About Moonshot AI

Moonshot AI is a Beijing-based AI platform offering the Kimi large language model API, with the flagship Kimi K2 being a state-of-the-art Mixture-of-Experts (MoE) model featuring 1 trillion total parameters and 32 billion activated parameters per query.

Key features include an exceptional 256,000-token context window (the longest available for processing extended documents and conversations), strong coding and STEM performance competitive with GPT-4.1, native tool calling and function integration for agentic workflows, and stable large-scale training using the novel MuonClip optimizer on 15.5 trillion tokens.

The platform provides OpenAI-compatible API access through the Kimi Open Platform with variants including Kimi-K2-Base (for fine-tuning) and Kimi-K2-Instruct (optimized for chat and autonomous tasks), supporting advanced multi-turn interactions, reasoning, research, and software development applications.

Step by step guide to use MoonshotAI API Key to chat with AI

1. Get Your MoonshotAI API Key

First, you'll need to obtain an API key from MoonshotAI. This key allows you to access their AI models directly and pay only for what you use.

  1. Visit MoonshotAI's API console
  2. Sign up or log in to your account
  3. Navigate to the API keys section
  4. Generate a new API key (copy it immediately as some providers only show it once)
  5. Save your API key in a secure password manager or encrypted note
Sometimes, this provider will require you to add a payment method to your account before you can use your API key to chat with AI. So, to avoid any hiccups, make sure you’ve got a payment method set up and ready to go!
Important: Keep your API key secure and never share it publicly. Store it safely as you'll need it to connect with TypingMind.

2. Connect Your MoonshotAI API Key on TypingMind

Once you have your MoonshotAI API key, connecting it to TypingMind to chat with AI is straightforward:

  1. Open TypingMind in your browser
  2. Click the "Settings" icon (gear symbol)
  3. Navigate to "Models" section
  4. Click "Add Custom Model"
  5. Fill in the model information:
    Name: kimi-latest-8k via MoonshotAI (or your preferred name)
    Endpoint: https://api.moonshot.ai/v1/chat/completions
    Model ID: kimi-latest-8k for example (check MoonshotAI model list)
    Context Length: Enter the model's context window (e.g., 32000 for kimi-latest-8k)
    MoonshotAI Endpoint URL input fieldkimi-latest-8khttps://api.moonshot.ai/v1/chat/completionskimi-latest-8k via MoonshotAIhttps://www.typingmind.com/model-logo.webp32000
  6. Add custom headers by clicking "Add Custom Headers" in the Advanced Settings section:
    Authorization: Bearer <MOONSHOT_API_KEY>:
    X-Title: typingmind.com
    HTTP-Referer: https://www.typingmind.com
  7. Enable "Support Plugins (via OpenAI Functions)" if the model supports the "functions" or "tool_calls" parameter, or enable "Support OpenAI Vision" if the model supports vision.
  8. Click "Test" to verify the configuration
  9. If you see "Nice, the endpoint is working!", click "Add Model"

3. Start Chatting with MoonshotAI models

Now you can start chatting with Moonshot AI models through TypingMind:

  • Select your preferred MoonshotAI model from the model dropdown menu
  • Start typing your message in the chat input
  • Enjoy faster responses and better features than the official interface
  • Switch between different AI models as needed
The best frontend AI chat for Moonshot AI API KeyThe best frontend AI chat for Moonshot AI API Keykimi-latest-8kThe best frontend AI chat for Moonshot AI API Key
Pro tips for better results:

4. Monitor Your AI Usage and Costs

One of the biggest advantages of using API keys with TypingMind is cost transparency and control. Unlike fixed subscriptions, you pay only for what you actually use. Visit https://platform.moonshot.ai/console/limits to monitor your MoonshotAI API usage and set spending limits.

💡 Cost-saving tips:
  • Use less expensive models for simple tasks
  • Keep prompts concise but specific to reduce token usage
  • Use TypingMind's prompt caching to reduce repeat costs (How to enable prompt caching)
  • Using RAG (retrieval-augmented generation) for large documents to reduce repeat costs (How to use RAG)