go into development. More of it buys more hours for LFK.
Money is not the only way to help. Star the repo, file a good bug report, or tell one colleague who lives in kubectl.
Package repository hosting is graciously provided by Cloudsmith.
Cloudsmith is a hosted package management service that stores and serves packages in many formats.
Screenshots
Demo
Themes
Explorer
| Feature | |
|---|
| Pods |  |
| Pods fullscreen |  |
| Pod action menu |  |
| Cluster Dashboard |  |
| Object Explorer |  |
| API Explorer |  |
Viewers
| Feature | |
|---|
| YAML Viewer |  |
| Log Viewer |  |
| Log Top |  |
Integrations
| Feature | |
|---|
| Helm integration |  |
| ArgoCD integration |  |
| ArgoCD AutoSync config |  |
| Trivy integration |  |
Analysis
| Feature | |
|---|
| Security Dashboard |  |
| Crash Investigator |  |
| Pod Startup Analysis |  |
| Can-I RBAC permissions browser |  |
Workspace
| Feature | |
|---|
| Label and annotation editor |  |
| Quick filters |  |
| Column visibility and reordering |  |
| Bookmarks |  |
| Multi-tab support |  |
| Union view |  |
| Local cluster management |  |
Features
Navigation
- Three-column Miller columns layout: parent, current, preview
- Owner-based hierarchy: Clusters -> Resource Types -> Resources -> Owned Resources -> Containers
- Jump to a resource's owner with
o, back with Backspace
- Teleport between levels with
0 / 1 / 2
- Cycle the layout with
F, expand or collapse groups with z
- Vim keybindings throughout, remappable, including
Ctrl+Shift chords: keybindings.md
- Mouse click, scroll, and
Ctrl+Option+Y to release capture: usage.md
Resource type list
- Groups: Dashboards, Workloads, Networking, Config, Storage, Hardware, ArgoCD, Helm, Access Control, Cluster, Custom Resources
- Discovered CRDs grouped by API group, for example
argoproj.io, longhorn.io
- Pin a type with
p: keybindings.md
- Pin a type's dashboard summary with
x: config-reference.md
- Hide or show a single type with
x, reveal hidden ones with H: config-reference.md
- Rarely used types (CSI internals, webhooks, APF, leases) hidden until
H: config-reference.md
- Status summary band under the hovered type: features.md
Clusters and contexts
Safety
- Read-only mode via
--read-only or Ctrl+R: usage.md
- Actions your RBAC refuses are dropped from the action menu: usage.md
- Security dashboard and SEC badges from Trivy, Kyverno, Kubescape, Falco, Gatekeeper, and three built-in scanners: security.md
- Delete cascade picker,
Tab cycles Background / Foreground / Orphan / None: keybindings.md
- Scope, Availability, and Risk rows on the delete, drain, and scale dialogs: keybindings.md
- RBAC browser with
U, reverse lookup with Tab: keybindings.md
Resource actions
- Action menu
x: logs, exec, attach, debug, scale, restart, delete, describe, edit, events, port-forward, vuln scan, PVC resize: keybindings.md
- Multi-select with
Space, range with Ctrl+Space, then bulk delete, scale, or restart: keybindings.md
- Custom shell actions per resource type: config-reference.md
- Port forwarding, with active forwards listed under the Networking group: keybindings.md
- Right-sizing Advisor with
x -> z: features.md, keys in keybindings.md
- Network policy visualizer with
x -> N, Cilium aware: keybindings.md
- Traffic capture with
c on a Pod or Service: usage.md
Finding things
- Filter with
f, search with /, in substring, regex, fuzzy, or literal mode
- Abbreviated jumps such as
pvc, hpa, deploy: config-reference.md
- Command bar
: for resource jumps, built-ins, kubectl, and shell: commands.md, autocomplete in features.md
