Kimi Code cheatsheet

Lookup only. CLI: kimi command and kimi --help. Models / membership: models and membership.

Covers official pages opened on 2026-08-19. npm @moonshot-ai/kimi-code latest that day was 0.37.1. Run kimi --version and check the changelog.

Install

Case	Command
macOS / Linux (recommended)	curl -fsSL https://code.kimi.com/kimi-code/install.sh | bash
Windows PowerShell	irm https://code.kimi.com/kimi-code/install.ps1 | iex
npm (Node ≥ 22.19.0)	npm install -g @moonshot-ai/kimi-code
pnpm	pnpm add -g @moonshot-ai/kimi-code
Version	kimi --version (-V)
Upgrade	kimi upgrade (alias kimi update)
npm upgrade	npm install -g @moonshot-ai/kimi-code@latest
Homebrew upgrade	brew upgrade kimi-code (What's New; Getting Started has no install text)
npm uninstall	npm uninstall -g @moonshot-ai/kimi-code

Windows: install Git for Windows first; custom Git Bash path → KIMI_SHELL_PATH.

Old https://code.kimi.com/install.sh (no kimi-code/) and uv tool install … kimi-cli are the Python line. Do not use them.

Main flags

Source: kimi command

Flag	Short	Meaning
--version	-V	Print version
--help	-h	Help
--session [id]	-S	Resume; omit ID for a picker. Hidden alias -r / --resume
--continue	-c	Resume latest session in this directory
--model <model>	-m	Model alias for this launch
--prompt <prompt>	-p	One-shot, no TUI
--output-format <format>		text or stream-json; only with -p
--yolo	-y	Auto-approve ordinary tools. Hidden aliases --yes, --auto-approve
--auto		Auto permission; no questions
--plan		Start in Plan mode
--skills-dir <dir>		Replace auto-discovered Skills dirs; repeatable
--agent <name>		Main agent (not with --session/--continue)
--agent-file <path>		Load an agent from Markdown
--add-dir <dir>		Extra workdir; repeatable

Conflicts: --continue × --session; --yolo × --auto; -p cannot combine with --yolo / --auto / --plan. -p is locked to auto permission.

Subcommands

Command	Role
kimi	No args: new TUI session here
kimi login	Non-interactive OAuth device-code
kimi acp	ACP stdio for IDEs
kimi web	Foreground REST/WS + web UI. Default port 58627
kimi doctor	Validate config.toml / tui.toml
kimi export [sessionId]	Zip a session
kimi migrate	Import old kimi-cli data
kimi upgrade	Check and install updates
kimi vis [sessionId]	Visualize a session in the browser
kimi provider …	Non-interactive provider admin

kimi server … is deprecated (exit 1). Use kimi web. Exception: kimi server kill only stops pre-0.28.0 background servers.

Slash commands (starter set)

Full list: slash-commands

Command	Alias	Role
/login		OAuth or Platform key
/logout		Clear current credentials
/model		Switch model
/provider		Provider manager
/new	/clear	New session
/sessions	/resume	Resume history
/fork		Fork a copy
/compact [hint]		Compress context
/init		Write AGENTS.md
/usage		Usage / quota
/status		Runtime status
/yolo [on|off]	/yes	YOLO
/auto [on|off]		Auto
/plan [on|off]		Plan
/goal …		Goal mode
/swarm <task>		Multi-agent parallel
/btw [question]		Side-channel subagent
/mcp		MCP status
/mcp-config		Configure MCP (built-in skill)
/help	/h /?	Help
/exit	/quit /q	Quit

Keys

Key	Action
Enter	Send
Shift-Enter / Ctrl-J	Newline
Esc	Interrupt / close popup
Ctrl-C	Interrupt; twice while idle exits
Ctrl-D	Exit when the input is empty
Shift-Tab	Toggle Plan
Ctrl-S	Interject while streaming
Ctrl-O	Collapse tool output
Ctrl-G	External editor
! (empty input)	Shell mode
@	File mention
/	Slash command

Paste media: Ctrl-V on macOS/Linux, Alt-V on Windows.

VS Code extension

Item	Value
Marketplace	moonshot-ai.kimi-code
Search	Kimi Code, publisher moonshot-ai
Eligibility	Product docs: new installs only for legacy Python CLI users
VS Code version (Marketplace)	>= 1.100.0
Focus input	Ctrl+Shift+K / Cmd+Shift+K
Insert current file	Alt+K
New conversation	Ctrl+N / Cmd+N (needs kimi.enableNewConversationShortcut)

Model IDs

Source: Models (3 IDs)

Model ID	Model	Context	Plan
k3	Kimi K3	Moderato 256k; Allegretto+ up to 1M	Moderato+ (Andante not yet)
kimi-for-coding	K2.7 Code	256k	All members
kimi-for-coding-highspeed	Same, high speed	256k	Allegretto+

A wrong high-speed ID silently falls back to the standard ID. Unauthorized → 401. Third-party 1M windows: set context to 1048576.

API

	Kimi Code	Open Platform
OpenAI Base URL	https://api.kimi.com/coding/v1	https://api.moonshot.cn/v1
Anthropic Base URL	https://api.kimi.com/coding/	—
Billing	membership + rate limits	metered
Create key	console (max 5, shown once)	Open Platform console

Keys do not mix. Do not rewrite the User-Agent.

Paths and env

Key / path	Role
~/.kimi-code/	Current data root
~/.kimi-code/config.toml	Agent / permissions / providers
~/.kimi-code/tui.toml	Theme, editor, notifications, auto-update
~/.kimi/	Legacy Python CLI
KIMI_CODE_HOME	Override data root
KIMI_SHELL_PATH	Windows bash.exe
KIMI_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1	Disable anonymous telemetry (true/yes/y also work)

KIMI_API_KEY is not read from the shell.

Permission modes

Mode	CLI	TUI	Behavior
Default manual	(no flag)		Writes / shell ask first
Plan	--plan	Shift-Tab /plan	Plan first; leaving Plan still asks (even under YOLO)
YOLO	--yolo -y	/yolo	Auto-approve ordinary tools
Auto	--auto	/auto	Fully automatic, no questions
-p	locked to auto	—	Cannot stack yolo/auto/plan

High-quality sources

• Kimi Code landing — current curl install bar
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• Product docs hub — membership, VS Code, API, models
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• CLI docs (EN) / ZH — Guides + Reference
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• Models — three Model IDs and plan gates
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• Membership — 7-day / 5-hour, Extra Usage
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• What's New — rewrite table, feature drops
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• Product comparison — Kimi / Work / Code / Claw
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• GitHub MoonshotAI/kimi-code — README, source, Issues
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• npm @moonshot-ai/kimi-code — version and engines
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• VS Marketplace moonshot-ai.kimi-code — extension implementation notes
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• Console — keys and quota
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19
• Open Platform — metered API, not the Code pool
  • Last verified: 2026-08-19

Unverified

• Whether the product hub still shows a fourth model ID k3-256k (conflicted with the models page on 2026-08-19)
• Official brew install text (only brew upgrade kimi-code is documented)
• A dedicated Kimi Claw landing URL (the comparison page names the product, not a separate host)