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RTK Troubleshooting Guide

Problem: "rtk gain" command not found

Symptom

$ rtk --version
rtk 1.0.0  # (or similar)

$ rtk gain
rtk: 'gain' is not a rtk command. See 'rtk --help'.

Root Cause

You installed the wrong rtk package. You have Rust Type Kit (reachingforthejack/rtk) instead of Rust Token Killer (rtk-ai/rtk).

Solution

1. Uninstall the wrong package:

cargo uninstall rtk

2. Install the correct one (Token Killer):

Quick Install (Linux/macOS)

curl -fsSL https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtk/blob/master/install.sh | sh

Alternative: Manual Installation

cargo install --git https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtk

3. Verify installation:

rtk --version
rtk gain  # MUST show token savings stats, not error

If rtk gain now works, installation is correct.

Problem: Confusion Between Two "rtk" Projects

The Two Projects

Project Repository Purpose Key Command
Rust Token Killer ✅ rtk-ai/rtk LLM token optimizer for Claude Code rtk gain
Rust Type Kit ❌ reachingforthejack/rtk Rust codebase query and type generator rtk query

How to Identify Which One You Have

# Check if "gain" command exists
rtk gain

# Token Killer → Shows token savings stats
# Type Kit → Error: "gain is not a rtk command"

Problem: cargo install rtk installs wrong package

Why This Happens

If Rust Type Kit is published to crates.io under the name rtk, running cargo install rtk will install the wrong package.

Solution

NEVER use cargo install rtk without verifying.

Always use explicit repository URLs:

# CORRECT - Token Killer
cargo install --git https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtk

# OR install from fork
git clone https://github.com/rtk-ai/rtk.git
cd rtk && git checkout feat/all-features
cargo install --path . --force

After any installation, ALWAYS verify:

rtk gain  # Must work if you want Token Killer

Problem: RTK not working in Claude Code

Symptom

Claude Code doesn't seem to be using rtk, outputs are verbose.

Checklist

1. Verify rtk is installed and correct:

rtk --version
rtk gain  # Must show stats

2. Initialize rtk for Claude Code:

# Global (all projects)
rtk init --global

# Per-project
cd /your/project
rtk init

3. Verify CLAUDE.md file exists:

# Check global
cat ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md | grep rtk

# Check project
cat ./CLAUDE.md | grep rtk

4. Install auto-rewrite hook (recommended for automatic RTK usage):

Option A: Automatic (recommended)

rtk init -g
# → Installs hook + RTK.md automatically
# → Follow printed instructions to add hook to ~/.claude/settings.json
# → Restart Claude Code

# Verify installation
rtk init --show  # Should show "✅ Hook: executable, with guards"

Option B: Manual (fallback)

# Copy hook to Claude Code hooks directory
mkdir -p ~/.claude/hooks
cp .claude/hooks/rtk-rewrite.sh ~/.claude/hooks/
chmod +x ~/.claude/hooks/rtk-rewrite.sh

Then add to ~/.claude/settings.json (replace ~ with full path):

{
  "hooks": {
    "PreToolUse": [
      {
        "matcher": "Bash",
        "hooks": [
          {
            "type": "command",
            "command": "/Users/yourname/.claude/hooks/rtk-rewrite.sh"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

Note: Use absolute path in settings.json, not ~/.claude/...

Problem: "command not found: rtk" after installation

Symptom

$ cargo install --path . --force
   Compiling rtk v0.7.1
    Finished release [optimized] target(s)
  Installing ~/.cargo/bin/rtk

$ rtk --version
zsh: command not found: rtk

Root Cause

~/.cargo/bin is not in your PATH.

Solution

1. Check if cargo bin is in PATH:

echo $PATH | grep -o '[^:]*\.cargo[^:]*'

2. If not found, add to PATH:

For bash (~/.bashrc):

export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"

For zsh (~/.zshrc):

export PATH="$HOME/.cargo/bin:$PATH"

For fish (~/.config/fish/config.fish):

set -gx PATH $HOME/.cargo/bin $PATH

3. Reload shell config:

source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc or restart terminal

4. Verify:

which rtk
rtk --version
rtk gain

Problem: Compilation errors during installation

Symptom

$ cargo install --path .
error: failed to compile rtk v0.7.1

Solutions

1. Update Rust toolchain:

rustup update stable
rustup default stable

2. Clean and rebuild:

cargo clean
cargo build --release
cargo install --path . --force

3. Check Rust version (minimum required):

rustc --version  # Should be 1.70+ for most features

4. If still fails, report issue:

Need More Help?

Report issues:

Run the diagnostic script:

# From the rtk repository root
bash scripts/check-installation.sh

This script will check:

  • ✅ RTK installed and in PATH
  • ✅ Correct version (Token Killer, not Type Kit)
  • ✅ Available features (pnpm, vitest, next, etc.)
  • ✅ Claude Code integration (CLAUDE.md files)
  • ✅ Auto-rewrite hook status

The script provides specific fix commands for any issues found.