Features

• Agentic coding — reads/writes files, runs shell commands, searches code, manages git
• Multi-provider — DeepSeek API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Vertex AI, or any local model (Ollama, LM Studio)
• Full TUI — alternate-screen interface with streamed thinking, rich markdown, and vim mode
• Unified agents — scoped primary agents and sub-agents with editable base prompts
• Settings center — fullscreen, searchable User/Project/Local configuration with visible origins
• MCP support — connect to any Model Context Protocol server for extended tooling
• Project guidance — loads a root AGENTS.md alongside DEEPSEEK.md
• Optional LSP navigation — user-configured language servers expose definitions, references, hover, and symbols to the agent
• Extensible — slash commands, custom tools, memory, sessions, themes

Quick start

bun add -g @hermenics/deepseek-code

Then run deepseek inside any project. On first run you'll pick a provider and configure authentication.

For automation, use headless pipe mode:

echo "explain this project" | deepseek --pipe
cat src/index.tsx | deepseek --pipe --json "summarize"

Requirements

• Bun 1.1+
• A supported LLM provider (see below)

Providers & authentication

| Provider | How to authenticate | Env / config keys | |----------|--------------------|--------------------| | DeepSeek API (default) | API key from platform.deepseek.com | DEEPSEEK_API_KEY, DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL | | Amazon Bedrock | AWS IAM credentials via ~/.aws/credentials | AWS_REGION, AWS_PROFILE | | Google Vertex AI | GCP service account JSON key | GCP_PROJECT, GCP_LOCATION, GCP_CREDENTIALS | | Local (Ollama / LM Studio) | No auth — point to your local endpoint | LOCAL_BASE_URL, LOCAL_MODEL |

Secrets are saved only to ~/.deepseek/config.json. Non-secret preferences use settings.json with User < Project < Local precedence; legacy values remain readable for compatibility. Project MCP servers are off by default and require the User-scoped Enable project MCP servers setting; restart DeepSeek Code after changing it. See docs/settings.md.

Models

Switch models at any time with /model:

| Model ID | Description | Context | |----------|-------------|---------| | deepseek-v4-flash | Fast, general purpose (default) | 1M | | deepseek-v4-pro | Advanced reasoning | 1M |

Each provider also exposes provider-specific models (Bedrock, Vertex, local).

Slash commands

| Command | Description | |---------|-------------| | /model | Switch model | | /agent | Spawn a sub-agent | | /memory | Manage persistent memory | | /plan | Enter plan mode | | /review | Code review | | /vim | Toggle vim keybindings | | /theme | Change color theme | | /tools | List available tools | | /doctor | Check runtime, workspace, credentials, settings, and MCP configuration | | /verify | Run the detected project test command | | /sessions export <id> [json\|md] | Export a sanitized session transcript | | /catalog, /marketplace | Browse curated MCP, plugin, and skill integrations | | /permissions | Explain mode, allow/deny rules, risk checks, and session approvals | | /config, /settings | Open the fullscreen settings center | | /help | Show all commands |

Built-in tools

The agent has access to these tools out of the box:

ReadFile · WriteFile · PatchFile · Shell · Glob · Grep · Git · ReadFolder · WebFetch · SubAgent · Memory · Todo · Introspect · MoA

TUI behavior

• Uses the terminal alternate screen by default; it can be disabled for the next session in /settings
• Settings adapt from three panes to a sequential category → list → detail flow on narrow terminals
• Thinking output is streamed as full multiline blocks and persisted after each response
• Build, Plan, Review and Auto are real interaction modes. Review is read-only; Plan can only write its designated plan.

Development

Prerequisites

• Bun >= 1.1
• Node.js >= 18 (for npm publishing)

Setup

git clone https://github.com/Hermenics/deepseek-code.git
cd deepseek-code
bun install

Commands

bun run dev          # Start in dev mode (watch)
bun run start        # Run from source
bun run build        # Production build
bun run typecheck    # Type check (tsc --noEmit)
bun test             # Run tests

Project structure

src/
├── agent/           # Core agent loop, providers (DeepSeek, Bedrock, Vertex)
├── commands/        # Slash command definitions
├── ui/              # React TUI components and app state
├── ink/             # Local Ink-compatible terminal renderer
├── tools/           # Agent tools (file ops, shell, git, search, etc.)
├── services/        # Cross-cutting services such as compaction
├── hooks/           # Pre/post tool execution hooks
└── index.tsx        # Entry point
tests/               # Test suite

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how to get started:

1. Fork the repo and create a branch from main
2. Install dependencies with bun install
3. Make your changes — keep files under 500 lines
4. Run checks before submitting:

   bun run typecheck && bun test

5. Open a PR with a clear description of what changed and why

Guidelines

• Follow existing code style (TypeScript, functional where possible)
• Write tests for new features — tests live in tests/, never in src/
• One concern per PR — don't bundle unrelated changes
• Commit messages should explain the "why", not just the "what"

Reporting bugs

File a GitHub issue with steps to reproduce, or use /help inside the TUI.

License

Apache 2.0