[Bug] Stuck in 401 Invalid Authentication loop - No way to log out or reset token (macOS)

[somalamacia]

Description:
After using the extension happily for a few weeks, today it suddenly stopped working. Whenever I try to use the chat, I get the following system error:

Service temporarily unavailable. {"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":"2_1773085892405","error":{"code":-32003,"message":"Error code: 401 - {'error': {'message': 'Invalid Authentication', 'type': 'invalid_authentication_error'}}","data":null}}

There is no way to use the chat anymore.

What I have tried (unsuccessfully):
I tried to completely uninstall and reinstall the extension, but I find myself already logged in, with the same chat history, and the exact same 401 error message when trying to open a new chat.

To force a new login prompt, I also tried:

Renaming storage.json and state.vscdb inside ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/moonshot-ai.kimi-code. The extension just recreated them automatically without asking for a new API key.

Running the VS Code command Kimi Code: Reset Kimi (in case of any issues/no response). It did nothing, the 401 error persists.

Checking settings.json and macOS Keychain for any hidden Kimi/Moonshot tokens to delete, but found nothing obvious.

The Core Issue:
There seems to be no UI button, command palette option (like Kimi: Sign Out), or clear local file to forcefully delete the current corrupted/expired token and input a new one. The extension is completely stuck in this authentication loop.

Environment:

OS: macOS

VS Code version: Latest

Kimi Code Extension version: Latest

How can I completely wipe the authentication state locally to force the extension to ask for my API key again?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

[Jaiafavisuals]

have same issue; tried on Windows, same issue and still no resolution yet

[zymouse]

是不是端点改了，我从https://api.moonshot.cn/v1-->https://api.kimi.com/coding/v1,解决了

[somalamacia]

Hey everyone, we finally managed to solve this 401 Authentication Error / Login Loop issue!

The Root Cause:
Simply clicking "Uninstall" within the VS Code UI does not remove Kimi's hidden configuration and cache folders. If your auth token gets corrupted or deprecated, reinstalling the extension will just read the old, broken token from these orphaned files, keeping you stuck in the 401 error loop.

Here is the "Nuclear Clean-up" procedure that completely fixed the issue for us, forcing Kimi to trigger the new, clean browser-based OAuth login.

(Note: These paths are for macOS / Linux. If you are on Windows, you'll need to find the equivalent paths in %USERPROFILE% and %APPDATA%)

🛑 STEP 0: Backup your Chat History (Optional)

If you want to keep your previous Kimi conversations, backup the .kimi folder to your Desktop before nuking it. Run this in your terminal:

cp -r ~/.kimi ~/Desktop/Kimi_Chat_Backup

🧹 STEP 1: The Nuclear Clean-up

1. Close VS Code completely (make sure it's not running in the background).
2. Open your Terminal and run these three commands one by one to destroy the orphaned files:

# 1. Remove the main config and corrupted auth files
rm -rf ~/.kimi

# 2. Remove the extension binaries left behind
rm -rf ~/.vscode/extensions/moonshot-ai.kimi-code*

# 3. Remove the VS Code global storage cache for Kimi
rm -rf "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Code/User/globalStorage/moonshot-ai.kimi-code"

🚀 STEP 2: Reinstall & Login

1. Open VS Code.
2. Go to Extensions, search for Kimi Code, and click Install.
3. Click on the Kimi icon in the sidebar. Since the system is now completely clean, it will prompt you with the standard "Sign In" button.
4. Clicking it will open your browser for the secure login flow. Once authenticated, Kimi should greet you normally! 🎉

♻️ STEP 3: Restore Chat History (Optional)

If you created a backup in Step 0 and want your chats back:

1. Close VS Code again.
2. Copy the sessions folder from your backup back into the newly created .kimi folder:

cp -r ~/Desktop/Kimi_Chat_Backup/sessions ~/.kimi/

(Disclaimer: We opted for a totally clean slate to avoid any risk of re-corrupting the state, but restoring just the sessions folder should theoretically bring your chat history back).

Hope this helps anyone else running into this! 🏄‍♂️