codewhale/docs/RUNTIME_API.md

# Runtime API & Integration Contract

DeepSeek TUI exposes a local runtime API through `deepseek serve --http` and
machine-readable health via `deepseek doctor --json`. This document is the
stable integration contract for native macOS workbench applications (and other
local supervisors) that embed the DeepSeek engine without screen-scraping
terminal output.

## Architecture

```
macOS workbench (or any local supervisor)
        │
        ├─ deepseek doctor --json   → machine-readable health & capability
        ├─ deepseek serve --http    → HTTP/SSE runtime API
        ├─ deepseek serve --mcp     → MCP stdio server
        └─ deepseek [args]          → interactive TUI session
```

The engine runs as a local-only process. All APIs bind to `localhost` by
default. No hosted relay, no provider-token custody, no secret leakage.

## Capability endpoint: `deepseek doctor --json`

Returns a JSON object describing the current installation's readiness state.
Suitable for health-check polling from a macOS workbench.

```bash
deepseek doctor --json
```

### Response schema (key fields)

| Field | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| `version` | string | Installed version (e.g. `"0.8.9"`) |
| `config_path` | string | Resolved config file path |
| `config_present` | bool | Whether the config file exists |
| `workspace` | string | Default workspace directory |
| `api_key.source` | string | `env`, `config`, or `missing` |
| `base_url` | string | API base URL |
| `default_text_model` | string | Default model |
| `memory.enabled` | bool | Whether the memory feature is on |
| `memory.path` | string | Path to memory file |
| `memory.file_present` | bool | Whether memory file exists |
| `mcp.config_path` | string | MCP config file path |
| `mcp.present` | bool | Whether MCP config exists |
| `mcp.servers` | array | Per-server health: `{name, enabled, status, detail}` |
| `skills.selected` | string | Resolved skills directory |
| `skills.global.path` / `.present` / `.count` | — | Global skills dir |
| `skills.agents.path` / `.present` / `.count` | — | `.agents/skills/` dir |
| `skills.local.path` / `.present` / `.count` | — | `skills/` dir |
| `skills.opencode.path` / `.present` / `.count` | — | `.opencode/skills/` dir |
| `skills.claude.path` / `.present` / `.count` | — | `.claude/skills/` dir |
| `tools.path` / `.present` / `.count` | — | Global tools directory |
| `plugins.path` / `.present` / `.count` | — | Global plugins directory |
| `sandbox.available` | bool | Whether sandbox is supported on this OS |
| `sandbox.kind` | string or null | Sandbox kind (e.g. `"macos_seatbelt"`) |
| `storage.spillover.path` / `.present` / `.count` | — | Tool output spillover dir |
| `storage.stash.path` / `.present` / `.count` | — | Composer stash |

### Example

```json
{
  "version": "0.8.9",
  "config_path": "/Users/you/.deepseek/config.toml",
  "config_present": true,
  "workspace": "/Users/you/projects/deepseek-tui",
  "api_key": {
    "source": "env"
  },
  "base_url": "https://api.deepseek.com",
  "default_text_model": "deepseek-v4-pro",
  "memory": {
    "enabled": false,
    "path": "/Users/you/.deepseek/memory.md",
    "file_present": true
  },
  "mcp": {
    "config_path": "/Users/you/.deepseek/mcp.json",
    "present": true,
    "servers": [
      {"name": "filesystem", "enabled": true, "status": "ok", "detail": "ready"}
    ]
  },
  "sandbox": {
    "available": true,
    "kind": "macos_seatbelt"
  }
}
```

## HTTP/SSE runtime API: `deepseek serve --http`

```bash
deepseek serve --http [--host 127.0.0.1] [--port 7878] [--workers 2]
```

Defaults: host `127.0.0.1`, port `7878`, 2 workers (clamped 1–8).

The server binds to `localhost` by default. Configuration is via CLI flags —
there is no `[app_server]` config section.

### Endpoints

**Health**
- `GET /health`

**Sessions** (legacy session manager)
- `GET /v1/sessions?limit=50&search=<substring>`
- `GET /v1/sessions/{id}`
- `DELETE /v1/sessions/{id}`
- `POST /v1/sessions/{id}/resume-thread`

**Threads** (durable runtime data model)
- `GET /v1/threads?limit=50&include_archived=false`
- `GET /v1/threads/summary?limit=50&search=<optional>&include_archived=false`
- `POST /v1/threads`
- `GET /v1/threads/{id}`
- `PATCH /v1/threads/{id}` (currently supports `{ "archived": true|false }`)
- `POST /v1/threads/{id}/resume`
- `POST /v1/threads/{id}/fork`

**Turns** (within a thread)
- `POST /v1/threads/{id}/turns`
- `POST /v1/threads/{id}/turns/{turn_id}/steer`
- `POST /v1/threads/{id}/turns/{turn_id}/interrupt`
- `POST /v1/threads/{id}/compact` (manual compaction)