- Quick filter presets with
.: config-reference.md
- Sorting with
> / < / = / -, remembered per kind: keybindings.md
- Bookmarks with
m and ': keybindings.md
- Orphan detection with
Shift+Z across 11 kinds: usage.md
Viewers
- YAML preview in the right column, details summary with
Shift+P
- Fullscreen YAML Viewer with search, folding, and in-place editing: keybindings.md
- Field-manager blame with
m, writes stamped lfk:: config-reference.md
- Schema side pane with
Ctrl+K: features.md
- Object Explorer with
O for the live object: keybindings.md
- API Explorer with
I for the resource schema: keybindings.md
- Describe with
v, relationship map with M, events with V plus warnings-only and grouping toggles: keybindings.md
Logs and shells
- Live-log preview pane with
L, fullscreen viewer with Ctrl+L: keybindings.md
- Text filter
f, severity filter i / o, structured preview P: keybindings.md
- Log Top aggregates access logs into a metrics table,
T: keybindings.md
- Crash Investigator with
x -> I: keybindings.md
- Embedded terminal for exec and shell,
Ctrl+T cycles the mode: features.md
- Node shell with
x -> s: usage.md
Creating and copying
- Resource templates with
a, built-ins plus your own: features.md
- Export a live object as a template with
x -> T: features.md
- Copy name
y, copy-as picker Y, single field Ctrl+Y: keybindings.md
- Apply a manifest from the clipboard with
Ctrl+P: keybindings.md
- Save the selected manifest to a file with
W
- Decode Secrets with
Ctrl+S, edit them decoded with e: keybindings.md
- Finalizer search and removal with
Ctrl+G
Integrations
- Argo CD: browse Applications, sync, terminate, refresh: features.md
- Argo Workflows: suspend, resume, stop, resubmit, submit from a template: features.md
- Helm: browse releases, values, diff, upgrade, rollback, uninstall: keybindings.md
- HPA scaling overlay with
S: keybindings.md
- KEDA: pause and unpause ScaledObjects and ScaledJobs: features.md
- External Secrets: force refresh: features.md
- CRD discovery, grouped by API group
Appearance
Tables and metrics
Navigation hierarchy
Clusters (kubeconfig contexts)
+-- Resource Types (grouped: Workloads, Networking, Config, Storage, ArgoCD, Helm, ...)
+-- Resources (e.g., individual Deployments)
+-- Owned Resources (Pods via ownerReferences, Jobs for CronJobs, etc.)
+-- Containers (for Pods)
Namespaces are not a navigation level. The top-right corner shows the current namespace. Press \ to open the selector, which filters as you type. All-namespaces mode is on by default, and A toggles it.
Inside the namespace selector:
| Key | Action |
|---|
Space | Include a namespace |
Tab | Exclude a namespace (shows all except the marked ones, each prefixed with !) |
A | Reset to all-namespaces mode |
R | Refresh the list from the cluster |
. | Quick-filter to the namespace of the resource behind the overlay |
Owner resolution
- Deployments show their Pods (resolved through ReplicaSets, flattened)
- StatefulSets / DaemonSets / Jobs show their Pods directly
- CronJobs show their Jobs
- Services show Pods matching the service selector
- ArgoCD Applications show managed resources (from status or label discovery)
- Helm Releases show managed resources (via
app.kubernetes.io/instance label)
- Pods show their Containers
- ConfigMaps / Secrets / Ingresses / PVCs show details preview (no children)
Keybindings
docs/keybindings.md is the complete reference, including the YAML view, Log Viewer, describe, diff, exec mode, and every sub-mode. Press F1 in-app for the help screen, ? for the which-key action panel.
