Kimi Code CLI

The kimi_local adapter runs the Kimi Code CLI (kimi) locally. It has two execution engines: the default ACP engine (kimi acp, streaming transcript with live tool status, matching claude_local/gemini_local) and a CLI lane (kimi -p --output-format stream-json) used as an automatic fallback. It supports session persistence, per-run skill delivery via --skills-dir, thinking-effort control, and structured output parsing.

Prerequisites

• Kimi Code CLI installed (kimi command available; npm package @moonshot-ai/kimi-code)
• Authentication configured via one of:
  • kimi login (OAuth device flow; credentials stored under $KIMI_CODE_HOME, default ~/.kimi-code/)
  • A provider configured in Kimi’s config.toml ([providers.<name>])
  • The KIMI_MODEL_NAME + KIMI_MODEL_API_KEY environment pair (optionally KIMI_MODEL_BASE_URL, KIMI_MODEL_PROVIDER_TYPE), set in the adapter env or server shell

Configuration Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
engine	string	No	Execution engine: acp (default; streaming ACP lane via kimi acp), cli (headless kimi -p lane), or unset/auto (ACP with automatic CLI fallback when ACP prerequisites fail).
cwd	string	Yes	Working directory for the agent process (absolute path; created automatically if missing when permissions allow)
model	string	No	Kimi model alias (provider/model). Defaults to kimi-code/kimi-for-coding. When empty, Kimi uses default_model from its own config.toml.
promptTemplate	string	No	Prompt used for all runs
instructionsFilePath	string	No	Markdown instructions file prepended to the prompt. Sibling files in the same directory (HEARTBEAT.md, SOUL.md, TOOLS.md) are made readable via --add-dir on local runs.
effort	string	No	Thinking effort (low | medium | high | max). CLI lane only: forwarded as KIMI_MODEL_THINKING_EFFORT for effort-capable models (currently kimi-code/k3); medium maps to high since Kimi has no medium tier. Ignored for models without support_efforts, and not forwarded on the default ACP engine lane — pin engine: cli when effort control matters.
command	string	No	CLI command override. Defaults to kimi.
extraArgs	string[]	No	Additional CLI arguments appended to every run
env	object	No	Environment variables (supports secret refs)
timeoutSec	number	No	Process timeout (0 = no timeout)
graceSec	number	No	Grace period before force-kill

Execution Engine

By default the adapter runs Kimi through the ACP engine (kimi acp, an Agent Client Protocol server over stdio), the same shared engine used by claude_local, codex_local, and gemini_local. ACP streams the transcript live: assistant text arrives as deltas and tool calls report a pending/completed status, so the issue thread updates continuously instead of in bursts.

Engine selection (engine config field):

• unset or auto: use ACP when its prerequisites pass (Node >= 20, resolvable kimi acp command, a bidirectional process target), otherwise fall back to the CLI lane with a diagnostic note.
• acp: require ACP; startup failures surface as run errors rather than falling back.
• cli: pin the headless CLI lane described below.

The ACP lane reuses the shared acpx session codec, transcript parser, and CLI event formatter, so sessions, transcripts, and logs render identically to the other ACP adapters.

Headless Execution (CLI lane)

Runs execute as kimi -p <prompt> --output-format stream-json (plus -m <model> when configured and -r <sessionId> when resuming). On local runs the adapter also passes --add-dir <instructions-dir> so the agent can read sibling instruction files, and --skills-dir <dir> when skills are desired (see below). The prompt is passed as an argument, not stdin. The adapter sets a headless-safe environment (CI=1, NO_COLOR=1, KIMI_CODE_NO_AUTO_UPDATE=1, and TERM=dumb when unset) so unattended heartbeats never block on interactive prompts, theme detection, or update preflight; user-configured env values always win.

Instructions Bundle

When instructionsFilePath points at a managed instruction bundle, the entry file (e.g. AGENTS.md) is prepended to the prompt along with a directive that names its sibling files (HEARTBEAT.md, SOUL.md, TOOLS.md). On local runs the containing directory is exposed to Kimi via --add-dir, so the agent can actually open those companion files instead of only seeing the entry file.

Thinking Effort

The effort field applies to the headless CLI lane only (engine: cli, or the automatic fallback when ACP prerequisites fail). On the default ACP engine lane it is currently not forwarded: Kimi’s ACP interface exposes a separate thinking config option that Paperclip does not wire yet, so an effort configured on an ACP-lane agent leaves Kimi’s own default behavior in place. Pin engine: cli when thinking-effort control matters. On the CLI lane, effort is forwarded as the KIMI_MODEL_THINKING_EFFORT operational override, which applies to Kimi providers including managed OAuth models. Kimi has no per-invocation effort flag and no medium tier, so medium is mapped to high; low, high, and max pass through. Effort is only sent for models that advertise support_efforts (currently kimi-code/k3) to avoid provider rejections; extend EFFORT_CAPABLE_MODELS in the adapter as more models gain support.

Session Persistence

The adapter captures the Kimi session id from the trailing session.resume_hint meta event and persists it between heartbeats. On the next wake, it resumes the existing conversation with -r <session_id> so the agent retains context.

Session resume is cwd-aware: if the working directory changed since the last run, a fresh session starts instead.

If resume fails with an unknown/unrecoverable session error, the adapter automatically retries with a fresh session.

Skills Delivery

Desired Paperclip skills are delivered from a dedicated per-run directory passed via --skills-dir, so skills load reliably and in isolation without writing into the shared ~/.kimi-code/skills home. On remote runs the skills snapshot is synced to the target and --skills-dir points at that isolated copy — Paperclip never overwrites $KIMI_CODE_HOME/skills, so skills installed by the operator or other agents are left intact. --skills-dir is only passed when at least one skill is desired, so unconfigured agents keep Kimi’s default skill discovery.

Control-plane skill

paperclipai agent local-cli <agentRef> -C <companyId> installs the Paperclip control-plane skills into ~/.kimi-code/skills (honoring KIMI_CODE_HOME), alongside the existing ~/.codex/skills and ~/.claude/skills targets. Kimi auto-discovers this home on every run, so the agent has the control-plane API reference (issue/comment/interaction routes) from turn one rather than rediscovering endpoints by trial and error. Pass --no-install-skills to skip. This is independent of the per-run --skills-dir delivery above, which only applies when an agent has explicitly configured skills.

Environment Test

Use the “Test Environment” button in the UI to validate the adapter config. It checks:

• Kimi CLI is installed and accessible (kimi --version)
• Working directory is absolute and available (auto-created if missing and permitted)
• Auth availability (OAuth credential/config files under $KIMI_CODE_HOME, or the KIMI_MODEL_NAME + KIMI_MODEL_API_KEY env pair)
• A live hello probe (kimi -p "Respond with hello." --output-format stream-json) to verify CLI readiness

Notes

• Both execution engines are supported: the ACP engine (kimi acp, default) and the headless CLI lane (fallback / engine=cli).
• Available model aliases on a standard install: kimi-code/kimi-for-coding (K2.7 Coding), kimi-code/kimi-for-coding-highspeed (K2.7 Coding Highspeed), kimi-code/k3 (K3).