codewhale/docs/CONFIGURATION.md

Configuration

DeepSeek CLI reads configuration from a TOML file plus environment variables.

Where It Looks

Default config path:

• ~/.deepseek/config.toml

Overrides:

• CLI: deepseek --config /path/to/config.toml
• Env: DEEPSEEK_CONFIG_PATH=/path/to/config.toml

If both are set, --config wins. Environment variable overrides are applied after the file is loaded.

To bootstrap MCP and skills directories at their resolved paths, run deepseek setup. To only scaffold MCP, run deepseek mcp init.

Profiles

You can define multiple profiles in the same file:

api_key = "PERSONAL_KEY"
default_text_model = "deepseek-reasoner"

[profiles.work]
api_key = "WORK_KEY"
base_url = "https://api.deepseek.com"

Select a profile with:

• CLI: deepseek --profile work
• Env: DEEPSEEK_PROFILE=work

If a profile is selected but missing, DeepSeek CLI exits with an error listing available profiles.

Environment Variables

These override config values:

• DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
• DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL
• DEEPSEEK_SKILLS_DIR
• DEEPSEEK_MCP_CONFIG
• DEEPSEEK_NOTES_PATH
• DEEPSEEK_MEMORY_PATH
• DEEPSEEK_ALLOW_SHELL (1/true enables)
• DEEPSEEK_APPROVAL_POLICY (on-request|untrusted|never)
• DEEPSEEK_SANDBOX_MODE (read-only|workspace-write|danger-full-access|external-sandbox)
• DEEPSEEK_MANAGED_CONFIG_PATH
• DEEPSEEK_REQUIREMENTS_PATH
• DEEPSEEK_MAX_SUBAGENTS (clamped to 1..=20)
• DEEPSEEK_TASKS_DIR (runtime task queue/artifact storage, default ~/.deepseek/tasks)
• DEEPSEEK_ALLOW_INSECURE_HTTP (1/true allows non-local http:// base URLs; default is reject)

Settings File (Persistent UI Preferences)

DeepSeek CLI also stores user preferences in:

• ~/.config/deepseek/settings.toml

Notable settings include auto_compact (default true), which automatically summarizes earlier turns once the conversation grows large. You can inspect or update these from the TUI with /settings and /set <key> <value>.

Common settings keys:

• theme (default, dark, light)
• auto_compact (on/off)
• show_thinking (on/off)
• show_tool_details (on/off)
• default_mode (normal, agent, plan, yolo)
• max_history (number of input history entries)
• default_model (model name override)

Key Reference

Core keys (used by the TUI/engine)

• api_key (string, required): must be non-empty (or set DEEPSEEK_API_KEY).
• base_url (string, optional): defaults to https://api.deepseek.com (OpenAI-compatible Responses API).
• default_text_model (string, optional): defaults to deepseek-reasoner. Supported IDs are deepseek-reasoner and deepseek-chat.
• allow_shell (bool, optional): defaults to false.
• approval_policy (string, optional): on-request, untrusted, or never. Runtime /set approval_mode also accepts on-request and untrusted aliases.
• sandbox_mode (string, optional): read-only, workspace-write, danger-full-access, external-sandbox.
• managed_config_path (string, optional): managed config file loaded after user/env config.
• requirements_path (string, optional): requirements file used to enforce allowed approval/sandbox values.
• max_subagents (int, optional): defaults to 5 and is clamped to 1..=20.
• skills_dir (string, optional): defaults to ~/.deepseek/skills (each skill is a directory containing SKILL.md). Workspace-local .agents/skills or ./skills are preferred when present.
• mcp_config_path (string, optional): defaults to ~/.deepseek/mcp.json.
• notes_path (string, optional): defaults to ~/.deepseek/notes.txt and is used by the note tool.
• memory_path (string, optional): defaults to ~/.deepseek/memory.md.
• retry.* (optional): retry/backoff settings for API requests:
  • [retry].enabled (bool, default true)
  • [retry].max_retries (int, default 3)
  • [retry].initial_delay (float seconds, default 1.0)
  • [retry].max_delay (float seconds, default 60.0)
  • [retry].exponential_base (float, default 2.0)
• tui.alternate_screen (string, optional): auto, always, or never. auto disables the alternate screen in Zellij; --no-alt-screen forces inline mode.
• hooks (optional): lifecycle hooks configuration (see config.example.toml).
• features.* (optional): feature flag overrides (see below).

Parsed but currently unused (reserved for future versions)

These keys are accepted by the config loader but not currently used by the interactive TUI or built-in tools:

• tools_file

Feature Flags

Feature flags live under the [features] table and are merged across profiles. Defaults are enabled for built-in tooling, so you only need to set entries you want to force on or off.

[features]
shell_tool = true
subagents = true
web_search = true # enables web.run and web_search
apply_patch = true
mcp = true
exec_policy = true

You can also override features for a single run:

• deepseek --enable web_search
• deepseek --disable subagents

Use deepseek features list to inspect known flags and their effective state.

Managed Configuration and Requirements

DeepSeek CLI supports a policy layering model:

1. user config + profile + env overrides
2. managed config (if present)
3. requirements validation (if present)

By default on Unix:

• managed config: /etc/deepseek/managed_config.toml
• requirements: /etc/deepseek/requirements.toml

Requirements file shape:

allowed_approval_policies = ["on-request", "untrusted", "never"]
allowed_sandbox_modes = ["read-only", "workspace-write"]

If configured values violate requirements, startup fails with a descriptive error.

Notes On deepseek doctor

deepseek doctor now follows the same config resolution rules as the rest of the CLI. That means --config / DEEPSEEK_CONFIG_PATH are respected, and MCP/skills checks use the resolved mcp_config_path / skills_dir (including env overrides).

To bootstrap missing MCP/skills paths, run deepseek setup --all. You can also run deepseek setup --skills --local to create a workspace-local ./skills dir.