Kimi Code CLI

Kimi Code CLI is Moonshot's terminal coding agent. Moderato and above can use K3. Consumer seats on the last first-party check of kimi.com/membership/pricing are Adagio $0, Moderato $19 / month ($15 yearly), Allegretto $39, Allegro $99, Vivace $199. platform.kimi.com/docs/pricing/chat-k27-code prices kimi-k2.7-code at ¥1.30 cache-hit / ¥6.50 miss / ¥27 output per 1M tokens (256k context) and kimi-k2.7-code-highspeed at ¥2.60 / ¥13 / ¥54. github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-cli had 11,200 stars, Apache-2.0; MoonshotAI/kimi-code had 6,840 stars, MIT. The old "K2-only / ~$19 unlimited vs $200 Claude Code" copy is out.

Compare Kimi for the consumer chat product, Kimi K3 for the flagship model, and Claude Code if you wanted Anthropic's first-party CLI.

Key Features

Install script plus npm: The marketing page leads with the curl installer. Confirm the current package name in-app; do not freeze @moonshot-ai/kimi-code as the only path.
Code Plan vs chat membership: kimi.com already warns Kimi and Kimi Code benefits can split. Moderato is the lowest paid consumer seat that the code page says unlocks K3.
Default model on the demo TUI we scraped: K2.7 Code. K3 is a higher-plan claim, not "always K2."
API is a separate bill: K2.7 Code token prices are CNY on the platform. Do not convert them into a fake USD $19 API.

Use Cases

People who will pay Moderato $19 for a terminal agent on Moonshot models.
API users who will pay ¥6.50 / ¥27 per 1M on kimi-k2.7-code.
People comparing Kimi Code vs Claude Code on public meters, not on "fraction of $200."

Limitation: We did not re-verify ACP, named subagents, or Node 22.19 as still-current install constraints. Membership and Code Plan entitlements are splitting.

Pricing

Consumer seats from the Kimi refresh of membership/pricing. API from chat-k27-code.

Path	Price	Notes
CLI software	$0	Open-source install.
Adagio	$0	Free consumer. Not full K3 on the code page.
Moderato	$19 / month ($15 yearly)	Lowest paid seat the code page ties to K3.
Allegretto / Allegro / Vivace	$39 / $99 / $199 monthly	Higher consumer rows.
kimi-k2.7-code API	¥1.30 / ¥6.50 / ¥27 per 1M	Cache hit / miss / output. 256k context.
kimi-k2.7-code-highspeed API	¥2.60 / ¥13 / ¥54 per 1M	Same model, faster decode.

If a leftover blog still says the product is only K2 at an unmetered $19, treat these two tables as the source.

Getting Started

Install from kimi.com/code.
Open membership/pricing and see whether your seat is chat, Code, or both.
If you need API, quote the CNY K2.7 Code row, not Moderato.
Confirm Claude Code if you already pay Anthropic.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is it still a $19 K2 wrapper?

No. The CLI is free. Moderato is $19 / month. K3 is on Moderato and above per the code page. API is CNY.

Same as the Kimi chat app?

Related. Different URL, and entitlements may split.

Same as Claude Code?

Both are terminal agents. Claude Code bills Anthropic. This one bills Moonshot membership or CNY API.

Alternatives

Kimi: Consumer chat plus membership table.
Kimi K3: Flagship model card.
Claude Code: Anthropic CLI.

Tips

Quote Moderato $19 / month, not "from ~$19 unlimited."
Keep API quotes in CNY.
Confirm which plan actually includes K3 before a demo.

Conclusion

Kimi Code CLI is a free client in front of Moonshot membership and a CNY coding API, not an unmetered $19 K2 seat. Start at kimi.com/code, then decide whether Claude Code already covers the terminal you need.