ktl is a Kubernetes CLI for building, previewing, and applying releases, but the real glue is its SQLite-backed local state. Helm and the broader Kubernetes workflow often feel fragmented, with too many separate tools for planning, rollout tracking, logs, and status, and ktl is basically an attempt to make that flow more cohesive. You still get fast feedback, rollout visibility, chart planning, and sandboxed build workflows, but SQLite is what keeps it all stitched together in practice. It holds run metadata, cached operational context, and UI/CLI state in one lightweight embedded store, so you get responsive behavior and useful history without adding more infrastructure.