Knowledge workers with local files
Analyze, organize, transform, and create deliverables from documents, spreadsheets, PDFs, images, and other files stored in a selected workspace.
Independent tool overview
Kimi Work at a glance
Kimi Work is Moonshot AI's desktop agent for knowledge workers, combining local-file access, browser automation, office deliverables, plugins, scheduled tasks, and an optional swarm of up to 300 sub-agents.
Visit the official Kimi Work site ↗
- Best for
- Research, file-heavy office work, and long multi-step tasks
- Platform
- Windows 10+ and Apple-silicon Macs on macOS 12+
- Current stage
- Beta
- Agent scale
- Up to 300 coordinated sub-agents
- Local access
- Selected folders, files, browser, and desktop tools
- Pricing model
- Kimi membership credits shared across eligible features
Overview
What Kimi Work is
Kimi Work is the Work mode inside Kimi's desktop app for Apple-silicon Macs and Windows PCs. Unlike a standard chat interface, it can operate inside a selected local workspace, organize files, use a browser, run tools, and produce documents, spreadsheets, presentations, reports, and interactive widgets.
Its most distinctive capability is Agent Swarm. For large research or batch-processing jobs, Kimi can coordinate up to 300 sub-agents and more than 4,000 tool calls. Goal mode can keep a clearly defined task moving for up to 24 hours, while projects, skills, plugins, dashboards, and schedules support repeatable work.
Kimi Work launched in beta in June 2026 and is still changing frequently. It is a powerful fit for complex desktop workflows, but users should review file changes, choose permission settings deliberately, and expect usage to draw from a shared Kimi membership credit pool.
Use cases
Who Kimi Work is best for
The strongest fit depends on the job you need the product to complete, not the size of its feature list.
Deep research and synthesis
Combine local source material, web research, subscribed databases, and plugins into reports, presentations, charts, or structured datasets.
Large parallel assignments
Use Agent Swarm when a task can be divided into many independent searches, comparisons, or batch-processing subtasks.
Repeatable desktop workflows
Turn recurring work into skills, plugins, scheduled tasks, live widgets, or dashboards that remain accessible inside the desktop client.
Capabilities
Core Kimi Work features
Local workspace agent
Reads and creates files inside folders you connect, with transparent file-change summaries and rollback support for agent edits.
Agent Swarm
Can coordinate up to 300 sub-agents and more than 4,000 parallel tool calls for suitable large-scale tasks.
Built-in browser control
Operates browser tabs associated with a conversation to click, type, navigate, and collect information; the WebBridge plugin can extend browser automation.
Office deliverables
Produces and edits reports, documents, spreadsheets, charts, slide decks, websites, and other workspace artifacts.
Goal mode
Runs an iterative loop toward a defined success condition for up to 24 hours, with progress visible and interruptible by the user.
Skills and plugins
Uses installable skills, curated integrations, professional databases, and personal plugins built for custom services or workflows.
Widgets and dashboards
Generates interactive widgets, saves them to persistent dashboards, and can bind live widgets to scheduled or event-driven tasks.
Permission controls
Offers Default, Manual approval, and Fully automatic modes so users can control when sensitive local actions require authorization.
Process
How the Kimi Work workflow works
Step 1
Install and choose Work mode
Download the current Kimi desktop app on a supported Windows PC or Apple-silicon Mac, sign in, and switch from Chat to Work.
Step 2
Create a scoped workspace
Connect only the folder and source files the assignment needs, then select a permission level appropriate to the sensitivity of the work.
Step 3
Define the output and acceptance criteria
Describe the desired deliverable, source requirements, format, deadline, and what success should look like. Use Agent Swarm only when parallelism genuinely helps.
Step 4
Monitor actions and inspect changes
Watch the execution plan, approve sensitive operations, review citations and calculations, and inspect file diffs before accepting modifications.
Step 5
Save the repeatable parts
Turn a proven process into a skill, plugin, scheduled task, widget, or dashboard, while remembering that local schedules require the app and computer to remain running.
Cost
Kimi Work pricing and free plan
Kimi Work usage draws from the shared credit pool included with Kimi memberships. Official individual pricing is listed in Chinese yuan, and actual consumption varies by model, reasoning effort, task length, and feature. Annual subscriptions offer discounts; enterprise seats are billed annually.
Andante
¥49/month
Entry membership for everyday use.
- About 30 Agent uses based on typical consumption
- 20 projects and 20GB project storage
- 6 scheduled tasks and 6 widget tasks
- Shared credits across Kimi Work and other membership features
Moderato
¥99/month
Productivity tier with more capacity and limited parallelism.
