kimi-cli README

The project's README from github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli. As one markdown file: README.md.

Kimi CLI

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Kimi Code | Documentation | 文档

[!IMPORTANT] Kimi CLI is evolving into Kimi Code CLI — the next-generation terminal AI agent from the same team. Installing Kimi Code CLI automatically migrates your configuration and sessions. This project will be gradually wound down; the docs and existing installations remain available.

Kimi CLI is an AI agent that runs in the terminal, helping you complete software development tasks and terminal operations. It can read and edit code, execute shell commands, search and fetch web pages, and autonomously plan and adjust actions during execution.

Getting Started

See Getting Started for how to install and start using Kimi CLI.

Key Features

Shell command mode

Kimi CLI is not only a coding agent, but also a shell. You can switch the shell command mode by pressing Ctrl-X. In this mode, you can directly run shell commands without leaving Kimi CLI.

[!NOTE] Built-in shell commands like cd are not supported yet.

VS Code extension

Kimi CLI can be integrated with Visual Studio Code via the Kimi Code VS Code Extension.

VS Code Extension

IDE integration via ACP

Kimi CLI supports Agent Client Protocol out of the box. You can use it together with any ACP-compatible editor or IDE.

To use Kimi CLI with ACP clients, make sure to run Kimi CLI in the terminal and send /login to complete the login first. Then, you can configure your ACP client to start Kimi CLI as an ACP agent server with command kimi acp.

For example, to use Kimi CLI with Zed or JetBrains, add the following configuration to your ~/.config/zed/settings.json or ~/.jetbrains/acp.json file:

{
  "agent_servers": {
    "Kimi CLI": {
      "type": "custom",
      "command": "kimi",
      "args": ["acp"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Then you can create Kimi CLI threads in IDE's agent panel.

Zsh integration

You can use Kimi CLI together with Zsh, to empower your shell experience with AI agent capabilities.

Install the zsh-kimi-cli plugin via:

git clone https://github.com/MoonshotAI/zsh-kimi-cli.git \
  ${ZSH_CUSTOM:-~/.oh-my-zsh/custom}/plugins/kimi-cli

[!NOTE] If you are using a plugin manager other than Oh My Zsh, you may need to refer to the plugin's README for installation instructions.

Then add kimi-cli to your Zsh plugin list in ~/.zshrc:

plugins=(... kimi-cli)

After restarting Zsh, you can switch to agent mode by pressing Ctrl-X.

MCP support

Kimi CLI supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) tools.

kimi mcp sub-command group

You can manage MCP servers with kimi mcp sub-command group. For example:

# Add streamable HTTP server:
kimi mcp add --transport http context7 https://mcp.context7.com/mcp --header "CONTEXT7_API_KEY: ctx7sk-your-key"

# Add streamable HTTP server with OAuth authorization:
kimi mcp add --transport http --auth oauth linear https://mcp.linear.app/mcp

# Add stdio server:
kimi mcp add --transport stdio chrome-devtools -- npx chrome-devtools-mcp@latest

# List added MCP servers:
kimi mcp list

# Remove an MCP server:
kimi mcp remove chrome-devtools

# Authorize an MCP server:
kimi mcp auth linear

Ad-hoc MCP configuration

Kimi CLI also supports ad-hoc MCP server configuration via CLI option.

Given an MCP config file in the well-known MCP config format like the following:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "context7": {
      "url": "https://mcp.context7.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "CONTEXT7_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    },
    "chrome-devtools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "chrome-devtools-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Run kimi with --mcp-config-file option to connect to the specified MCP servers:

kimi --mcp-config-file /path/to/mcp.json

More

See more features in the Documentation.

Development

To develop Kimi CLI, run:

git clone https://github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli.git
cd kimi-cli

make prepare  # prepare the development environment

Then you can start working on Kimi CLI.

Refer to the following commands after you make changes:

uv run kimi  # run Kimi CLI

make format  # format code
make check  # run linting and type checking
make test  # run tests
make test-kimi-cli  # run Kimi CLI tests only
make test-kosong  # run kosong tests only
make test-pykaos  # run pykaos tests only
make build-web  # build the web UI and sync it into the package (requires Node.js/npm)
make build  # build python packages
make build-bin  # build standalone binary
make help  # show all make targets

Note: make build and make build-bin automatically run make build-web to embed the web UI.

kimi-cli (MoonshotAI/kimi-cli)

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Kimi-cli
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What is this?Kimi CLI is an AI agent that runs in the terminal, helping you read and edit code, execute shell commands, search and fetch web pages, and autonomously plan and adjust actions while completing software development tasks.
Is this a coding assistant or a full shell replacement?It is both: a terminal-based coding agent that also doubles as a shell, letting you switch into a shell command mode with Ctrl-X to run commands directly without leaving the CLI.
How do I get it running?Follow the project's Getting Started documentation for installation and first use; the README itself does not list install commands directly.
Do I need anything else installed to use it?It's a Python-based CLI; for Zsh integration you install the zsh-kimi-cli plugin (via Oh My Zsh or another plugin manager), and MCP server connections can be configured via a config file or CLI option.
Is this project still maintained?No — the repository is archived and Kimi CLI is being wound down in favor of Kimi Code CLI, though docs and existing installs remain available and configs migrate automatically when you install the successor.
Does it work on Windows, macOS, and Linux?Not explicitly stated for the CLI itself, but the project ships cross-platform packaging and its Zsh plugin targets Unix-like shells, implying macOS and Linux as primary targets alongside Windows via general CLI distribution.
Can I use Kimi CLI inside my IDE instead of a separate terminal?Yes, it supports the Agent Client Protocol (ACP) out of the box, so you can configure Zed or JetBrains to start Kimi CLI as an ACP agent server (kimi acp) after logging in via the terminal.
Is there a VS Code integration?Yes, Kimi CLI integrates with VS Code through the dedicated Kimi Code VS Code Extension.
Does it support MCP tools?Yes, it supports Model Context Protocol servers, managed via the kimi mcp sub-command group or ad-hoc via an MCP config file with the --mcp-config-file option.
Should I start a new project with this?No — since it's archived and being replaced, new users should go straight to Kimi Code CLI, the actively maintained successor from the same team.
What are similar projects?headroom, graphicle, gemini-cli, Benzi, trae-agent, DeepSeek-Reasonix, coral, void
Which topics is it in?agent-client-protocol, web-search, zsh, vscode-extension, vscode, model-context-protocol, deprecated, mcp-server, coding-agent, command-line-tool, agent, mcp
Creator
MoonshotAI
Size
25.5 MB
Stars
11.4K
Updated
CommitSep 22Release1.52.0Sep 22
Age
1y
Commits · 90 Days