Kimi API
Moonshot AI's API for its Kimi models, open-weight coding and agent models with long context, compatible with the OpenAI and Anthropic API formats.
Ask your AI about this, with this page as the source:ChatGPT ↗Claude ↗Perplexity ↗
The Kimi API is Moonshot AI's developer platform for its Kimi models: the flagship Kimi K3, with a 1M-token context window and image input, and the K2.6 and K2.7 Code models with 256K tokens. All of them support thinking mode and tool calls. The international platform is at platform.kimi.ai (platform.moonshot.ai redirects there); a separate mainland China platform bills in yuan.
There's no Kimi-specific SDK to learn. The API speaks the OpenAI Chat Completions format at https://api.moonshot.ai/v1, the Anthropic Messages format at https://api.moonshot.ai/anthropic, and a Responses API, so you use the official OpenAI or Anthropic SDKs, or agent tools such as Claude Code, by swapping the base URL and key. Usage is deducted from a prepaid balance.
Useful for a small team: context caching is automatic, and on K3 you can pick a 5-minute or 1-hour cache lifetime, with cache writes billed separately and hits at a tenth of the input price; Kimi K3's full weights are released, so the same model can be hosted elsewhere; and enterprise customers can ask for zero data retention.
Limits: you need to top up at least $1 to start, and rate limits rise with how much you've topped up in total, starting at 3 requests per minute. Moonshot AI Pte. Ltd. runs the international platform from Singapore under Singapore law, and its terms let it use your content to improve its services unless you agree otherwise in writing.
Where it fits
Who uses it
No maker's live product on record yet, and 1 open-source projects that declare it in their code.
Declared in code 1How evidence is collected →
We haven't found a maker's live product that uses Kimi API yet — only the open-source projects below, which declare it in their code.
Open source: a project that declares Kimi API as a dependency in its public code — verifiable, but not necessarily a live product.
Alternatives to Kimi API
All alternatives by situation →
OpenAI API
Claude
Gemini API
Groq
Mistral AI
DeepSeekQuestions makers ask about Kimi API
Where is my data processed?
The international platform is run by Moonshot AI Pte. Ltd., and its privacy policy says the information it collects is stored on servers in Singapore. source ↗
Does Moonshot use my API inputs and outputs for training?
It may. The platform terms let Moonshot use customer content to develop and improve its services unless a separate written agreement says otherwise; customers who need that restriction are told to contact Moonshot about enterprise terms. source ↗
Is zero data retention available?
Yes, for enterprise customers on request. With it on, prompts and responses are deleted once the response is returned, though files uploaded directly, such as images and video, aren't guaranteed to be covered. source ↗
Can I use the OpenAI or Anthropic SDK?
Yes. Use https://api.moonshot.ai/v1 as the base URL for the OpenAI SDK, or https://api.moonshot.ai/anthropic for the Anthropic SDK and Claude Code, with a Kimi API key. source ↗
Is there a free tier, and what are the rate limits?
No free tier. You top up at least $1 to start and get a $5 voucher once your top-ups reach $5. Limits rise with total top-ups, from 1 concurrent request and 3 RPM at $1 to 15 concurrent and 100 RPM at $10, and so on. source ↗
Can I run the models myself?
Moonshot says the full Kimi K3 weights have been released, so you can serve it yourself or through another host, though it's a very large model at 2.8 trillion parameters. source ↗
Is Kimi API free?
No permanent free tier; paid use starts at Pay per token. source ↗
Is Kimi API open source or self-hostable?
Not open source, and hosted only.
Can AI coding agents work with Kimi API?
No llms.txt, official MCP server or CLI found yet.
Who uses Kimi API?
No maker's live product we track yet; 1 open-source projects declare it in their code. source ↗