Kimi search

OpenClaw supports Kimi as a web_search provider, using Moonshot web search to produce AI-synthesized answers with citations.

# Get an API key

openclaw configure --section web

When you choose Kimi during openclaw onboard or openclaw configure --section web, OpenClaw can also ask for:

• the Moonshot API region:
  • https://api.moonshot.ai/v1
  • https://api.moonshot.cn/v1
• the default Kimi web-search model (defaults to kimi-k2.6)

# Config

{
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      moonshot: {
        config: {
          webSearch: {
            apiKey: "sk-...", // optional if KIMI_API_KEY or MOONSHOT_API_KEY is set
            baseUrl: "https://api.moonshot.ai/v1",
            model: "kimi-k2.6",
          },
        },
      },
    },
  },
  tools: {
    web: {
      search: {
        provider: "kimi",
      },
    },
  },
}

If you use the China API host for chat (models.providers.moonshot.baseUrl: https://api.moonshot.cn/v1), OpenClaw reuses that same host for Kimi web_search when tools.web.search.kimi.baseUrl is omitted, so keys from platform.moonshot.cn do not hit the international endpoint by mistake (which often returns HTTP 401). Override with tools.web.search.kimi.baseUrl when you need a different search base URL.

Environment alternative: set KIMI_API_KEY or MOONSHOT_API_KEY in the Gateway environment. For a gateway install, put it in ~/.openclaw/.env.

If you omit baseUrl, OpenClaw defaults to https://api.moonshot.ai/v1. If you omit model, OpenClaw defaults to kimi-k2.6.

# How it works

Kimi uses Moonshot web search to synthesize answers with inline citations, similar to Gemini and Grok's grounded response approach.

OpenClaw treats Kimi web_search as successful only after Moonshot returns native web-search grounding evidence, such as a replayable $web_search tool payload, search_results, or citation URLs. If Kimi stops immediately with a plain chat answer like "I cannot browse the internet" and no grounding evidence, OpenClaw returns a structured kimi_web_search_ungrounded error instead of wrapping that text as a search result. Retry the query, switch to a structured provider such as Brave, or use web_fetch / the browser tool when you already have a target URL.

# Supported parameters

Kimi search supports query.

count is accepted for shared web_search compatibility, but Kimi still returns one synthesized answer with citations rather than an N-result list.

Provider-specific filters are not currently supported.

# Related

• Web Search overview -- all providers and auto-detection
• Moonshot AI -- Moonshot model + Kimi Coding provider docs
• Gemini Search -- AI-synthesized answers via Google grounding
• Grok Search -- AI-synthesized answers via xAI grounding