🐋 DeepSeek CLI

Unofficial fork of Google Gemini CLI adapted to use the DeepSeek API. Original work Copyright 2025 Google LLC — Adaptations Copyright 2026 sluisr — Apache 2.0 License.

DeepSeek CLI is an open-source AI agent that brings the power of DeepSeek directly into your terminal. High-performance autonomous coding, tool execution, and context management by sluisr.

🚀 Why DeepSeek CLI?

• 💰 Pay-per-use & Cost-Efficient: Pay only for tokens used via DeepSeek API with up to 90% KV Cache discount.
• 🧠 DeepSeek V4 Models: Full support for deepseek-v4-flash and deepseek-v4-pro (Reasoning / Thinking CoT mode).
• ⚡ Fast Code Patching: Atomic unified diff patching (apply_patch) for instant, token-efficient code modifications.
• 🛠️ Built-in Developer Tools: File system operations, native server-side web search, shell execution, memory persistence, and FIM autocompletion.
• 🔑 Silent Sudo & System Auth: Native non-blocking zero-lag AskPass integration for sudo, ssh, and git.
• 🔌 MCP Extensible: Full Model Context Protocol (MCP) server support.
• 🔒 Isolated Configuration: Operates under ~/.deepseek/ without polluting system or official CLI configurations.

📦 Installation

Quick Install (NPM Global)

npm install -g @sluisr/deepseek-cli

Then run:

deepseek

Update to Latest Version

npm install -g @sluisr/deepseek-cli@latest

🔐 Authentication

Get your API key at platform.deepseek.com/api_keys and export it:

export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY="your-api-key-here"
deepseek

Or enter it interactively when prompted on first launch.

Optional custom base URL or proxy:

export DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL="https://api.deepseek.com"

💻 Getting Started

Interactive Session

cd my-project/
deepseek

Non-Interactive (Headless Scripting)

deepseek -p "Explain the architecture of this codebase"

Include Multiple Directories

deepseek --include-directories ../lib,../docs

⚡ Slash Commands Reference

| Command | Description | | :--- | :--- | | /model | Interactive model selector (deepseek-v4-flash, deepseek-v4-pro) with real-time reasoning effort (LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, MAX) and temperature controls. | | /balance | Live DeepSeek account balance lookup (GET /user/balance). Alias: /wallet, /credits. | | /fim <file> [<line> \| <FIM_HOLE>] | Fill-in-the-Middle code autocompletion via DeepSeek Beta API. | | /prefix <text> | Chat Prefix Completion to force exact output format without conversational filler. | | /info | Author credits, version info, and community links. Alias: /author, /credits. | | /chat / /resume | Search and resume previous conversation sessions. | | /rewind | Rewind conversation history to an earlier turn. | | /compress | Compress conversation context to stay within token limits. | | /mcp | Manage Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers and tools. | | /skills | Manage and activate agent skills. | | /plan | Enter interactive planning mode for complex multi-file architectural changes. | | /stats | View session token usage, cached token counts, and execution metrics. | | /clear | Clear terminal conversation screen. | | /quit / /exit | Exit the CLI session and generate resume command (deepseek --resume <id>). |

🛠️ Built-in Agent Tools

DeepSeek CLI equips the AI agent with native developer tools to autonomously analyze, edit, and build projects:

• ⚡ Atomic Code Patching (apply_patch): Fast, unified diff patching saving up to 80% tokens compared to full file rewrites.
• 🌐 Server-Side Web Search (web_search): DeepSeek Responses API search engine with direct citation links and multi-level reasoning verification (search_reasoning: low | medium | high | max).
• 📁 File System Operations: Read, write, smart-replace, search with ripgrep (grep), and directory discovery (glob).
• 💻 Shell Command Execution: Autonomous bash commands, test runners, and builds with silent 0ms AskPass for sudo, ssh, and git.
• 🧠 Memory & Context Files: Persistent agent memory in ~/.deepseek/DEEPSEEK.md and per-project DEEPSEEK.md.
• 🔌 MCP Server Protocol: Integrations with databases, GitHub, Docker, and custom tools via Model Context Protocol.

⚙️ Configuration

Configuration and persistence settings are stored under ~/.deepseek/settings.json.

MCP Servers Configuration Example

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"]
    },
    "postgres": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres", "postgresql://localhost/mydb"]
    }
  }
}

🌐 Community & Author

• Developer: sluisr
• GitHub: https://github.com/sluisr
• Repository: https://github.com/sluisr/deepseek-cli
• YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@sluisr_

🤝 Contributing

Issues and pull requests are welcome at github.com/sluisr/deepseek-cli.

📜 Legal & License

• License: Apache License 2.0
• Original Project: Google Gemini CLI (Copyright 2025 Google LLC)
• Adaptations & Port: Copyright 2026 sluisr