codewhale/docs/MCP.md

MCP (External Tool Servers)

DeepSeek TUI can load additional tools via MCP (Model Context Protocol). MCP servers are local processes that the TUI starts and communicates with over stdio.

Browsing note:

• web.run is the canonical built-in browsing tool.
• web_search remains available as a compatibility alias for older prompts and integrations.

Server mode note:

• deepseek serve --mcp runs the MCP stdio server.
• deepseek serve --http runs the runtime HTTP/SSE API (separate mode).

Bootstrap MCP Config

Create a starter MCP config at your resolved MCP path:

deepseek mcp init

deepseek setup --mcp performs the same MCP bootstrap alongside skills setup.

Common management commands:

deepseek mcp list
deepseek mcp tools [server]
deepseek mcp add <name> --command "<cmd>" --arg "<arg>"
deepseek mcp add <name> --url "http://localhost:3000/mcp"
deepseek mcp enable <name>
deepseek mcp disable <name>
deepseek mcp remove <name>
deepseek mcp validate

Config File Location

Default path:

• ~/.deepseek/mcp.json

Overrides:

• Config: mcp_config_path = "/path/to/mcp.json"
• Env: DEEPSEEK_MCP_CONFIG=/path/to/mcp.json

deepseek mcp init (and deepseek setup --mcp) writes to this resolved path.

After editing the file, restart the TUI.

Tool Naming

Discovered MCP tools are exposed to the model as:

• mcp_<server>_<tool>

Example: a server named git with a tool named status becomes mcp_git_status.

Resource and Prompt Helpers

The CLI also exposes helper tools when MCP is enabled:

• list_mcp_resources (optional server filter)
• list_mcp_resource_templates (optional server filter)
• mcp_read_resource / read_mcp_resource (aliases)
• mcp_get_prompt

Minimal Example

{
  "timeouts": {
    "connect_timeout": 10,
    "execute_timeout": 60,
    "read_timeout": 120
  },
  "servers": {
    "example": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["./path/to/your-mcp-server.js"],
      "env": {},
      "disabled": false
    }
  }
}

You can also use mcpServers instead of servers for compatibility with other clients.

Running DeepSeek as an MCP Server

You can register your local DeepSeek binary as an MCP server so other DeepSeek sessions (or any MCP client) can call its tools.

Quick Setup

deepseek mcp add-self

This resolves the current binary path, generates a config entry that runs deepseek serve --mcp, and writes it to your MCP config file. The default server name is deepseek.

Options:

• --name <NAME> — custom server name (default: deepseek)
• --workspace <PATH> — workspace directory for the server

Manual Config

Equivalent manual entry in ~/.deepseek/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "deepseek": {
      "command": "/path/to/deepseek",
      "args": ["serve", "--mcp"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Either the deepseek or deepseek-tui binary works — both support serve --mcp. Use whichever is on your PATH (run which deepseek or which deepseek-tui to find the full path). The mcp add-self command automatically resolves the correct binary.

Prerequisites

• The binary referenced in command must exist and be executable.
• The MCP server runs as a child process via stdio — no network ports required.
• Each MCP client session spawns its own server process.

Tool Naming

Tools from a self-hosted DeepSeek server follow the standard naming convention:

• mcp_deepseek_<tool> (if the server is named deepseek)

For example, the shell tool becomes mcp_deepseek_shell.

MCP Server vs HTTP/SSE API

	deepseek serve --mcp	deepseek serve --http
Protocol	MCP stdio	HTTP/SSE JSON-RPC
Use case	Tool server for MCP clients	Runtime API for apps
Config	~/.deepseek/mcp.json entry	Direct URL connection
Lifecycle	Spawned per client session	Long-running daemon

Use mcp add-self when you want DeepSeek tools available to other MCP clients. Use serve --http when building applications that consume the API directly.

Verification

After adding, test the connection:

deepseek mcp validate
deepseek mcp tools deepseek

Server Fields

Per-server settings:

• command (string, required)
• args (array of strings, optional)
• env (object, optional)
• connect_timeout, execute_timeout, read_timeout (seconds, optional)
• disabled (bool, optional)
• enabled (bool, optional, default true)
• required (bool, optional): startup/connect validation fails if this server cannot initialize.
• enabled_tools (array, optional): allowlist of tool names for this server.
• disabled_tools (array, optional): denylist applied after enabled_tools.

Safety Notes

MCP tools now flow through the same tool-approval framework as built-in tools. Read-only MCP helpers (resource/prompt listing and reads) can run without prompts in suggestive approval modes, while side-effectful MCP tools require approval.

You should still only configure MCP servers you trust, and treat MCP server configuration as equivalent to running code on your machine.

Troubleshooting

• Run deepseek doctor to confirm the MCP config path it resolved and whether it exists.
• If the MCP config is missing, run deepseek mcp init --force to regenerate it.
• If tools don’t appear, verify the server command works from your shell and that the server supports MCP tools/list.