kb/openspec/changes/archive/2026-03-25-kb-v2-client-server/specs/go-client/spec.md

ADDED Requirements

Requirement: Single static binary with zero runtime dependencies

The Go client SHALL compile to a single static binary with no runtime dependencies. It SHALL support cross-compilation for Linux (amd64, arm64), macOS (amd64, arm64), and Windows (amd64).

Scenario: Install on a clean machine

• WHEN a user downloads the kb binary for their platform
• THEN they SHALL be able to run it immediately with no additional installs (no Python, no Docker, no shared libraries)

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Requirement: Client configuration

The client SHALL read configuration from ~/.kb/client.yaml. Configuration values SHALL be overridable via environment variables and CLI flags. Precedence: CLI flags > environment variables > config file > defaults.

Scenario: Default configuration

• WHEN no config file exists and no env vars or flags are set
• THEN the client SHALL use defaults: engine URL http://localhost:8000, no API key, format human

Scenario: Config file

• WHEN ~/.kb/client.yaml contains engine_url: https://kb.example.com
• THEN the client SHALL use that URL for all API requests

Scenario: Environment variable override

• WHEN KB_ENGINE_URL is set
• THEN it SHALL override the config file value

Scenario: CLI flag override

• WHEN the user passes --engine https://other.host:8000
• THEN it SHALL override both the config file and environment variable

Scenario: Engine unreachable

• WHEN the client cannot connect to the engine URL
• THEN it SHALL print a clear error message (e.g., "Cannot reach engine at http://localhost:8000 — is it running?") and exit with a non-zero code

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Requirement: Search command

The client SHALL provide a kb search <query> command that sends the query to the engine and displays results.

Scenario: Human-readable search output

• WHEN the user runs kb search "how to change oil"
• THEN the client SHALL POST to /api/v1/search, and display results in a human-readable format showing rank, score, document title, page/section, doc type, tags, and a text snippet

Scenario: JSON search output

• WHEN the user runs kb search "query" --format json
• THEN the client SHALL output the raw JSON response from the engine

Scenario: Search with filters

• WHEN the user runs kb search "brakes" --tags maintenance --type pdf --top 3
• THEN the client SHALL include the filters in the API request body

Scenario: Search mode flags

• WHEN the user runs kb search "error" --fts-only
• THEN the client SHALL set fts_only: true in the request body

---

Requirement: Add command (file and note ingestion)

The client SHALL provide a kb add command that uploads files or notes to the engine for async ingestion. The client SHALL exit immediately after a successful upload.

Scenario: Add a single file

• WHEN the user runs kb add report.pdf
• THEN the client SHALL upload the file via POST /api/v1/jobs (multipart), print "Queued: report.pdf", and exit

Scenario: Add a file with tags

• WHEN the user runs kb add manual.pdf --tags car,maintenance
• THEN the client SHALL include the tags in the multipart upload metadata

Scenario: Add a directory recursively

• WHEN the user runs kb add ~/documents/ --recursive
• THEN the client SHALL discover all supported files in the directory tree, upload each one sequentially, and print "Queued: N files"

Scenario: Add a text note

• WHEN the user runs kb add --note "The server room is in building 3, floor 2"
• THEN the client SHALL submit the note text via POST /api/v1/jobs (multipart with note field), print "Queued: note", and exit

Scenario: Add with JSON output

• WHEN the user runs kb add report.pdf --format json
• THEN the client SHALL output the JSON response from the engine including the job_id

Scenario: File not found

• WHEN the user runs kb add nonexistent.pdf
• THEN the client SHALL print an error and exit with a non-zero code without making any API call

Scenario: Upload failure

• WHEN the upload fails (network error, engine returns 4xx/5xx)
• THEN the client SHALL print the error and exit with a non-zero code

---

Requirement: Jobs command

The client SHALL provide a kb jobs command to view the ingestion queue.

Scenario: List all jobs

• WHEN the user runs kb jobs
• THEN the client SHALL fetch GET /api/v1/jobs and display a table of recent jobs showing ID, filename, status, and timestamp

Scenario: Filter jobs by status

• WHEN the user runs kb jobs --status failed
• THEN the client SHALL pass the status filter and display only matching jobs

Scenario: Job details

• WHEN the user runs kb jobs <id>
• THEN the client SHALL fetch GET /api/v1/jobs/{id} and display full job details including error message (if failed), document_id (if done), and chunk count

---

Requirement: Document management commands

The client SHALL provide commands to list, inspect, and remove documents.

Scenario: List documents

• WHEN the user runs kb list
• THEN the client SHALL fetch GET /api/v1/documents and display a table of documents with ID, title, type, tags, chunk count, and date

Scenario: List with filters

• WHEN the user runs kb list --type pdf --tags manual
• THEN the client SHALL pass filters as query parameters

Scenario: Document info

• WHEN the user runs kb info <id>
• THEN the client SHALL fetch GET /api/v1/documents/{id} and display full document details

Scenario: Remove a document

• WHEN the user runs kb remove <id>
• THEN the client SHALL prompt for confirmation, then send DELETE /api/v1/documents/{id} and display the result

Scenario: Remove with skip confirmation

• WHEN the user runs kb remove <id> --yes
• THEN the client SHALL skip the confirmation prompt

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Requirement: Tag management commands

The client SHALL provide commands to list and manage tags.

Scenario: List tags

• WHEN the user runs kb tags
• THEN the client SHALL fetch GET /api/v1/tags and display tags with document counts

Scenario: Add tags to a document

• WHEN the user runs kb tag <id> --add manual,v2
• THEN the client SHALL send PUT /api/v1/documents/{id}/tags with the add payload

Scenario: Remove tags from a document

• WHEN the user runs kb tag <id> --remove draft
• THEN the client SHALL send PUT /api/v1/documents/{id}/tags with the remove payload

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Requirement: Status command

The client SHALL provide a kb status command to display engine status.

Scenario: Display engine status

• WHEN the user runs kb status
• THEN the client SHALL fetch GET /api/v1/status and display model name, embedding dimensions, GPU info, document counts by type, total chunks, database size, and queue status

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Requirement: Global output format flag

All commands SHALL support a --format flag accepting human (default) or json. The default MAY be changed via the default_format config value.

Scenario: JSON output on any command

• WHEN the user passes --format json to any command
• THEN the client SHALL output the raw JSON response from the engine without human formatting

Scenario: Human output (default)

• WHEN the user runs any command without --format
• THEN the client SHALL format the response in a human-readable table or structured text output