kimi Command

kimi is the main command for Kimi CLI, used to start interactive sessions or execute single queries.

kimi [OPTIONS] COMMAND [ARGS]

Basic information

Option	Short	Description
--version	-V	Show version number and exit
--help	-h	Show help message and exit
--verbose		Output detailed runtime information
--debug		Log debug information (output to ~/.kimi/logs/kimi.log)

Agent configuration

Option	Description
--agent NAME	Use built-in agent, options: default, okabe
--agent-file PATH	Use custom agent file

--agent and --agent-file are mutually exclusive. See Agents and Subagents for details.

Configuration files

Option	Description
--config STRING	Load TOML/JSON configuration string
--config-file PATH	Load configuration file (default ~/.kimi/config.toml)

--config and --config-file are mutually exclusive. Both configuration strings and files support TOML and JSON formats. See Config Files for details.

Model selection

Option	Short	Description
--model NAME	-m	Specify LLM model, overrides default model in config file

Working directory

Option	Short	Description
--work-dir PATH	-w	Specify working directory (default current directory)

The working directory determines the root directory for file operations. The agent can only read and write files within this directory.

Session management

Option	Short	Description
--continue	-C	Continue the previous session in the current working directory
--session ID	-S	Resume session with specified ID, creates new session if not exists

--continue and --session are mutually exclusive.

Input and commands

Option	Short	Description
--command TEXT	-c	Pass user query, doesn't enter interactive mode
--query TEXT	-q	Alias for --command

When using --command, Kimi CLI exits after processing the query (unless --print is specified, results are still displayed in interactive mode).

Loop control

Option	Description
--max-steps-per-turn N	Maximum steps per turn, overrides loop_control.max_steps_per_turn in config file
--max-retries-per-step N	Maximum retries per step, overrides loop_control.max_retries_per_step in config file
--max-ralph-iterations N	Extra automatic iterations after each user message; 0 disables; -1 is unlimited

Ralph loop

Ralph is a technique that puts an agent in a loop: the same prompt is fed again and again so the agent can keep iterating one big task.

When --max-ralph-iterations is not 0, Kimi CLI keeps feeding the same prompt back to the agent until an assistant message includes <safeword>STOP</safeword> or the iteration limit is reached.

UI modes

Option	Description
--print	Run in print mode (non-interactive), implicitly enables --yolo
--quiet	Shortcut for --print --output-format text --final-message-only
--acp	Run in ACP server mode (deprecated, use kimi acp instead)
--wire	Run in Wire server mode (experimental)

The four options are mutually exclusive, only one can be selected. Default is shell mode. See Print Mode and Wire Mode for details.

Print mode options

The following options are only effective in --print mode:

Option	Description
--input-format FORMAT	Input format: text (default) or stream-json
--output-format FORMAT	Output format: text (default) or stream-json
--final-message-only	Only output the final assistant message

stream-json format uses JSONL (one JSON object per line) for programmatic integration.

MCP configuration

Option	Description
--mcp-config-file PATH	Load MCP config file, can be specified multiple times
--mcp-config JSON	Load MCP config JSON string, can be specified multiple times

Default loads ~/.kimi/mcp.json (if exists). See Model Context Protocol for details.

Approval control

Option	Short	Description
--yolo	-y	Auto-approve all operations
--yes		Alias for --yolo
--auto-approve		Alias for --yolo

Note

In YOLO mode, all file modifications and shell commands are automatically executed. Use with caution.

Thinking mode

Option	Description
--thinking	Enable thinking mode
--no-thinking	Disable thinking mode

Thinking mode requires model support. If not specified, uses the last session's setting.

Skills configuration

Option	Description
--skills-dir PATH	Specify skills directory (default ~/.kimi/skills)

See Agent Skills for details.

Subcommands

Subcommand	Description
kimi info	Display version and protocol information
kimi acp	Start multi-session ACP server
kimi mcp	Manage MCP server configuration
kimi term	Launch the Toad terminal UI