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Use in IDEs

Kimi Code CLI can be integrated into IDEs through Agent Client Protocol (ACP), so you can use AI-assisted coding directly inside your editor.

Prerequisites

Before configuring your IDE, make sure Kimi Code CLI is installed and that you have completed sign-in setup.

The ACP adapter exposes the kimi acp subcommand. The IDE starts it as a subprocess and runs JSON-RPC over standard input/output. Each time the IDE creates a session, the CLI reuses its authentication state—no need to sign in again.

On macOS, subprocesses launched from an IDE GUI usually do not inherit the terminal shell’s PATH. If kimi is not in a system directory such as /usr/local/bin, use an absolute path in your IDE configuration. Run which kimi in the terminal to find the currently active path.

Use in Zed

Zed is a modern editor with native ACP support.

Add the following to Zed’s configuration file ~/.config/zed/settings.json:

Json

Configuration notes:

  • type: fixed value "custom"
  • command: the executable path of Kimi Code CLI. If kimi is not in PATH, use the full path, such as /Users/you/.local/bin/kimi.
  • args: startup arguments. The acp subcommand switches to ACP mode.
  • env: additional environment variables. Usually you can leave this empty. Zed automatically injects a default environment.

After saving the configuration, create a new chat in Zed’s Agent panel. Zed will start an ACP subprocess using the Kimi Code CLI configuration you just added. MCP services declared by Zed under agent_servers are also forwarded to the kimi side through the ACP protocol.

Use in JetBrains IDE

JetBrains IDEs, including IntelliJ IDEA, PyCharm, and WebStorm, support ACP through the AI chat plugin.

If you do not have a JetBrains AI subscription, you can enable llm.enable.mock.response in Registry to access the AI chat panel when you only need ACP. Press Shift twice and search for "Registry / 注册表" to open it.

In the AI chat panel menu, click Configure ACP agents and add the following configuration:

Json

JetBrains handles the command field strictly—be sure to enter an absolute path. You can get it by running which kimi in the terminal.

Bash

After saving, Kimi Code CLI will appear in the Agent selector of AI chat.

Use in Paseo

Paseo is a self-hosted orchestrator that can launch and manage various agent CLIs across desktop, web, and mobile. Like IDEs, it connects to Kimi Code CLI through ACP.

Select Kimi Code CLI from Paseo’s built-in ACP provider catalog, or add a custom provider in ~/.paseo/config.json:

Json

Paseo’s generic ACP adapter does not handle sign-in for you, so complete terminal sign-in first. See Prerequisites. Otherwise, session creation will fail with Authentication required.

Troubleshooting

  • The session is interrupted immediately / the IDE says "agent exited": This is usually caused by an incorrect command path or by kimi not being signed in. First run kimi acp once in the terminal to verify it: if it blocks and waits for standard input, the CLI itself is fine and the issue is in the IDE configuration; if it errors out immediately, follow the error message, which is most often due to missing /login.
  • The IDE shows "auth required": The CLI has no usable authentication token. Quit the IDE, run kimi in the terminal to complete sign-in, then start the IDE again.
  • MCP tools are not visible: Check the capability table in kimi acp to confirm whether the MCP transport type configured in the IDE is supported. The current Kimi Code CLI ACP adapter supports the http and stdio transport modes. sse and acp types are silently discarded, with a warn entry written to the logs.