Move
| Key | Action |
|---|
h / l | Parent level / into the selected item |
j / k | Cursor down / up |
gg / G | Top / bottom of list |
Ctrl+D / Ctrl+U | Half-page scroll down / up |
Ctrl+F / Ctrl+B | Full-page scroll down / up |
J / K | Scroll the preview pane down / up |
Enter | Fullscreen YAML view, or navigate into |
Jump
| Key | Action |
|---|
0 / 1 / 2 | Clusters / resource types / resources level, both ways |
o | Owner or controller of the selected resource |
Backspace | Back through teleport history |
g + key | Goto resource type (g opens the which-key popup) |
m / ' | Set / jump to bookmark (lowercase context-aware, uppercase context-free) |
\ / A | Namespace selector / toggle all-namespaces |
g\ | Previous namespace |
Resource type list
| Key | Action |
|---|
z | Expand or collapse all groups (Events view: toggle grouping) |
p | Pin or unpin the selected type |
x | Pin, hide, or show the selected type |
H | Reveal rarely used and hidden types |
Search and filter
| Key | Action |
|---|
f | Filter items in the current view |
/ | Search and jump to a match |
n / N | Next / previous match |
. | Quick filter presets |
, | Column visibility and order |
> / < / = / - | Sort by next / previous column, flip direction, reset |
Views
| Key | Action |
|---|
F1 / ? | Help screen / which-key action panel |
P | Details summary or YAML preview |
M | Resource relationship map |
F | Cycle layout: hide sidebar, fullscreen, restore |
I / O | API Explorer / Object Explorer |
Ctrl+K | Schema side pane for the field under the cursor |
U | RBAC permissions browser (can-i) |
Actions
| Key | Action |
|---|
x | Action menu (logs, exec, describe, edit, delete, scale, port-forward) |
v / L / Ctrl+L | Describe / live-log preview / fullscreen Log Viewer |
D / X | Delete / force delete |
y / Y / Ctrl+Y | Copy name / copy-as picker / copy a single field |
Ctrl+P / W | Apply from clipboard / save the manifest to a file |
Space | Toggle multi-selection (bulk actions via x) |
Ctrl+S / Ctrl+G | Secret value visibility / finalizer search and remove |
Tools
| Key | Action |
|---|
: | Command bar (resource jumps, built-ins, kubectl, shell) |
T | Theme selector |
@ / Q | Cluster or monitoring dashboard / namespace quotas |
w | Watch mode (auto-refresh) |
Ctrl+T | Cycle terminal mode (pty / exec / mux) |
Ctrl+R | Read-only mode |
! | Error log |
t / ] / [ / } / { | New tab / next / previous / move right / move left |
All views (YAML, logs, describe, diff, exec) use vim-style navigation: j/k, gg/G, Ctrl+D/Ctrl+U, / search, v/V visual selection.
docs/commands.md is the command bar reference: built-in commands, shell and kubectl execution, resource jumps.
Configuration
- Create
~/.config/lfk/config.yaml.
- Add only the keys you want to change. Every other value keeps its default.
- Press
T in-app to browse themes, then put the name you picked in colorscheme.
# Color scheme. "dark:X,light:Y" switches with the OS appearance.
colorscheme: "dark:catppuccin-mocha,light:catppuccin-latte"
# Use the terminal's own background
transparent_background: true
# auto, unicode, nerdfont, simple, emoji, or none. LFK_ICONS overrides it.
icons: auto
# Disable mouse capture (allows native terminal text selection)
mouse: false
# Keybinding overrides
keybindings:
logs: "ctrl+l"
toggle_preview_logs: "L"
describe: "v"
delete: "D"
# Search abbreviations
abbreviations:
myapp: myapplications
docs/config-reference.md is the full reference, docs/config-example.yaml a commented example of every field.
Search modes
Every search and filter input auto-detects the mode from the query string:
| Mode | Syntax | Example |
|---|
| Substring | plain text | nginx |
| Regex | auto-detected | err[0-9]+ |
| Fuzzy | ~ prefix | ~deplymnt |
| Literal | \ prefix | \err.* |
All of them accept pasted text (Cmd+V on macOS, Ctrl+Shift+V on Linux). A multiline paste shows a confirmation dialog.
Up / Down recall previous queries. / and f share one history, the Log Viewer's / and the : command bar keep their own. All three survive restarts under $XDG_STATE_HOME/lfk/: keybindings.md.
