> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nika.sh/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Use Nika with Kimi Code CLI

> Add the read-only Nika oracle to kimi-code's mcp.json — the exact file contract, the one trap from the legacy CLI, and the deterministic proof.

[Kimi Code CLI](https://github.com/MoonshotAI/kimi-code) reads MCP servers
from `mcp.json` at two levels: user `~/.kimi-code/mcp.json` (shared across
projects) and project `.kimi-code/mcp.json` (a same-named project entry
wins). The binary comes first: `brew install supernovae-st/tap/nika`
([other paths](/getting-started/installation)).

Add the `nika` entry to `~/.kimi-code/mcp.json`:

```json theme={"system"}
{ "mcpServers": { "nika": { "command": "nika", "args": ["mcp"] } } }
```

Or conversationally: `/mcp-config` in the TUI adds servers without
hand-editing JSON · `/mcp` shows connection status.

<Warning>
  The legacy kimi-cli taught `kimi mcp add …` — **that subcommand does not
  exist in kimi-code**, its successor. The file above is the contract.
  Kimi's own docs also warn that project-level stdio entries execute when a
  session starts: trust-scope the project file accordingly.
</Warning>

## Prove it (deterministic · verified live 2026-07-31 · kimi-code 0.30.0 · nika 0.106.1)

A headless run emits one JSON object per line, tool calls included — the
oracle answering IS the receipt:

```sh theme={"system"}
kimi -p "Call the mcp__nika__nika_canon tool with no arguments and stop." \
  --output-format stream-json
```

The stream carries
`"tool_calls":[{"function":{"name":"mcp__nika__nika_canon"}}]` — the
server loaded and the agent reached it. `kimi doctor` validates the
config files (exit 0/1).

## The repo side

`nika init` writes the `.agents/skills` authoring skill — kimi-code scans
four skill tiers including project and user `.agents/skills/`, so the
skill surfaces as `/skill:nika-authoring` with zero extra wiring. Note
that kimi-code does not auto-load `AGENTS.md` today: the skill and the
oracle carry the teaching ([agents guide](/getting-started/agents)).

Division of labor unchanged: Kimi orchestrates and writes code · Nika
runs the repeatable work as a checkable file with receipts — `nika check`
before, `--max-cost-usd` during, `nika trace verify` after.