DeepSeek TUI

A terminal-native TUI and CLI for DeepSeek models, built in Rust.

For DeepSeek models (current and future model IDs). Not affiliated with DeepSeek Inc.

What is this

A terminal-native agent loop that gives DeepSeek the tools it needs to actually write code: file editing, shell execution, web search, git operations, task tracking, and MCP server integration. Coherence-aware memory compaction keeps long sessions on track without blowing up the context window.

Three modes:

• Plan — design-first, proposes before acting
• Agent — multi-step autonomous tool use
• YOLO — full auto-approve, no guardrails (preloads tools by default)

Recent highlights: workspace architecture (modular crates mirroring Codex layout), sub-agent orchestration (background workers, parallel tool calls, dependency-aware swarms), parallel tool execution (multi_tool_use.parallel), runtime HTTP/SSE API (deepseek serve --http), background task queue (/task), interactive configuration (/config), model discovery (/models), command palette (Ctrl+K), expandable tool payloads (v), persistent sidebar for live plan/todo/sub-agent state, and model context-window suffix hints (-32k, -256k).

Install

# Recommended — no Rust toolchain needed
npm install -g deepseek-tui

This downloads prebuilt binaries for your platform (macOS, Linux, Windows). After install, both deepseek and deepseek-tui commands are available.

Other install methods

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

# From source
git clone https://github.com/Hmbown/DeepSeek-TUI.git
cd DeepSeek-TUI
cargo install --path crates/tui --locked   # TUI (interactive terminal)
cargo install --path crates/cli --locked   # CLI (dispatcher + server)

Setup

Create ~/.deepseek/config.toml:

api_key = "YOUR_DEEPSEEK_API_KEY"

Then run:

deepseek-tui          # interactive TUI
# or
deepseek              # CLI dispatcher (delegates to deepseek-tui for interactive use)

Tab switches modes, F1 opens help, Esc cancels a running request.

Usage

deepseek-tui                                  # interactive TUI
deepseek-tui -p "explain this in 2 sentences" # one-shot prompt
deepseek-tui --yolo                           # agent mode, all tools auto-approved
deepseek doctor                               # check your setup
deepseek models                               # list available models
deepseek serve --http                         # start HTTP/SSE API server

Within the TUI, use /config, /models, /task, and Ctrl+K command palette.

Workspace Architecture

crates/
  cli/          deepseek-tui-cli    → deepseek          CLI dispatcher + server
  tui/          deepseek-tui        → deepseek-tui      Interactive terminal UI
  app-server/   deepseek-app-server                      HTTP/SSE + JSON-RPC server
  core/         deepseek-core                            Agent loop + engine
  protocol/     deepseek-protocol                        Request/response framing
  config/       deepseek-config                          Configuration + profiles
  state/        deepseek-state                           SQLite session persistence
  tools/        deepseek-tools                           Tool registry + specs
  mcp/          deepseek-mcp                             MCP server integration
  hooks/        deepseek-hooks                           Lifecycle hooks
  execpolicy/   deepseek-execpolicy                      Approval policy engine
  agent/        deepseek-agent                           Model/provider registry
  tui-core/     deepseek-tui-core                        TUI state machine scaffold

Model IDs

Common model IDs: deepseek-chat, deepseek-reasoner.

Any valid deepseek-* model ID is accepted (including future releases). Model IDs can include context-window suffix hints (-32k, -256k). To see live IDs from your configured endpoint:

deepseek models

Configuration

Everything lives in ~/.deepseek/config.toml. See config.example.toml for the full set of options.

Common environment overrides: DEEPSEEK_API_KEY, DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL, DEEPSEEK_CONFIG_PATH, DEEPSEEK_PROFILE, DEEPSEEK_ALLOW_SHELL, DEEPSEEK_TRUST_MODE, and DEEPSEEK_CAPACITY_*.

For the full config/env matrix (profiles, feature flags, capacity tuning, sandbox controls), see docs/CONFIGURATION.md.

Docs

Detailed docs are in the docs/ folder — architecture, modes, MCP integration, runtime API, etc.

License

MIT