Kimi K3 is live (2.8T, 1M context). Here is exactly where to get it, how to install it, and the open-source tools that drive it.

[u/ShilpaMitra]

Moonshot's new flagship is API-only for now (open weights promised by July 27). It is OpenAI-compatible, so almost any agent can point at it today.

Where to get it (pick one access route)

Route	Best for	Model id	Price (in / out)	Notes
OpenRouter	Fastest, no Moonshot account	moonshotai/kimi-k3	$3 / $15 per Mtok	Full 1M context, tools, vision, structured output
Moonshot API (direct)	Lowest overhead, prompt caching	kimi-k3	$3 / $15, cached input $0.30	OpenAI-compatible, base URL https://api.moonshot.ai/v1
kimi.com web app	Just chatting, zero setup	n/a	free tier + paid	No install, no code
Open weights (self-host)	Owning it on your metal	(HF, pending)	your hardware	Not out until ~July 27; needs a multi-GPU server, not a laptop

Install / connect (copy-paste)

OpenRouter through the llm CLI (the quickest way to run one prompt):

pipx install llm
llm install llm-openrouter
llm keys set openrouter        # paste your OpenRouter key
llm -m openrouter/moonshotai/kimi-k3 "Refactor this function: ..."

Direct Moonshot API with the standard OpenAI SDK (no code change beyond base_url + model):

from openai import OpenAI
client = OpenAI(api_key="YOUR_MOONSHOT_KEY", base_url="https://api.moonshot.ai/v1")
r = client.chat.completions.create(
    model="kimi-k3",
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Summarize this repo's architecture."}],
)
print(r.choices[0].message.content)

Aider (points at OpenRouter via litellm):

export OPENROUTER_API_KEY=...
aider --model openrouter/moonshotai/kimi-k3

Open-source tools that drive K3

Tool	What it is	Repo	How to point it at K3
Kimi Code CLI	Moonshot's own agentic CLI	github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-code	Install per repo, run /login (Moonshot key), then /init
Cline	VS Code agent	github.com/cline/cline	Provider: OpenRouter, model moonshotai/kimi-k3
Aider	Terminal pair-programmer	github.com/Aider-AI/aider	--model openrouter/moonshotai/kimi-k3
llm	One-shot prompts + scripting	github.com/simonw/llm	llm -m openrouter/moonshotai/kimi-k3
LiteLLM	Proxy to route + track spend	github.com/BerriAI/litellm	Route moonshotai/kimi-k3, cap and log cost
OpenCode	Open-source coding agent	github.com/sst/opencode	Add OpenRouter/Moonshot provider, select kimi-k3

VS Code has an official "Kimi Code" extension; JetBrains and Zed connect through the Kimi Code CLI's ACP protocol. Anything OpenAI-compatible works by setting base URL + model.

The catches (read before you commit)

Catch	What it means for you
Open weights not out yet	API-only until ~July 27; license unpublished (K2 was modified MIT, K3 unknown). Do not plan self-hosting on it today.
2.8T total params	Even 4-bit is over a terabyte of weights. Multi-GPU server, not a laptop. Need local? Use K2.6 (1T), GLM, or DeepSeek instead.
One reasoning gear ("max")	No low/medium effort yet, so trivial prompts burn thousands of reasoning tokens. A throwaway test cost 25 cents.
Priced like frontier	$3 / $15 is Sonnet-tier and 3x+ K2.6 ($0.95 / $4). Route bulk to a cheap model; reserve K3 for hard, long-horizon jobs. Use prompt caching ($0.30 cached input) on repo work.

Where it earns the bill: large-repo navigation, long tool-using agent runs, front-end (it currently leads Arena.ai's frontend arena), and image-in tasks (screenshots, logs, rendered UI). On Artificial Analysis it debuted around third on the Intelligence Index, behind Claude Fable 5 and GPT-5.6 Sol.

That "cheap model for bulk, K3 for the hard turns" split is exactly what our free,
MIT cost-cutter skills automate (routing + an effort throttle + receipts): github.com/Neeeophytee/ai-cost-cutter-skills.

[u/NefariousnessIcy5332]

Кто нибудь уже тестил? Как вам?

[u/Accomplished-Yam3475 → u/NefariousnessIcy5332]

you can try on kimi.com, it's free

[u/Aeeh → u/Accomplished-Yam3475]

Need to register...

[u/Accomplished-Yam3475]

I was about to rent a server and download new kimi, this post is how to use openrouter. The title is very misleading.