Model Configuration
This page covers the models Kimi Code provides and how to switch between them in each client.
Model Overview
Kimi Code currently offers two models—Kimi K3 and Kimi K2.7 Code—across four model IDs, selectable by model ID in clients or third-party tools. Model specs:
Recommended model launch
k3-256k
is now available. Within 256k context, it delivers the same results.
k3
(1M) consumes about twice as much quota as
k3-256k
. Ideal for everyday Q&A, code completion, routine feature development, and single-file or small-file edits — video input is not supported.
💓 Reminder
Switching from K3 (1M) to K3-256k:
When switching from
k3
(1M) to
k3-256k
, if the current session’s context already exceeds 256k, some coding tools such as Kimi Code CLI and Claude Code will perform a compact on the tool side.
Switching recommendations:
(1) Because different agent tools handle this differently, manually run compact once before switching to compress the context to within 256k. This preserves the key points of the task, keeps the session intact, and lets you benefit from more durable quota after switching.
(2) If the conversation history includes video files, switching directly will fail because K3-256k does not support video input. Please compact first, then switch.
Switching from K3-256k to K3 (1M):
When switching from
k3-256k
to
k3
(1M), if
k3-256k
is close to the 256k limit and you don’t want compact to lose information, you can switch directly to 1M. The current version switching from 256k to 1M does not affect the cache.
Model ID
k3
k3-256k
kimi-for-coding
kimi-for-coding-highspeed
Model version
Kimi K3
Kimi K3
Kimi K2.7 Code
K2.7 Code HighSpeed
Description
Kimi’s most capable flagship coding model: 2.8T parameters, 1M context window
The 256K context version of Kimi K3, effectively reducing consumption
Good at code completion and routine development tasks
The high-speed version of K2.7 Code, with the same coding ability and ~5–6× faster output
Speed
Regular
Regular
Regular
HighSpeed (6× speed, 3× quota usage)
Context window
Up to 1M (for higher-tier members)
256k only
256k
256k
Reasoning
reasoning_effort:low
/
high
/
max
(default
high
)
reasoning_effort:low
/
high
/
max
(default
high
)
Thinking:ON
Thinking:ON
Availability
Available to Moderato and above; 1M context for Allegretto and above
Available to all Moderato members and above
All members
Allegretto plan or above
Multimodal input
Image, video
Image only
Image, video
Image, video
Need a higher membership plan?
Different membership plans unlock different models, context windows, and speeds.
Upgrade your plan →
Why did usage go up after the new model launched?
After switching models, the context cache built earlier no longer hits on the new model, so that context has to be re-prefilled. Usage therefore looks higher right after switching. Recommended action:
Start a new session when using the new model
: this gives better results and lower consumption.
Why do I still get a 401 with the correct model ID?
When the requested capability exceeds your plan’s entitlements, the server returns
401
. Three common cases:
No K3 access
: your plan is below Moderato and can’t call
k3
,
k3-256k
— upgrade to Moderato or above.
No 1M access
: on a Moderato plan,
k3
supports up to 256K context; up to 1M context is available on Allegretto and higher tiers.
k3-256k
has a fixed 256K context limit.
No HighSpeed access
: some plans don’t include HighSpeed — upgrade to Allegretto or a higher tier to call
kimi-for-coding-highspeed
.
For the full error text and how to handle it, see the
Error Reference
.
Why isn’t HighSpeed noticeably faster?
Two common reasons:
Mistyped model ID
: the HighSpeed ID must be
kimi-for-coding-highspeed
; a wrong value silently falls back to the standard
kimi-for-coding
— no error, no speedup.
Tools and scripts dominate
: HighSpeed only speeds up
model output
. Tool calls (reading/writing files, running commands, etc.) and script execution are unaffected, so when they take up most of a turn the overall speedup feels small.
How to reduce the overhead of switching reasoning effort?
Switching reasoning effort invalidates the context cache you’ve built up, so context that would have hit the cache must be re-prefilled. To avoid triggering re-prefill too often:
Pick an effort that fits the task and keep it consistent within a session;
When you genuinely need a different effort, start a new session rather than switching back and forth in a long session.
How to Switch Models
Usage notes
Start a new session when switching model IDs
: switching models invalidates the context cache you’ve built up. We recommend starting a new session to get the best experience and avoid extra token consumption.
Fill in the Model ID, not the model version name
: when calling a model, use one of the Model IDs from the table above (
k3
,
k3-256k
,
kimi-for-coding
,
kimi-for-coding-highspeed
). Entering a model version name like
Kimi K3
or
K2.7 Code
will cause the call to fail.
K3 / K2.7 without Thinking routes to K2.6
: keep Thinking on to use K3 or K2.7 Code; disabling thinking routes the request to K2.6.
Ways to switch to the target model:
Official clients
Official Kimi Code CLI
: type
/model
to switch models—no config changes needed; if the latest model isn’t listed yet,
/logout
and sign in again with
/login
.
Kimi Code for VS Code
: pick the target model from the dropdown menu in the input bar; if it isn’t listed yet, restart VS Code or reinstall the extension.
Third-party tools
Set the tool’s Model ID to the target model. Detailed steps:
Create an API Key in the
Kimi Code Console
.
Fill in the Base URL and the corresponding Model ID in your tool.
Kimi Code API supports both OpenAI and Anthropic protocols. Base URLs:
Protocol
Base URL
OpenAI compatible
https://api.kimi.com/coding/v1
Anthropic compatible
https://api.kimi.com/coding/
For detailed setup steps, see the corresponding tool guide:
Claude Code
Anthropic’s command-line coding assistant
OpenCode
A terminal-based coding agent
Codex
OpenAI’s coding agent
Before using K3 in third-party tools
K3’s setup differs slightly from K2.7 Code. Before using it, check the two points below:
Context window
: some tools default to a context window smaller than the max 1M—manually set the context-window field to
1048576
to use K3’s full up-to-1M context.
Reasoning effort
: K3 supports
low
/
high
/
max
; the effort a tool sends is mapped as below:
# default
null / undefined → high
any other unknown → HTTP 400 error
# → max
ultra / max / xhigh → max
# → high (recommended)
high / medium → high
# → low
low / minimum / light → low
# → thinking disabled
none → thinking.type disabled
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