kerykeion-cli

Astrology command line for agents and humans.

Calculate astrology charts, inspect results and generate SVGs from the terminal, without writing Python integration code. kerykeion-cli runs the Kerykeion library locally, with readable reports and command help for people, plus structured output, command discovery and explicit error codes for AI agents and automation.

A dedicated CLI Agent Skill teaches agents which commands to use, how to supply birth data, how to interpret outputs and how to handle errors. Install the skill alongside the CLI for agent-driven use.

Install

Requires Python 3.12+. Choose one installation method:

# Isolated tool, available on PATH
uv tool install "kerykeion-cli==6.0.1"

# Or install the library and CLI in your Python environment
pip install "kerykeion[cli]==6.0.1"

The CLI pins kerykeion==6.0.1 and adds no dependencies beyond the library itself. A plain pip install kerykeion installs no shell command. python -m kerykeion_cli is the alternative entry point when the package is installed in the active Python environment.

Install the AI Agent Skill

The CLI Agent Skill is a separate folder in the repository, not part of the Python package. It follows the Agent Skills format and works with compatible coding agents.

git clone --depth 1 --branch main https://github.com/g-battaglia/kerykeion.git
cd kerykeion

# Claude Code: replace /path/to/project with your target project
mkdir -p /path/to/project/.claude/skills
cp -r skills/kerykeion-cli /path/to/project/.claude/skills/

# Codex and agents using .agents/skills
mkdir -p /path/to/project/.agents/skills
cp -r skills/kerykeion-cli /path/to/project/.agents/skills/

For other tools, copy skills/kerykeion-cli into the tool's supported skills directory. The skill includes command routing, saved-profile rules, output and exit-code contracts, factory discovery, and executable recipes. For agents writing Python code instead, use the separate library skill.

An example task for an agent with the CLI skill loaded:

Use kerykeion-cli to calculate an offline natal chart for 15 July 1990 at 18:00 in London, using latitude 51.5074, longitude -0.1278 and Europe/London. Save a Modern SVG with the Dark theme and a JSON result including warnings. Report any coverage limitations instead of filling in missing data.

First chart

Save the birth data once, then reuse the profile:

kerykeion status --check -f json

kerykeion subject save example --name "Example Person" --date 1990-07-15 --time 18:00 \
  --lat 51.5074 --lng -0.1278 --tz Europe/London --offline

kerykeion natal -s example -f text
kerykeion natal -s example -f json --envelope -o example.json
kerykeion natal -s example -f svg -o example.svg --theme dark
kerykeion natal -s example -f xml -o example.xml

Modern is the default chart style. SVG output is suitable for display or embedding; JSON preserves the calculation data; XML supplies structured chart context for an LLM. Format support depends on the command and result type. Unsupported formats are rejected rather than silently substituted.

An agent workflow: discover, calculate, inspect

Ask the installed CLI what it supports instead of guessing parameter names:

kerykeion --help
kerykeion info literals SiderealMode -f json
kerykeion call --list -f json
kerykeion call ProfectionsFactory.from_subject --explain -f json
kerykeion call ProfectionsFactory.from_subject -s example -f json

Prefer the curated commands for common tasks. Use call when a public factory or parameter is not covered by them. The dispatcher accepts public library targets, refuses private or arbitrary Python names, and reports unsupported parameter types. It is not an arbitrary-code execution interface or a security sandbox.

What you can calculate

For example, reuse the profile above to build a transit timeline, or query sky events independently:

kerykeion transits -s example --from 2026-01-01 --to 2026-01-02 \
  --include-subjects --calculate-dignities -f json -o transits.json

kerykeion sky lunations --from 2026-01-01 --to 2026-02-01 -f json
kerykeion sky ingresses --help
kerykeion sky stations --help

Output contracts for agents and scripts

Output defaults to text on a terminal and JSON in a pipe. In automation, specify -f explicitly so the result does not depend on terminal detection. Use -o to write a file.

Payloads go to stdout; warnings and diagnostics go to stderr. With -f json --envelope, the output contains:

Inspect the result with jq (installed separately):

kerykeion natal -s example -f json --envelope \
  | jq '{backend: .kerykeion.backend, warnings: .warnings, sun: .data.sun.sign}'

--envelope is JSON-only. --warnings-as-errors returns exit 9 if warnings occur, after writing the payload. Do not treat a written file as proof of success without checking the exit code.

Input accuracy, privacy and coverage

Always supply explicit coordinates, an IANA timezone and --offline when location lookup is unnecessary. Do not let an agent invent an unknown birth time, timezone or coordinate. Ambiguous local times require an explicit choice; inspect command help before proceeding.

Saved profiles contain personal birth data. Profile files are written with 0600 permissions. Keep real profiles, exported charts and JSON results out of public repositories and logs.

Calculations use local ephemeris data. The default libephemeris tier covers 1850 to 2150, upper bound exclusive. Wider dates require additional data tiers, and optional bodies may have narrower coverage. Inspect warnings and provenance before using a result. See backend configuration.

Commercial projects

For commercial projects, use the hosted Astrologer API. CLI access through Astrologer API is coming soon. The package documented here is the local Kerykeion CLI, not a client for that hosted service.

The local library and CLI are distributed under AGPL-3.0. The API recommendation does not change the rights and obligations of that license. See licensing.

Documentation and man page

• CLI reference
• CLI Agent Skill and tested recipes
• Python library README

The wheel includes a generated kerykeion(1) man page. In a prefix whose share/man directory is indexed, use man kerykeion. For an isolated uv tool installation:

man -M "$(uv tool dir)/kerykeion-cli/share/man" kerykeion