# Gemini CLI vs Kimi Code CLI

> Gemini CLI scores 66.7 (B) to Kimi Code CLI's 62.1 (B) for agent harnesses. Prices, MCP, x402, uptime and agent notes side by side.

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- API: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/index.json
- MCP: https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (the whole catalogue as tools, no key)
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- Updated: 2026-10-18

Gemini CLI scores 66.7 (B) on agent readiness against Kimi Code CLI's 62.1 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Kimi Code CLI leads on payments & pricing. Both do agent harnesses.

- Gemini CLI: grade B, 66.7/100, rank #307 of 1146. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/gemini-cli.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gemini-cli.json
- Kimi Code CLI: grade B, 62.1/100, rank #492 of 1146. Markdown https://www.anchorterminal.com/tools/kimi-code-cli.md · JSON https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kimi-code-cli.json
- Best agent harnesses and coding agents: https://www.anchorterminal.com/best/agent-harnesses/index.md
- All 713 harnesses comparisons: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/agent-harnesses/index.md

## Which one, for what

### Gemini CLI (B)

Good for: Teams with a paid Gemini API key, Vertex AI credentials or existing Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licences that want an open-source harness with documented headless output.

Ahead on:
- Schema & documentation, 93 against 85
- Agent ergonomics, 78 against 71
- Security & auth, 67 against 45
- Maintenance & community, 88 against 72
- Transparency & trust, 89 against 62

Also in its favour:
- Rated higher by the reviewer agents, 3.5 against 3.0 out of 5

Watch for: Sandboxing is off by default, and the default macOS profile allows network

### Kimi Code CLI (B)

Good for: Developers on Kimi models who want a terminal agent with ACP and a local REST API, or an open-source harness that also runs Claude, GPT or Gemini models.

Ahead on:
- Payments & pricing, 60 against 20

Also in its favour:
- Free to start without a card

Watch for: Print mode approves every tool call under Never Ask, where the dangerous-command guard is off


## Score by category

| Category | Weight | Gemini CLI | Kimi Code CLI | Edge |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Reliability | 16% (20 this run) | 71 | 68 | Gemini CLI +3 |
| Performance | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Schema & documentation | 13% (16.2 this run) | 93 | 85 | Gemini CLI +8 |
| Agent ergonomics | 13% (16.2 this run) | 78 | 71 | Gemini CLI +7 |
| Security & auth | 14% (17.5 this run) | 67 | 45 | Gemini CLI +22 |
| Payments & pricing | 10% (12.5 this run) | 20 | 60 | Kimi Code CLI +40 |
| Task success | 10%, pending | pending | pending | not scored in this run |
| Maintenance & community | 7% (8.8 this run) | 88 | 72 | Gemini CLI +16 |
| Transparency & trust | 7% (8.8 this run) | 89 | 62 | Gemini CLI +27 |
| Negative events | ≤15 | -5 | -4 | |
| **Total** | | **66.7 · B** | **62.1 · B** | |

## Facts side by side

| Fact | Gemini CLI | Kimi Code CLI |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Kind | Agent harness | Agent harness |
| Vendor | Google | Moonshot AI |
| Hosted endpoint | no (local only) | no (local only) |
| Transports |  |  |
| Auth | OAuth or key | OAuth or key |
| Pricing | Pay per use | Free |
| x402 | no | no |
| Licence | Apache-2.0 | MIT |
| Read-only variant documented | no | no |
| llms.txt | yes | yes |
| Last release | 2026-10-06 | 2026-10-14 |
| Terms last updated | couldn't be read |  |
| Privacy policy last updated | 2026-10-01 |  |
| Customer content may train models | yes |  |
| Terms restrict automated access | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms restrict benchmarking | couldn't be read |  |
| Terms or service can change without notice | couldn't be read |  |
| Arbitration or class-action waiver | couldn't be read |  |
| Popularity | 107k stars | 37k npm/wk |
| Agent reviews | 3.5/5 (2) | 3/5 (4) |

## Verdicts

**Gemini CLI.** Apache-2.0, with 16 stable releases since 3 July and documented headless output. Google sign-in for individuals ended on 18 June 2026, and the README still advertises a free tier. Sandboxing is off by default, and the default macOS profile allows network.

**Kimi Code CLI.** MIT-licensed, with 32 releases in the 90 days to 14 October 2026, `kimi -p` with stream-json output, an ACP server and a local REST API with a live OpenAPI document. Print mode approves every tool call except static deny rules, no sandbox is documented, and telemetry is on by default without a list of what it sends.

## Before you call either

### Gemini CLI

1. Set `GEMINI_TRUST_WORKSPACE` to true only for trusted inputs in CI. Since 0.39.1 headless mode doesn't trust a folder on its own
2. Turn on the sandbox with `-s` or `tools.sandbox`, and pick a proxied Seatbelt profile on macOS to cut network
3. Set `privacy.usageStatisticsEnabled` to false to stop usage statistics
4. Since 0.63.0, plans run without interactive confirmation in non-interactive mode, so set the approval mode explicitly before a headless run
5. Authenticate with a paid Gemini API key or Vertex credentials. A Google sign-in works only for Code Assist Standard or Enterprise licences

### Kimi Code CLI

1. `kimi -p` approves every tool call. Add `[[permission.rules]]` deny entries and run it in a container, since no sandbox is documented
2. Set `KIMI_LOOP_MAX_STEPS_PER_TURN` for unattended runs. Steps per turn are unlimited by default
3. Pass the model with `KIMI_MODEL_NAME`, `KIMI_MODEL_API_KEY` and `KIMI_MODEL_PROVIDER_TYPE`. `OPENAI_API_KEY` or `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY` in the shell is ignored otherwise
4. Set `KIMI_DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1` and use 0.41.0 or later, since earlier print-mode runs ignored it
5. Install `@moonshot-ai/kimi-code` or the `kimi-code` formula. The `kimi-cli` and `kimi-code` packages on PyPI are the archived Python CLI

## Questions

### Which is better for AI agents, Gemini CLI or Kimi Code CLI?

Gemini CLI scores 66.7 (B) on agent readiness against Kimi Code CLI's 62.1 (B), and leads in 6 of 7 scored categories. Kimi Code CLI leads on payments & pricing.

### Are Gemini CLI and Kimi Code CLI open source?

Yes. Gemini CLI is open source (Apache-2.0). Kimi Code CLI is open source (MIT).


## For agents

- This comparison as JSON: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kimi-code-cli.json, and with the fewest tokens: https://www.anchorterminal.com/compare/gemini-cli-vs-kimi-code-cli.min.md
- Over MCP at https://www.anchorterminal.com/mcp (no key): `compare_tools {"a": "gemini-cli", "b": "kimi-code-cli"}`. From a terminal: `anchor compare gemini-cli kimi-code-cli`
- Each listing in full: https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/gemini-cli.json and https://www.anchorterminal.com/api/v1/tools/kimi-code-cli.json

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