Beta Version 1.12.0 · macOS 15 or later · Apple silicon Replaces CodeKit

XenoKit

Front-end builds you can read, commit and trust.

A native Mac file watcher that compiles Sass, JavaScript, TypeScript and CSS as you save. Every rule lives in a .xenokit.yml you commit with the project, so the build runs the same from the app, Terminal, CI or your AI coding agent.

Signed & notarized · No account · No analytics or telemetry

Terminal — xenoplexus.com
# what’s failing right now?
$ xenokit status .
# compile one file now
$ xenokit run --file public/assets/scss/main.scss
# the full output of the last failure
$ xenokit log --failed --full
What it does

What XenoKit does

It watches your projects, runs the right compiler when a file changes, and tells you plainly what happened.

  • Compiles on save

    Dart Sass, esbuild and PostCSS with Autoprefixer run the moment a file changes. Edit a Sass partial and every file that imports it recompiles.

  • Rules in your repo

    One committed .xenokit.yml says what compiles where, with per-file overrides. xenokit validate points at the line of any mistake.

  • Imports from CodeKit

    Reads CodeKit 3 and CodeKit 2 projects without opening CodeKit. Import All brings every project on your Mac across in one go.

  • Manages its own compilers

    Installs verified copies of Dart Sass, esbuild and PostCSS, and pins versions per project. No Homebrew, Node or npm needed.

  • A real command line

    The app drives the same xenokit CLI you do. Every command takes --json, and every command that changes something has --dry-run.

  • Made for AI coding agents

    xenokit agents writes a brief of the project’s rules, tools and current errors, and keeps a XenoKit section in AGENTS.md and CLAUDE.md.

  • Never steals focus

    Build status shows in the colour of the <K> brackets in the menu bar or Dock. Notifications are opt-in and clear themselves once a file compiles.

  • Open at the exact line

    Jump from an error straight to its line in VS Code, Cursor, PhpStorm, WebStorm, Zed, Sublime Text, Xcode or any editor you choose.

  • Runs your dev servers

    Service rules keep long-running processes such as a Vite dev server going, and restart them when their config changes.

  • 0.25%Idle CPU, 18 projects watched
  • 3Compilers built in
  • 18Of our own sites use it daily
  • 6.8 MBSigned, notarized download
Configuration

Rules you can read.

A project’s whole build lives in one short YAML file you commit with your code. Anyone, or any agent, can see exactly what compiles, where it goes, and with which tool version.

This is the real file that builds xenoplexus.com. XenoKit’s importer wrote it from the site’s old CodeKit settings.

  • Patterns follow .gitignore rules
  • Per-file overrides, like a source map on just one file
  • Compiler versions pinned per project
  • xenokit validate and xenokit schema check every key
See every feature →
.xenokit.yml
# XenoKit settings for xenoplexus.com, imported from public/config.codekit3 by xenokit import.
version: 2
name: xenoplexus.com
icon: public/images/favicons/favicon-196x196.png

defaults:
  ignore:
    - public/**/vendor/**
    - public/**/node_modules/**
    - public/**/_logs/**
    - public/**/logs/**
    - public/**/log/**
    - public/**/.idea/**
    - public/**/_cache/**
    - public/**/cache/**

# The versions CodeKit bundles now, which may not be the ones that built the existing outputs.
tools:
  sass: 1.104.1
  autoprefixer: 10.6.0

rules:
  - name: "styles: public/assets/scss"
    compile: sass
    files: [public/assets/scss/*.scss]
    output: public/assets/css/{name}.css
    style: compressed
    source_map: false
    autoprefix: true

files:
  public/assets/scss/main.scss:
    source_map: true
The complete .xenokit.yml in this website’s repository.
Switching from CodeKit

Bring every project across in one go.

XenoKit reads your CodeKit projects directly. CodeKit never has to open.

  1. 1

    Open XenoKit

    It finds the CodeKit 3 and CodeKit 2 projects on your Mac by itself.

  2. 2

    Import All

    Projects that match are imported and start watching. The rest wait on one page of plain-language cards.

  3. 3

    Compare the output

    XenoKit can compile into a temporary folder and compare the result with CodeKit’s outputs.

  4. 4

    Keep working

    Same folders, same outputs. Per-file settings, ignores, hooks and tool versions come with you.

Using @codekit-prepend or @codekit-append? XenoKit joins those scripts byte-for-byte, as CodeKit did, and warns you so you can port them when you’re ready.

Read the import guide →

XenoTools

Part of XenoTools

XenoKit builds. Its sibling tools serve, query, ship and audit the same projects, and each one also works on its own.

  1. StartXenoMaster · In development
  2. BuildXenoKit · this page
  3. ServeXenoHost · Beta
  4. QueryXenoSQL · In development
  5. ShipXenoDeploy · In development
  6. AuditXenoAudit · In development

Get XenoKit

Beta Pricing announced at launch.

  • Buy version 1 once; every 1.x update included
  • Use it on 2 Macs
  • 50% off when you upgrade from the previous major
  • No subscription, no account

How licensing works →14-day free trial at launch

Payments by Stripe. Your license key arrives by email. Lost it? Recover it at licenses.xenoplexus.com/recover.

Requires
macOS 15 or later
Processor
Apple silicon
Download
6.8 MB, signed & notarized
Network
Only to install compilers, from npm and nodejs.org

CodeKit is a trademark of its respective owner. XenoKit is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by its owner.

Questions about XenoKit?

Beta access, licensing, or help moving your CodeKit projects across. We reply within 24 hours on business days.

Need help with an app or a license? Open a support ticket →

We reply within 24 hours on business days.