How to Customize the Kimi CLI Shell UI: Themes and Keyboard Shortcuts

You can customize the Kimi CLI shell UI by modifying the theme setting in ~/.kimi/config.toml for visual preferences, or by editing _KEYBOARD_SHORTCUTS in src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/slash.py and adding handlers in src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/prompt.py for key bindings.

The Kimi CLI provides an interactive shell experience built on the Rich library and prompt_toolkit, offering deep customization through specific configuration files and source modules. Whether you prefer a light terminal theme or need custom key bindings for your workflow, the MoonshotAI/kimi-cli repository exposes clean extension points for tailoring the interface.

Customizing Color Themes

The color system centers on src/kimi_cli/ui/theme.py, which exposes set_active_theme and get_active_theme as the primary public API. The active theme is stored in a module-level variable _active_theme that defaults to dark mode.

Switching Themes at Runtime

Use the built-in slash command to toggle between palettes without restarting:

/theme dark   # switch to dark (default)

/theme light  # switch to light-mode colours

According to the source code in src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/slash.py, the /theme command reads the current theme via get_active_theme, updates the global _active_theme via set_active_theme, writes the new value to config.theme, and reloads the UI so the new palette applies immediately.

Persisting Theme Preferences

To make your theme choice permanent, edit your personal configuration file at ~/.kimi/config.toml:

theme = "light"   # or "dark"

During Shell.__init__ in src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/__init__.py, the config loader automatically calls set_active_theme with your stored preference, ensuring the UI initializes with your chosen palette on every start.

Creating Custom Color Palettes

For advanced customization beyond the built-in dark and light modes, fork the repository and modify src/kimi_cli/ui/theme.py. This file contains dataclasses including DiffColors, ToolbarColors, and MCPPromptColors, each with light and dark variants (_DIFF_LIGHT, _DIFF_DARK, etc.).

To add a custom palette (e.g., "solarized"):

1. Define new color constants following the existing pattern
2. Expose them through a helper like get_theme_colors(name: str)
3. Extend the /theme command logic in slash.py to accept your new theme name

Customizing Keyboard Shortcuts

Keyboard shortcuts are declared in the _KEYBOARD_SHORTCUTS constant inside src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/slash.py. Each entry is a two-item tuple containing the human-readable description and the key binding string (e.g., ("Enter – submit", "enter")).

Modifying the Shortcut List

Open src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/slash.py and locate the _KEYBOARD_SHORTCUTS list. Add or modify entries to document your desired shortcuts:

_KEYBOARD_SHORTCUTS = [
    # existing items...

    ("Ctrl-L – clear the screen", "c-l"),
]

The /help or /shortcuts command automatically renders this list via the section helper, so your additions appear in the UI immediately without additional registration.

Implementing Key Bindings

The actual key handling logic resides in src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/prompt.py within the handle_running_prompt_key method. This method receives a key string and dispatches to appropriate actions like shortcut_newline or shortcut_editor.

To implement a new shortcut:

1. Add your key name to _KEYBOARD_SHORTCUTS in slash.py
2. Add a conditional branch in handle_running_prompt_key:

elif key == "c-l":
    console.clear()                    # clear the Rich console

    track("shortcut_clear_screen")     # telemetry event

Changes take effect after restarting the shell process, or you can trigger a live reload using the /reload slash command.

Summary

• Theme customization happens through set_active_theme in src/kimi_cli/ui/theme.py, persisted in ~/.kimi/config.toml, and toggled via the /theme slash command.
• Keyboard shortcuts are defined in _KEYBOARD_SHORTCUTS within src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/slash.py and implemented in handle_running_prompt_key in src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/prompt.py.
• The default theme variable _active_theme defaults to dark mode but respects your config file on initialization.
• Custom color palettes require modifying dataclasses like DiffColors and ToolbarColors in the theme module.
• New key bindings automatically appear in the help panel because the UI renders the _KEYBOARD_SHORTCUTS list directly.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I permanently set the Kimi CLI to use light mode?

Edit ~/.kimi/config.toml and set theme = "light". The Shell class initialization in src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/__init__.py automatically calls set_active_theme with this value when the process starts, loading the light color palette defined in src/kimi_cli/ui/theme.py.

Can I add custom keyboard shortcuts without modifying the source code?

Currently, no. The _KEYBOARD_SHORTCUTS list and the handle_running_prompt_key dispatcher in src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/prompt.py are static definitions. To add shortcuts, you must edit src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/slash.py to register the description and src/kimi_cli/ui/shell/prompt.py to implement the behavior, then restart or use /reload.

Where are the color definitions stored for the dark and light themes?

Color definitions live in src/kimi_cli/ui/theme.py as module-level constants like _DIFF_DARK, _DIFF_LIGHT, _TOOLBAR_DARK, and _TOOLBAR_LIGHT. These populate dataclasses including DiffColors and ToolbarColors that the UI queries at runtime through helpers like get_prompt_style and get_toolbar_colors.

What file controls the persistence of my theme preference?

The theme field is persisted in src/kimi_cli/config.py, which manages the ~/.kimi/config.toml file. When you use the /theme slash command, it updates both the runtime _active_theme variable and writes the value to this configuration file for future sessions.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}