# Kimi CLI review

> Kimi CLI is an archived Python terminal AI agent from Moonshot AI, now replaced by Kimi Code CLI.

Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026. Canonical page: https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/kimi-cli/

## TL;DR

Kimi CLI is a legacy Python AI agent that runs in the terminal to read and edit code, run shell commands and search the web. The repository is archived and read-only, with no further releases, bug fixes or security updates. Existing users should migrate to Kimi Code CLI, which can import their config, MCP servers and sessions.

## Kimi CLI at a glance

- **Category:** [Coding agents](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/categories/coding-agents/)
- **Maintained by:** Moonshot AI (organization, [@MoonshotAI](https://github.com/MoonshotAI) on GitHub)
- **License:** Apache 2.0
- **Language:** Python, TypeScript, CSS
- **Repository:** [github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli](https://github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli)
- **Website:** [moonshotai.github.io/kimi-code/en/guides/migration](https://moonshotai.github.io/kimi-code/en/guides/migration)
- **PyPI package:** [kimi-cli](https://pypi.org/project/kimi-cli/) 1.52.0
- **Latest release:** [1.52.0](https://github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli/releases/tag/1.52.0) on GitHub, Sep 22, 2026
- **First published:** Oct 15, 2025

## What Kimi CLI does

- Kimi CLI reads and edits code, executes shell commands, and searches and fetches web pages from the terminal.
- Kimi CLI plans and adjusts its actions on its own while it runs a task.
- Kimi CLI has a shell command mode, toggled with Ctrl-X, for running shell commands without leaving the agent.
- Kimi CLI supports the Agent Client Protocol, so ACP-compatible editors such as Zed and JetBrains IDEs can run it with kimi acp.
- Kimi CLI manages MCP servers through the kimi mcp sub-command group, with HTTP, OAuth and stdio transports.
- Kimi CLI integrates with VS Code through the Kimi Code VS Code Extension and with Zsh through a plugin.

### How it works

Kimi CLI ran as a Python terminal agent that required Python 3.12 or newer. It connected to MCP servers and to ACP editors. The project is now archived. The README says existing installations are no longer supported and will stop working. Version 1.52.0 short-circuits the entry points to a Kimi Code installer.

## How to install Kimi CLI

**Successor Kimi Code CLI on macOS / Linux**

```
curl -fsSL https://code.kimi.com/kimi-code/install.sh | bash
```

**Successor Kimi Code CLI on Windows (PowerShell)**

```
irm https://code.kimi.com/kimi-code/install.ps1 | iex
```

**Successor Kimi Code CLI with npm**

```
npm install -g @moonshot-ai/kimi-code
```

### Requirements

- Python 3.12 or newer for the legacy kimi-cli package
- A login via /login before using Kimi CLI with ACP clients

### First steps

1. Install Kimi Code CLI, open a new terminal and run kimi to get the prompt to migrate data from ~/.kimi/.
2. Run kimi migrate at any time. Choose Config only or Config + N sessions.
3. Run /login again and re-authorize your MCP servers, because credentials and MCP authorizations are not migrated.
4. Uninstall the legacy CLI afterward, for example with uv tool uninstall kimi-cli or brew uninstall kimi-cli.

## Who Kimi CLI is for

- Existing Kimi CLI users who need to move their config, MCP servers and sessions to Kimi Code CLI
- Developers reviewing the archived Apache-2.0 source code for reference

### Limitations

- Kimi CLI is archived and read-only, with no further releases, bug fixes or security updates.
- Existing Kimi CLI installations are no longer supported and will stop working.
- Kimi CLI plugins, login credentials and MCP authorizations do not carry over to Kimi Code CLI.
- The kimi-code package on PyPI is a legacy alias of kimi-cli, not the new Kimi Code CLI.