Tips and tricks
Navigating
- Press
o on a resource to jump to its owner (Pod -> Deployment), then Backspace to jump back
- Teleport between levels with
0 / 1 / 2 (clusters / resource types / resources). 1 and 2 bring you back to the view you left, per cluster
- Jump straight to a resource type from anywhere: type
:pod, :dep, :pvc
- Set a bookmark with
m, jump back with ', the saved namespace and filter come with it
- Pin your daily-driver resource types with
p and hide noisy ones via x, both remembered per cluster
- Need everything except a few namespaces? In the
\ selector, Tab excludes namespaces instead of selecting them
- See how a resource connects to everything else with
M (relationship map)
Finding
- Typos are fine in search:
/~deplymnt fuzzy-matches deployments
- Press
Tab inside / or f to broaden matching to labels, annotations, finalizers, and other column values
- Recall earlier queries with
Up / Down inside /, f, and the : command bar
- Press
. for quick filter presets, for example only failing Pods
- Hunt down unused ConfigMaps, Secrets, PVCs and more with
Shift+Z (orphan detection)
- Sort by any column with
> / <, flip direction with =, reset with -
- Check firing Prometheus or Alertmanager alerts with
@, and namespace quotas with Q
Logs
- Peek at Pod or Deployment logs with
L, open the fullscreen viewer with Ctrl+L
- Make noisy logs readable with
P: the structured preview parses JSON, logfmt, klog, zap, nginx, envoy, Java, and postgres lines
- Save logs to a file with
S (loaded lines) or Ctrl+S (full history), the path lands on your clipboard
- Switch pods or filter containers without leaving the Log Viewer: press
\
- Investigate a crash-looping Pod with
x -> I: restart history, events, previous logs, and describe in one tabbed view
Inspecting
- Walk any resource's live object with
O: r finds keys recursively, T expands an ASCII tree, y copies the field path
- Forget
kubectl explain, I opens the API Explorer and n / N auto-drill into nested fields
- In the YAML Viewer, press
O on a line to open the Object Explorer at that attribute, or I to see its schema
Ctrl+K opens a side pane with the schema description of the field under the cursor, and keeps it in step as you move- Fold YAML sections with
z (Z folds all), edit the resource in your $EDITOR with Ctrl+E
- Render the manifest as KYAML with
K, the explicit brace-and-quote form kubectl 1.34 emits for -o kyaml
- Replay a resource's event history as a timeline with
V
- Every viewer speaks vim: counts (
100j, 42G, 5n), visual selections (v / V / Ctrl+V), and text objects (viw)
Acting
- Multi-select with
Space (range-select with Ctrl+Space), then bulk delete, scale, or restart via x
- Decode Secret values in the preview with
Ctrl+S, or edit them decoded with e
- Copy the resource name with
y, press Y to copy as YAML, JSON, KYAML, or Table
- Apply a manifest straight from your clipboard with
Ctrl+P
- Save the selected resource manifest to a file with
W
- Resource stuck in Terminating?
Ctrl+G searches its finalizers and removes them
- Open an Ingress host, or an active port-forward's localhost URL, with
Ctrl+O. On a Service it starts a port forward and opens it
- Run kubectl without leaving lfk (
:k get pods -o wide) or any shell command (:! curl ...)
Cluster work
- Lock a session against destructive actions with
Ctrl+R (read-only mode)
- Spin up a throwaway kind, k3d, or minikube cluster with
Ctrl+N at the cluster list
- Capture a Pod's network traffic with
c: live decode plus pcap export
- Flip the RBAC question: inside the Can-I browser (
U), Tab opens Who-Can, every subject allowed to run a verb on a resource
- Get per-container CPU and memory recommendations with
x -> z (Right-sizing Advisor, from a VPA or Prometheus when available, see features.md)
- Watch an ArgoCD Application roll out wave by wave:
x -> W opens the Sync Wave Timeline
- Try a new look without restarting:
T live-previews 460+ themes
- Waiting for a rollout?
:nyan and :kubetris are real commands
Contributing
See CONTRIBUTING.md for prerequisites, development setup, build and test commands, project layout, and the PR flow.
License
Apache License 2.0, see LICENSE.
Star History
