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 three model IDs, selectable by model ID in clients or third-party tools. Model specs:
| Model ID | k3 |
kimi-for-coding |
kimi-for-coding-highspeed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Model | Kimi K3 | Kimi K2.7 Code | Kimi K2.7 Code |
| Description | Kimi's most capable flagship model to date; especially strong at coding, games/3D, and knowledge tasks | A mature, reliable Coding model—follows instructions reliably over long context and completes coding tasks with a high success rate | The high-speed version of K2.7 Code, with the same coding ability as Standard |
| Speed | Regular | Regular | HighSpeed (6× speed, 3× quota usage) |
| Context window | Up to 1M | 256k | 256k |
| Reasoning | thinking.effort:max / reasoning_effort:max (low and high supported later) |
Thinking:ON |
Thinking:ON |
| Availability | Andante: not supported Moderato: 256k context Allegretto and above: up to 1M context | All members | Allegretto plan or above |
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 callk3
— 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.No HighSpeed access: some plans don't include HighSpeed — upgrade to Allegretto or a higher tier to callkimi-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 bekimi-for-coding-highspeed
; a wrong value silently falls back to the standardkimi-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 #
Use K3 in a New Session
Switching models invalidates the existing cache. Start a new session to avoid extra token costs and get a better experience.
Ways to switch to the target model:
Official Kimi Code CLI: type/model
in a session to switch between models—no config changes needed.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. For where to find it in each tool, seeUsing in Other Coding Agents.
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 to1048576
to use K3's full up-to-1M context.Reasoning effort: K3 currently supportsmax
only;low
andhigh
will be supported later. The effort a tool sends is mapped as below:
null / undefined → max
any other unknown → HTTP 400 error
ultra / max / xhigh → max
high / medium → high
low / minimum / light → low
none → thinking.type disabled