Building open infrastructure for engineers.
KB Labs is a self-hosted, open-source platform for AI workflows, plugin-based automation, and infrastructure abstraction — built in public since 2025.
From one overnight MVP to a full platform.
In 2025 I was a frontend lead when my CTO rolled out AI code review for the backend only. I disagreed with the tool and the approach. I built a full MVP overnight — frontend and backend together — and we shipped half my proposals the next day.
I published the first version as open source, then kept going. A review tool became a workflow engine, which became a plugin system, which became an infrastructure gateway. KB Labs is what happens when you can't stop.
Today: 145+ packages, a real release pipeline, Go binaries for build orchestration and service management. Public launch is summer 2026. The source has been open the whole time.
Timeline
2025 Q1
Started building the core platform in private
2025 Q3
First public GitHub commit, monorepo structure settled
2025 Q4
Workflow engine, Gateway, and plugin system shipped
2026 Q1
Studio UI, marketplace, and agent system added
NowNow
Public launch preparation, docs, and site in progress
Four principles behind every decision.
Because vendor lock-in is a business model.
Every SaaS tool starts with a smooth onboarding. The switching costs appear later, after you've wired your workflow through their API. KB Labs is dual-licensed (MIT + KBPL) and self-hosted. Your data, your code, your infra.
Because small teams deserve platform engineering too.
Large companies have entire teams building internal developer platforms. Everyone else pieces together subscriptions. KB Labs is that platform — open source, installable in one command.
Because AI tooling needs a runtime, not a prompt.
Dropping an LLM call into your codebase is not AI infrastructure. KB Labs gives AI agents the same typed contracts, permission enforcement, and observability as everything else.
Because infrastructure should be code, not ceremony.
Workflows, policies, pipelines — all version-controlled YAML. Reviewed, tested, and deployed the same way as the product code it serves.
Open the closed. Every system boundary must be open for inspection, replacement, and extension.
Kirill Baranov · Founder, KB Labs
Kirill Baranov
Founder · Frontend lead turned platform builder
I'm a frontend lead who built an AI review tool overnight and couldn't stop. I've been building KB Labs in public since 2025 — shipping code, writing about the decisions, and keeping the source open the whole way.
The platform is 145+ packages today. It manages its own releases, CI, and code review through itself. Public launch is summer 2026.
I build what I wish I had. An infrastructure layer that's yours to own, inspect, and replace — without a migration project every time you change your mind.
Follow the build in GitHub Discussions or on X / Twitter. Want to talk? Reach out directly..