> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.backant.io/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Daily use

> Start, stop, watch, and inspect Kairos during day-to-day operation.

Five top-level commands carry you through normal use.

## Start

```bash theme={null}
backant start                    # current workspace
backant start /path/to/repo      # explicit workspace
```

By default, Kairos paces itself between turns to keep costs in check. Three flags adjust:

| Flag      | Effect                                                                                                                                                                                  |
| --------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `--turbo` | No pacing. High token usage; use for short focused bursts.                                                                                                                              |
| `--fresh` | Hard reset. Discards in-process judgment (`.session/`, `.state/`) so the next turn re-reads memory from disk. Memory itself, `.backant.toml`, and your lessons/learnings are preserved. |
| `--pace`  | Auto-throttle. Stretches the pause between turns when Anthropic rate-limit utilization crosses 50% of any window; pauses outright above 95% until the window resets.                    |

<Tip>
  `--pace` is the recommended flag for long-lived deployments on a Max subscription. Keeps Kairos productive without burning your rate-limit headroom.
</Tip>

## Stop

```bash theme={null}
backant stop
```

Sends a graceful shutdown signal. The current turn finishes; nothing new starts. Memory and configuration are unaffected.

## Watch

```bash theme={null}
backant watch
```

Live event feed with a status bar. Each decision and action streams in real time. Exit with Ctrl+C — only detaches the viewer; does not stop Kairos.

This is the right thing to keep open in a side terminal while you work alongside it.

## Status

```bash theme={null}
backant status
```

One-shot snapshot. Exits cleanly. Suitable for scripting (CI checks, dashboards). Shows:

* Whether Kairos is active
* Workspace, latest activity, last outcome
* Subscription validity
* Recent memory growth
* Pending dream-bucket items

## Authentication

```bash theme={null}
backant login                    # browser auth flow
backant logout                   # clear stored credentials
```

Re-run `login` after a subscription renewal or account switch. Credentials persist across reboots under `~/.claude/kairos/`.

## Per-workspace vs. user-level state

| Level                      | What lives here                                                                                                            |
| -------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Workspace (the repo)       | `.backant.toml` (policy), `.session/`, `.state/` (scratch). All committed or gitignored as appropriate.                    |
| User (`~/.claude/kairos/`) | Memory store, dream logs, eval reports, credentials, embedding-model cache. Shared across all workspaces you've connected. |

Memory is intentionally user-level rather than per-workspace — observations about one codebase often inform decisions about another (e.g. "the team uses Zod everywhere"). If you want strict per-workspace isolation, override `KAIROS_MEMORY_DB` to a workspace-local path before starting.

## Configuration reload

Editing `.backant.toml` while Kairos is active does **not** auto-reload the policy. Restart with `--fresh` to ensure the new policy takes effect immediately:

```bash theme={null}
backant stop
backant start --fresh
```

See [Configuration](/kairos/configuration) for the full `.backant.toml` schema.

## Quick reference

```bash theme={null}
backant                          # first-run setup OR resume in this workspace
backant login                    # auth
backant logout                   # de-auth
backant setup                    # re-scan, refresh skills
backant start [--turbo|--fresh|--pace]   # start Kairos
backant stop                     # stop Kairos
backant watch                    # live event feed
backant status                   # one-shot snapshot

backant memory <sub>             # see /kairos/memory
backant dream <sub>              # see /kairos/dream
backant eval <sub>               # see /kairos/eval
```

Pass `--help` on any subcommand for flags and arguments.