Analysis
Moonshot closes Kimi K2 to new users and plans to retire it by year end
From October 31, 2026, Moonshot's K2 models are closed to new sign-ups on its platform. Who is affected, what is planned for December, and what remains unclear.
As of November 1, 2026, Moonshot AI's K2 series models are no longer available to newly registered users of its platform, since October 31. Existing users are not affected for now. Moonshot plans to retire the whole series by the end of December 2026 and points to Kimi K3.1 Pro. This is an API maintenance notice, not a revolution, and we did not test the API.
The essentials
- What changes: since October 31, 2026, the K2 series is closed to newly registered users on Moonshot's platform.
- Who is affected: new sign-ups only, for now. Existing users keep their access.
- What comes next: a planned retirement of the whole K2 series by the end of December 2026. It is a plan, with no specific day.
- What remains unclear: the exact list of model identifiers covered and the order of retirement.
What exactly does Moonshot announce?
Moonshot's pricing page says that starting October 31, 2026, K2 series models will no longer be available to newly registered users. It states that "existing users are not affected". It also says the company plans to retire all K2 series models by the end of December 2026, and it invites developers to prepare their migration, with a link to the quick-start guide for Kimi K3.1 Pro.
Moonshot's model list repeats the notice. Neither page gives a reason or a retirement day. In practice, an account created before October 31 loses nothing today, while someone who signs up now cannot start on K2.
Which models are concerned?
The notice speaks of "the K2 series" without listing identifiers. The model list still shows kimi-k2.6 and kimi-k2.7-code among current models, with no retirement notice of their own, and describes K2.7 Code as the model dedicated to code.
A reseller, qcode.cc (secondary source, October 26, 2026), says the K2 section of the pricing page contains kimi-k2.7-code, kimi-k2.7-code-highspeed and kimi-k2.6. We could not confirm that list on the page itself, and the K2 price table was empty when we read it. We report no price.
The chart below separates what is already stopped from what the notice concerns.
Source: Moonshot, model list and pricing page (November 1, 2026); qcode.cc (October 26, 2026) for the scope of the second group.
What is the timeline?
Moonshot's model list already marks older models as ended: kimi-thinking-preview on November 11, 2025, kimi-latest on January 28, 2026, the earlier kimi-k2 identifiers on May 25, 2026, and kimi-k2.5 and moonshot-v1 on August 31, 2026. Then comes October 31 for new users, and a planned retirement about two months later.
The exact day of that retirement is not published. The 31 December date that appears on a reseller's page is its own label, not a Moonshot date.
Source: Moonshot, model list and pricing page (November 1, 2026).
What if you use K2?
Moonshot recommends Kimi K3.1 Pro and links its quick-start guide from the pricing page. We introduced the model in our October 24 article on Kimi K3.1 Pro.
We tested nothing and promise no compatibility: run your own cases before switching. Tools that used K2 by default feel the change first: a third-party project, opencodex, made K3.1 Pro the default of its Moonshot preset on October 29 and removed K2.5 (GitHub issue 7653, used only as an example).
Comparison table
| Item | What sources say as of Nov 1, 2026 | Source |
|---|---|---|
| New sign-ups | K2 series unavailable since October 31, 2026 | Moonshot pricing page |
| Existing users | Not affected | Moonshot pricing page |
| Retirement of the K2 series | Planned by the end of December 2026, no specific day | Moonshot pricing page, model list |
| Models already stopped | kimi-k2 (old identifiers) May 25; kimi-k2.5 and moonshot-v1 August 31 | Moonshot model list |
| Recommended replacement | Kimi K3.1 Pro | Moonshot pricing page |
Frequently asked questions
Is my K2 access cut off?
Not today if your account predates October 31, 2026. Moonshot plans to retire the whole series by the end of December 2026.
On what exact day does K2 stop?
Not published: the wording is "by the end of December 2026", a plan.
Are K2.6 and K2.7 Code concerned?
The notice targets the K2 series without listing identifiers. A reseller says the K2 section of the pricing page contains them. Check the page itself.
Method and limits
We read two official Moonshot pages on November 1, 2026. The K2 price table was empty, so we report no price. The list of identifiers concerned comes partly from a reseller, a secondary and promotional source. Moonshot gives neither a reason nor a retirement day. We did not test the API and we do not cover third-party providers. Not buying advice.
Sources
- Moonshot: pricing page (verified 2026-11-01)
- Moonshot: model list (verified 2026-11-01)
- qcode.cc: Kimi K2 retirement 2026, reseller, secondary source (verified 2026-11-01)
- GitHub: opencodex issue 7653, secondary source (verified 2026-11-01)
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