# Kilobat

> Kilobat is a Mac menu-bar app and a free, open-source CLI (GPL-3.0) for your network. It shows which apps use your connection, blocks background apps on hotspots and capped plans, and diagnoses why the internet is slow. macOS 14 or later.

## What it is for

- See live upload and download per app, in the menu bar or with `kilobat status`.
- Save mobile data: the Travel profile blocks apps you have not allowed, and can switch on automatically on metered networks such as a personal hotspot. A data budget stops new connections once it is used up.
- Diagnose slow internet: checks Wi-Fi signal and noise, router latency, internet latency and jitter, DNS, and captive portals, then says which part is the problem.
- Find a stronger Wi-Fi spot with the signal radar, and see channel crowding from a nearby-network scan.
- Speed test against Cloudflare, capped at 80 MB, with a verdict for voice calls, video calls and streaming.
- Join and share Wi-Fi: network picker, saved passwords, QR codes.

## What it is not

- Not a VPN: it does not route traffic through a server or hide your IP address.
- Not a speed booster: it shows where a connection is slow; it does not make it faster.
- Blocking requires the app's signed macOS network filter, which the user enables.

## Pricing

- Free: the menu-bar app (live per-app traffic, Wi-Fi picker and sharing, speed tests) and the full CLI.
- Kilobat Pro: $19 once, two Macs, 14-day free trial, 14-day refunds. Adds blocking profiles, data budgets, connection diagnosis, signal radar and usage history.

## CLI for scripts and AI agents

Install: `brew install seifip/kilobat/kilobat`

The formula also installs `kb` as a short alias for `kilobat`.

Output switches to JSON automatically when piped. Useful commands:

- `kilobat status --json` — live per-app traffic snapshot (`--watch` streams JSON lines)
- `kilobat diagnose --json` — health (`good`, `degraded`, `poor`, `unknown`), measurements and advice
- `kilobat scan --json` — nearby networks, channels and widths
- `kilobat speedtest --json [--budget-mb 1…80]` — speed and loaded latency
- `kilobat report --json|--csv` — locally recorded usage history; `--summary --days N` gives daily totals and top apps
- `kilobat rules --json` — current profile and saved rules
- `kilobat profile [travel|work|unrestricted]`, `kilobat allow|block <bundle-id>` — rules (saved locally; enforced by the app's filter)
- `kilobat <command> --help` — help for one command

## MCP server and agent skill

- `kilobat mcp` runs a Model Context Protocol server over stdio. Add it to a client as a local command, for example `claude mcp add kilobat -- kilobat mcp`.
- Read-only tools: `get_status`, `diagnose_network`, `scan_wifi`, `run_speedtest` (`budget_mb`, 80 MB max), `get_usage_report` (`days`), `list_rules`. They return the same JSON as the CLI.
- Change tools: `set_profile`, `set_app_rule`, `set_dns`. They are annotated as non-read-only and destructive, and their descriptions tell the agent to get the user's confirmation first.
- Skill: `mac-network-troubleshooting` guides agents through slow internet, Wi-Fi drops, latency, DNS, hotspot data use and bufferbloat on macOS. Install with `npx skills add seifip/kilobat-skills`; install the Kilobat CLI separately or connect its MCP server. Details: https://kilobat.app/docs.html#network-troubleshooting-skill. Skill page: https://skills.sh/seifip/kilobat-skills/mac-network-troubleshooting.

Agents should ask the user before changing DNS, profiles or rules. Traffic history, network names and rules stay on the Mac.

## Links

- [Website](https://kilobat.app/): product overview and pricing
- [Documentation](https://kilobat.app/docs.html): installation, CLI commands, MCP and filtering
- [Changelog](https://kilobat.app/changelog.html): releases and features
- [Alternatives](https://kilobat.app/alternatives.html): comparisons with other network tools
- [Sitemap](https://kilobat.app/sitemap.xml): all public pages
- Website: https://kilobat.app
- Privacy: https://kilobat.app/privacy.html
- Terms: https://kilobat.app/terms.html
- Support: https://kilobat.app/support.html