## Usage data (the week of Oct 25–31, 2026)

- Not ranked this week
- New GitHub stars per week (last 12 weeks): Aug 9: 62; Aug 16: 69; Aug 23: 54; Aug 30: 48; Sep 6: 25; Sep 13: 73; Sep 20: 36; Sep 27: 12; Oct 4: 8; Oct 11: 5; Oct 18: 17; Oct 25: 11

## Kimi CLI alternatives

| Rank | Tool | Stars | Downloads/wk |
|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | [Cindy](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/makecindy-cindy/) | 8.8k | – |
| #2 | [OpenMausBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/milind-soni-openmausbot/) | 9.6k | – |
| #3 | [Orca](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/stablyai-orca/) | 111.7k | – |
| #4 | [OpenBot](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/copilotkit-openbot/) | 9.1k | – |
| #5 | [Agent Reach](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/panniantong-agent-reach/) | 107.2k | – |
| #6 | [Skill Recorder](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/microsoft-skill-recorder/) | 5.6k | – |

## Kimi CLI FAQ

### Is Kimi CLI free and open source?

Yes. Kimi CLI's source code is on GitHub (MoonshotAI/kimi-cli) under the Apache 2.0 license, so you can use it for free.

### How do I install Kimi CLI?

Run `curl -fsSL https://code.kimi.com/kimi-code/install.sh | bash`. The kimi-cli package needs Python 3.12 or newer. The install section above has the other options from the project's README.

### Is Kimi CLI still maintained?

No. The MoonshotAI/kimi-cli repository is archived, so it's read-only.

### How popular is Kimi CLI?

Kimi CLI has 11.4k GitHub stars as of Nov 1, 2026. It gained 11 new stars in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, against a 12-week average of 35 a week.

### Kimi CLI vs Claude Code: how do they compare?

Kimi CLI and Claude Code are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Kimi CLI has 11.4k GitHub stars and Claude Code has 154.1k. Claude Code is Anthropic's agentic coding tool that reads your codebase, edits files, runs commands, and handles git workflows through natural language. [Claude Code review](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/claude-code/)

### Kimi CLI vs OpenCode: how do they compare?

Kimi CLI and OpenCode are both tracked by Devtoolwatch as AI coding agents. Kimi CLI has 11.4k GitHub stars and OpenCode has 223.6k. OpenCode is an open source AI coding agent that helps you write and run code in a terminal, desktop app, or IDE extension. [OpenCode review](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/tools/opencode/)

### What are the best alternatives to Kimi CLI?

Other AI coding agents on the Devtoolwatch Board in the week of Oct 25–31, 2026, by momentum: Cindy (#1), OpenMausBot (#2), Orca (#3), OpenBot (#4), Agent Reach (#5). The alternatives table above has their numbers.

### What replaced Kimi CLI?

Kimi Code CLI replaced Kimi CLI. The same team builds it. Kimi Code CLI is rebuilt on Node.js, so it needs no Python environment. It ships as a native binary with a redesigned terminal UI.

### Is Kimi CLI safe to keep using?

Kimi CLI no longer receives security updates or bug fixes. The README says existing installations are no longer supported and will stop working. It asks users to migrate to Kimi Code CLI as soon as possible.

### Does migrating to Kimi Code CLI delete my Kimi CLI data?

No. Migration never modifies or deletes the old data under ~/.kimi/. You can run migration repeatedly, and sessions you already migrated are not imported again. Imported sessions are tagged [imported] in the session picker.

### Does Kimi CLI work with VS Code?

Yes. Kimi CLI integrates with Visual Studio Code through the Kimi Code VS Code Extension. It also works with Zed and JetBrains IDEs through the Agent Client Protocol.

### Can Kimi CLI use MCP servers?

Yes. Kimi CLI supports MCP tools. You add, list, remove and authorize servers with kimi mcp, or you pass a config file with --mcp-config-file.

## Sources

1. [MoonshotAI/kimi-cli on GitHub](https://github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli)
2. [Kimi CLI README](https://github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli/blob/main/README.md)
3. [kimi-cli on PyPI](https://pypi.org/project/kimi-cli/)
4. [Kimi CLI website](https://moonshotai.github.io/kimi-code/en/guides/migration)
5. [Release 1.52.0 (Sep 22, 2026)](https://github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli/releases/tag/1.52.0)
6. [Release 1.51.0 (Sep 21, 2026)](https://github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli/releases/tag/1.51.0)
7. [Release 1.50.0 (Sep 1, 2026)](https://github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli/releases/tag/1.50.0)
8. [Hacker News: Kimi K2 Thinking, a SOTA open-source trillion-parameter reasoning model](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45836070)
9. [Hacker News: Kimi Releases Kimi-CLI, an Open-Source Python Command-Line Tool](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45767884)
10. [Hacker News: Kimi K2: Open Agentic Intelligence](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44533169)
11. [Devtoolwatch Board, the week of Oct 25–31, 2026](https://index.devtoolwatch.com/)