- About 60 Agent uses
- 2 parallel Agent tasks
- 25 Agent Swarm uses with 2 subtasks in parallel
- 10 scheduled tasks and 10 widget tasks
Allegretto
¥199/month
Professional tier with Goal mode and higher limits.
- About 150 Agent uses
- 50 Agent Swarm uses with 4 subtasks in parallel
- Goal mode and Dream Memory
- 15 scheduled tasks and 15 widget tasks
Allegro
¥699/month
Highest individual tier for intensive agent work.
- About 360 Agent uses
- 120 Agent Swarm uses with 8 subtasks in parallel
- Up to 1-million-token conversations
- 100 projects, 50GB storage, and 20 scheduled tasks
Kimi Business
¥4,200/seat/year
Annual team plan starting at two seats.
- Minimum purchase of 2 seats
- Kimi Work, Swarm, Dashboard, and Plugins included
- Enterprise data is not used for model training by default
- Member management and enterprise support
Pricing checked . Check current pricing at the source ↗
Assessment
Kimi Work strengths and limitations
Where it stands out
- Works directly with selected local folders instead of requiring every file to be uploaded manually
- Handles research, browser use, data work, documents, spreadsheets, and presentations in one desktop workspace
- Agent Swarm can divide appropriate jobs across an unusually large number of parallel workers
- Three permission levels and visible file diffs provide meaningful control over local changes
- Skills, plugins, widgets, dashboards, and schedules make successful workflows reusable
What to consider
- Kimi Work is still in beta, with frequent interface and behavior changes
- Work mode is unavailable on Intel Macs; those systems support Kimi Chat only
- Agent usage is credit-based, and long tasks, higher reasoning effort, or swarm execution can consume capacity quickly
- Local scheduled tasks do not run while the computer is asleep, shut down, or the desktop app is closed
- Browser automation and file modification can produce unintended actions, so sensitive workflows need approval controls and human review
- Work-mode conversations remain on the desktop where they were created rather than syncing like Chat conversations
- The 300-agent maximum is a capability ceiling, not a guarantee that every task will benefit from or receive that level of parallelism
Compare
Kimi Work alternatives
The right alternative depends on the specific output, workflow, controls and budget your project requires.
Agents
Claude Cowork
Consider Claude Cowork for another desktop agent focused on everyday file and knowledge-work tasks.
Explore Claude Cowork →Consumer
ChatGPT Work
Consider ChatGPT Work if you prefer OpenAI's ecosystem for non-coding agentic work.
Explore ChatGPT Work →Agents
Manus
Consider Manus for cloud-based autonomous research and deliverable creation without centering the workflow on a local desktop workspace.
Explore Manus →Questions
Kimi Work FAQs
What is Kimi Work?
Kimi Work is the agent mode in Kimi's desktop app. It can work with selected local folders, operate browser tools, run multi-step tasks, and create documents, spreadsheets, slides, reports, websites, widgets, and other deliverables.
Is Kimi Work free?
Kimi Work usage consumes credits from eligible Kimi memberships. Kimi publishes individual plans from ¥49 to ¥699 per month, with annual discounts; usage estimates are not fixed task guarantees because actual credit consumption varies.
Can Kimi Work access files on my computer?
Yes. You connect a local folder as a workspace, and Kimi Work can read and create files there. Limit access to the files required for the task and use Manual approval for sensitive work.
How does Kimi Work protect local files?
It offers Default, Manual approval, and Fully automatic permission modes. Default asks before sensitive operations, while Manual approval requires consent before actions. Users should still keep backups and inspect file diffs.
What is Kimi Agent Swarm?
Agent Swarm is a parallel execution mode that can coordinate up to 300 sub-agents and more than 4,000 tool calls for large tasks such as broad research or batch analysis. The system decides how to divide suitable work.
Does Kimi Work run scheduled tasks while my computer sleeps?
No. Desktop schedules run locally only while the app is open and the computer is awake. Missed triggers are not replayed automatically after the computer wakes or the app reopens.
What computers support Kimi Work?
The official requirements are Windows 10 or later, or an Apple-silicon Mac running macOS 12 or later. Intel Macs can run Kimi Chat but not Kimi Work mode.
Is Kimi Work the same as Kimi's web app?
No. The web app is designed for chat and cloud-based tasks. Kimi Work is a local desktop agent with folder access, browser control, background code execution, plugins, and local scheduled tasks.
Bottom line
Our Kimi Work verdict
Kimi Work is one of the most ambitious desktop agents for knowledge work, especially when a project combines local files, web research, analysis, and polished office deliverables. Its swarm and long-running modes stand out, but the beta status, credit consumption, platform limits, and power to modify files make careful scoping and review essential.
Visit Kimi Work website ↗Similar Agents Tools
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