**Events** (SSE replay + live stream)
- `GET /v1/threads/{id}/events?since_seq=<u64>`

**Compatibility stream** (one-shot, backwards-compatible)
- `POST /v1/stream`

**Tasks** (durable background work)
- `GET /v1/tasks`
- `POST /v1/tasks`
- `GET /v1/tasks/{id}`
- `POST /v1/tasks/{id}/cancel`

**Automations** (scheduled recurring work)
- `GET /v1/automations`
- `POST /v1/automations`
- `GET /v1/automations/{id}`
- `PATCH /v1/automations/{id}`
- `DELETE /v1/automations/{id}`
- `POST /v1/automations/{id}/run`
- `POST /v1/automations/{id}/pause`
- `POST /v1/automations/{id}/resume`
- `GET /v1/automations/{id}/runs?limit=20`

**Introspection**
- `GET /v1/workspace/status`
- `GET /v1/skills`
- `GET /v1/apps/mcp/servers`
- `GET /v1/apps/mcp/tools?server=<optional>`

## Runtime data model

The runtime uses a durable Thread/Turn/Item lifecycle.

- **ThreadRecord** — `id`, `created_at`, `updated_at`, `model`, `workspace`,
  `mode`, `task_id`, `coherence_state`, `system_prompt`, `latest_turn_id`,
  `latest_response_bookmark`, `archived`
- **TurnRecord** — `id`, `thread_id`, `status` (`queued|in_progress|completed|
  failed|interrupted|canceled`), timestamps, duration, usage, error summary
- **TurnItemRecord** — `id`, `turn_id`, `kind` (`user_message|agent_message|
  tool_call|file_change|command_execution|context_compaction|status|error`),
  lifecycle `status`, `metadata`

Events are append-only with a global monotonic `seq` for replay/resume.

### Restart semantics

- If the process restarts while a turn or item is `queued` or `in_progress`,
  the recovered record is marked `interrupted` with an `"Interrupted by
  process restart"` error.
- Task execution performs its own recovery on top of the same persisted
  thread/turn store.

### Approval model

- The `auto_approve` flag applies to the runtime approval bridge and engine
  tool context. When enabled for a thread/turn/task, approval-required tools
  are auto-approved in the non-interactive runtime path, shell safety checks
  run in auto-approved mode, and spawned sub-agents inherit that setting.
- When omitted, `auto_approve` defaults to `false`.

### SSE event stream

The SSE event payload shape:

```json
{
  "seq": 42,
  "timestamp": "2026-02-11T20:18:49.123Z",
  "thread_id": "thr_1234abcd",
  "turn_id": "turn_5678efgh",
  "item_id": "item_90ab12cd",
  "event": "item.delta",
  "payload": {
    "delta": "partial output",
    "kind": "agent_message"
  }
}
```

Common event names: `thread.started`, `thread.forked`, `turn.started`,
`turn.lifecycle`, `turn.steered`, `turn.interrupt_requested`,
`turn.completed`, `item.started`, `item.delta`, `item.completed`,
`item.failed`, `item.interrupted`, `approval.required`, `sandbox.denied`,
`coherence.state`.

## Security boundary

- **Localhost only**. The server binds to `127.0.0.1` by default. Set
  `--host 0.0.0.0` only when you have a reverse-proxy / VPN that
  authenticates — there is no built-in auth, user isolation, or TLS.
- **No provider-token custody**. The server never returns the API key. The
  `api_key.source` capability field reports `env`, `config`, or `missing` —
  never the key itself.
- **No hosted relay**. The app-server is a local process under the user's
  control. There is no cloud component.
- **Capability responses** never leak secrets, file contents, or session
  message bodies. They report *metadata*: presence, counts, status flags.

## Session lifecycle (native UI supervision)

| Operation | Endpoint |
|---|---|
| List sessions | `GET /v1/sessions` |
| Get session | `GET /v1/sessions/{id}` |
| Delete session | `DELETE /v1/sessions/{id}` |
| Resume into thread | `POST /v1/sessions/{id}/resume-thread` |
| Create thread | `POST /v1/threads` |
| List threads | `GET /v1/threads` |
| Attach to events | `GET /v1/threads/{id}/events?since_seq=0` |
| Send message | `POST /v1/threads/{id}/turns` |
| Steer | `POST /v1/threads/{id}/turns/{turn_id}/steer` |
| Interrupt | `POST /v1/threads/{id}/turns/{turn_id}/interrupt` |
| Compact | `POST /v1/threads/{id}/compact` |

## Compatibility tests

Contract snapshots live in `crates/protocol/tests/`. Run:

```bash
cargo test -p deepseek-protocol --test parity_protocol --locked
```

This validates that the app-server's event schema hasn't drifted from the
documented contract. CI runs this on every push to `main` and on release tags.