DeepSeek TUI

npm i -g deepseek-tui

A coding agent for DeepSeek models that runs in your terminal.

Quickstart

npm install -g deepseek-tui

Set your API key:

mkdir -p ~/.deepseek && echo 'api_key = "YOUR_DEEPSEEK_API_KEY"' > ~/.deepseek/config.toml

Then run:

deepseek-tui

Other install methods

# From crates.io (requires Rust 1.85+)
cargo install deepseek-tui --locked       # TUI
cargo install deepseek-tui-cli --locked   # deepseek CLI facade

# From source
git clone https://github.com/Hmbown/DeepSeek-TUI.git
cd DeepSeek-TUI
cargo install --path crates/tui --locked

The canonical crates.io packages for this repository are deepseek-tui and deepseek-tui-cli. The unrelated deepseek-cli crate is not part of this project.

What it does

An agent loop with file editing, shell execution, web.run browsing, git operations, task tracking, and MCP server integration. Context-aware memory compaction keeps long sessions on track. crates/tui remains the live shipped runtime while the workspace extraction continues.

Three visible modes (Tab / Shift+Tab to cycle):

Mode	Behavior
Plan	Design-first — proposes before acting
Agent	Multi-step autonomous tool use
YOLO	Full auto-approve, no guardrails

First Run Workflow

1. Paste your API key in onboarding.
2. Choose a mode for the task in front of you: Plan to review a plan first, Agent to let the model use tools, YOLO only inside a trusted workspace.
3. Watch the status area while work is running: approvals, queued work, and active sub-agents stay there while the turn is live.
4. Recover work with Ctrl+R or /sessions if you need to resume an interrupted thread.

Everyday Workflows

• Use Ctrl+K for the command palette when you want to switch modes, open config, resume sessions, or inspect a tool quickly.
• Use /queue to review or edit queued prompts before sending them.
• Use /subagents to inspect background agent state when autonomous work fans out.
• Use /config to adjust approval mode, theme, sidebar focus, and other runtime preferences.

Usage

deepseek-tui                                  # interactive TUI
deepseek-tui -p "explain this in 2 sentences" # one-shot prompt
deepseek-tui --yolo                           # YOLO mode
deepseek doctor                               # check setup
deepseek models                               # list available models
deepseek serve --http                         # HTTP/SSE API server

Controls: F1 help, Esc walks the cancel stack, Ctrl+K command palette.

Configuration

~/.deepseek/config.toml — see config.example.toml for all options.

Key environment overrides: DEEPSEEK_API_KEY, DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL, DEEPSEEK_PROFILE.

Full reference: docs/CONFIGURATION.md.

Docs

docs/ — architecture, modes, MCP integration, runtime API, and release runbooks. The live runtime still ships from crates/tui; the newer workspace crates are incremental extraction targets.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Not affiliated with DeepSeek Inc.

License

MIT