MoonshotAI / MoonshotAI/kimi-cli

[Feature Request] Unified Auto Mode as a first-class feature

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Python
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Description

What feature would you like to see?

Currently, Kimi CLI offers several flags and options that enable "automatic" behavior, but they are scattered and not unified under a clear "Auto Mode" concept:

  • --yolo / --auto-approve: auto-approves all tool calls
  • --print: non-interactive mode (implicitly enables --yolo)
  • --max-ralph-iterations: auto-loop mode for iterative tasks
  • Agent tool with run_in_background=true: delegates tasks to sub-agents

As a user, I would like a unified, first-class "Auto Mode" that:

  1. Has a clear entry point — e.g., a dedicated --auto flag, /auto slash command, or default_auto_mode = true in config, rather than needing to remember multiple flags.

  2. Is well-documented as a feature — currently users have to piece together --yolo, --print, and Ralph loop to achieve a fully autonomous agent experience. An official "Auto Mode" page in the docs would help discovery.

  3. Provides sensible defaults — auto-approves safe operations (reads, searches), while still confirming destructive operations (writes outside project, rm, git push, etc.), or at least makes this configurable (related to #1631).

  4. Works seamlessly with Plan Mode — when entering plan mode, auto-mode should still allow the user to review the plan before execution begins (related to #1867).

Why is this needed?
  • New users often ask "does Kimi CLI have an auto mode?" because competitors (Claude Code, Cursor Agent, etc.) advertise this as a headline feature.
  • The current --yolo naming is playful but not discoverable for users looking for "auto" or "agent" mode.
  • Having a unified mode reduces cognitive load: one flag/command instead of combining --yolo --print --max-ralph-iterations 10.
Proposed interface
# Enable auto mode for this session
kimi --auto

# Or via config
[mode]
default_auto = true

# Or via slash command inside session
/auto

In Auto Mode:

  • Tool calls are auto-approved by default (with granular rules as proposed in #1631)
  • The session runs in non-interactive style when piped/scripted
  • Iterative tasks (Ralph loop) are enabled with a sensible default limit
  • The user can still intervene with Ctrl+C or pause with /pause
Related issues
  • #1631 (granular auto-approval rules)
  • #2072 (yolo vs non-interactive confusion)
  • #1867 (yolo in plan mode)
  • #1966 (AskUserQuestion in yolo mode)

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Start by reviewing the existing --yolo, --auto-approve, --print, and --max-ralph-iterations behavior, then read related issues #1631, #2072, #1867, and #1966. The work is done when the project has an agreed unified entry point, documented defaults and controls, compatible Plan Mode behavior, and coverage for the proposed interactions.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
python
Domain
cli
Issue type
Feature
Difficulty
5/5
Estimated time
Over a week
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness
25/100

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