Install UI/TUI

Use HolmesGPT through graphical and terminal interfaces via third-party integrations.

K9s Plugin

Integrate HolmesGPT into your K9s Kubernetes terminal for instant analysis.

Prerequisites

• K9s must be installed - See the K9s installation guide
• HolmesGPT CLI and API key - Follow the CLI Installation Guide to install Holmes and configure your AI provider

Plugin Options

Basic Plugin (Shift + H) - Quick investigation with predefined question

Add to your K9s plugins configuration file:

• Linux: ~/.config/k9s/plugins.yaml or ~/.k9s/plugins.yaml
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/k9s/plugins.yaml or ~/.k9s/plugins.yaml
• Windows: %APPDATA%/k9s/plugins.yaml

Read more about K9s plugins here and check your plugin path here.

plugins:
  holmesgpt:
    shortCut: Shift-H
    description: Ask HolmesGPT
    scopes:
      - all
    command: bash
    background: false
    confirm: false
    args:
      - -c
      - |
        # Check if we're already using the correct context
        CURRENT_CONTEXT=$(kubectl config current-context 2>/dev/null || echo "")
        if [ "$CURRENT_CONTEXT" = "$CONTEXT" ]; then
          # Already using the correct context, run HolmesGPT directly
          holmes ask "why is $NAME of $RESOURCE_NAME in -n $NAMESPACE not working as expected"
        else
          # Create temporary kubeconfig to avoid changing user's system context
          # K9s passes $CONTEXT but we need to ensure HolmesGPT uses the same context
          # without permanently switching the user's kubectl context
          TEMP_KUBECONFIG=$(mktemp)
          kubectl config view --raw > $TEMP_KUBECONFIG
          KUBECONFIG=$TEMP_KUBECONFIG kubectl config use-context $CONTEXT
          # KUBECONFIG environment variable is passed to holmes and all its child processes
          KUBECONFIG=$TEMP_KUBECONFIG holmes ask "why is $NAME of $RESOURCE_NAME in -n $NAMESPACE not working as expected"
          rm -f $TEMP_KUBECONFIG
        fi
        echo "Press 'q' to exit"
        while : ; do
        read -n 1 k <&1
        if [[ $k = q ]] ; then
        break
        fi
        done

Advanced Plugin (Shift + Q) - Interactive plugin with custom questions

Add to your K9s plugins configuration file:

• Linux: ~/.config/k9s/plugins.yaml or ~/.k9s/plugins.yaml
• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/k9s/plugins.yaml or ~/.k9s/plugins.yaml
• Windows: %APPDATA%/k9s/plugins.yaml

Read more about K9s plugins here and check your plugin path here.

plugins:
  custom-holmesgpt:
    shortCut: Shift-Q
    description: Custom HolmesGPT Ask
    scopes:
      - all
    command: bash
    background: false
    confirm: false
    args:
      - -c
      - |
        INSTRUCTIONS="# Edit the line below. Lines starting with '#' will be ignored."
        DEFAULT_ASK_COMMAND="why is $NAME of $RESOURCE_NAME in -n $NAMESPACE not working as expected"
        QUESTION_FILE=$(mktemp)

        echo "$INSTRUCTIONS" > "$QUESTION_FILE"
        echo "$DEFAULT_ASK_COMMAND" >> "$QUESTION_FILE"

        # Open the line in the default text editor
        ${EDITOR:-nano} "$QUESTION_FILE"

        # Read the modified line, ignoring lines starting with '#'
        user_input=$(grep -v '^#' "$QUESTION_FILE")

        echo "Running: holmes ask '$user_input'"
        # Check if we're already using the correct context
        CURRENT_CONTEXT=$(kubectl config current-context 2>/dev/null || echo "")
        if [ "$CURRENT_CONTEXT" = "$CONTEXT" ]; then
          # Already using the correct context, run HolmesGPT directly
          holmes ask "$user_input"
        else
          # Create temporary kubeconfig to avoid changing user's system context
          # K9s passes $CONTEXT but we need to ensure HolmesGPT uses the same context
          # without permanently switching the user's kubectl context
          TEMP_KUBECONFIG=$(mktemp)
          kubectl config view --raw > $TEMP_KUBECONFIG
          KUBECONFIG=$TEMP_KUBECONFIG kubectl config use-context $CONTEXT
          # KUBECONFIG environment variable is passed to holmes and all its child processes
          KUBECONFIG=$TEMP_KUBECONFIG holmes ask "$user_input"
          rm -f $TEMP_KUBECONFIG
        fi
        echo "Press 'q' to exit"
        while : ; do
        read -n 1 k <&1
        if [[ $k = q ]] ; then
        break
        fi
        done

Usage

1. Run K9s and select any Kubernetes resource
2. Press Shift + H for quick analysis or Shift + Q for custom questions

Web UI (Robusta)

The fastest way to use HolmesGPT is via the managed Robusta SaaS platform.

Get Started

1. Sign up: platform.robusta.dev
2. Connect your cluster: Follow the in-app wizard to install the Robusta agent and configure data sources.

3. Investigate: Use the "Ask Holmes" chat to analyze alerts or ask questions like:

   1. "What pods are failing in production?"
   2. "Why did this alert fire?"

Multiple AI Providers

You can configure multiple AI models for users to choose from in the UI. See Using Multiple Providers for configuration details.

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Slack Bot (Robusta)

First install Robusta SaaS, then tag HolmesGPT in any Slack message for instant analysis.

Setup Slack Bot

Need Help?

• Join our Slack - Get help from the community
• Request features on GitHub - Suggest improvements or report bugs
• Troubleshooting guide - Common issues and solutions