How to Get Your Kimi API Key

Before you start

Moonshot AI is the company behind Kimi. The developer platform is where you manage API access. The interface may be in Chinese by default, so use your browser's translate feature if needed. Plan on about 5 minutes.

Step 1, Create a Moonshot AI account

Open Moonshot Platform →

1. Click Sign Up or Register.
2. Sign up with your email address or phone number.
3. Complete verification using the email or SMS code.

Step 2, Check for free credits

1. After signing up, check your account dashboard for any welcome credits.
2. Moonshot typically provides free tokens for new accounts.
3. If you need more usage, navigate to the Billing or Recharge section to add funds.

Kimi's API pricing is very competitive, and the free tier is generous enough to get started and test your integration.

Step 3, Generate your API key

1. Navigate to API Keys, sometimes called "API Key Management", in your dashboard.
2. Click Create New Key.
3. Give your key a descriptive name like "Workshop Key".
4. Click Confirm or Create to generate it.
5. Your key will appear. It starts with sk-...

Important. Copy your API key immediately and save it somewhere safe. You won't be able to view it again after closing this dialog. If you lose it, create a new one.

Step 4, Store your key safely

Good places to save your API key:

• Password manager like 1Password, Bitwarden, or LastPass
• Secure note on your computer
• Environment variable on your system, for developers

Never share your API key publicly, commit it to code repositories, or paste it into untrusted websites. Anyone with your key can use your account and run up charges.

Verify it worked

To confirm your key is live, paste it into any tool that accepts a Kimi or Moonshot API key. Kimi's API is OpenAI-compatible, so many tools that support custom API endpoints will work.

Use the base URL https://api.moonshot.cn/v1 when configuring tools that ask for an API endpoint. Model names include moonshot-v1-8k, moonshot-v1-32k, and moonshot-v1-128k.