DeepSeek Code TUI

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DeepSeek Code TUI v0.2.0 is a terminal-native coding agent built on the official DeepSeek Harness. It keeps Harness's Cordis plugin architecture and adds an opinionated, Claude-Code-style workflow for DeepSeek V4 Pro/Flash on Windows, Linux, servers, and SSH sessions.

Enter deepseek in a project to get a persistent coding workspace with a compact first prompt, tools on demand, permission modes, MCP visibility, continuable agents, checkpoints, and a TUI that does not require a browser.

Independent community distribution; not an official DeepSeek product and not affiliated with Anthropic. Claude Code is referenced only as a UX comparison.

v0.2.0 highlights

• One-command TUI: bare deepseek or dsh opens the current directory.
• DeepSeek-first defaults: V4 Pro, max reasoning effort, and a Minimal first request that promotes the full coding tool catalog on demand.
• Two model profiles: /mode minimal keeps the anchored V4 Pro path; /mode router enables task-aware initial tool routing, primarily for V4 Flash.
• Windows + Linux: automatic Git Bash execution for Minimal/Router agent tools on Windows, with native Bash on Linux and servers; PowerShell remains available for Windows-safe operations.
• CJK-friendly terminal text: Chinese and Latin glyphs stay column-aligned in Git Bash when using a true CJK monospace font such as Sarasa Mono SC.
• Persistent authentication: /login securely saves or replaces the DeepSeek API token.
• Visible work modes: Build, Flow, Inspect, and Blueprint/Plan each have distinct colors, prompt glyphs, permissions, and footer state.
• Permission control: /bypass and --dangerously-skip-permissions enable full access without preconfiguring an environment variable.
• Coding workflow: file reads/search/edits, shell execution, background jobs, task lists, context compaction, model selection, and reasoning control.
• Durable sessions: resume, continue, rename, clear, export, and history search.
• Workspace safety: interactive diff, named checkpoints, and rewind/fork.
• MCP and agents: inspect/reload MCP and manage durable subagents in the TUI.
• Skills: discover skill catalogs and invoke /skill:<name>.
• Multi-agent orchestration (allin): one V4 Pro coordinator plans and synthesizes while parallel V4 Flash lanes execute dependency-ready tasks, allinluna-style.
• Terminal media: clipboard-image input and inline rendering, with an ANSI pixel fallback for Windows Terminal.
• Polished interaction: mouse scrolling, jump-to-bottom, blue selection, OSC 52 copy, width-safe rendering, and composable multiline paste blocks.

Requirements

• Node.js 22.19+ or 24+ (Node 24 recommended)
• pnpm 11.7+
• Git and a DeepSeek API key
• A modern terminal such as Windows Terminal, WezTerm, Kitty, or iTerm2
• Recommended on Windows: Git for Windows; required for the Bash-backed Minimal and Router profiles

Install from source

v0.2.0 is currently distributed from source:

git clone https://github.com/BenHuHuan/dhscode-tui.git
cd dhscode-tui
corepack enable
pnpm install
pnpm run build:lib:host
pnpm --filter @deepseek-ai/dsh link --global

Open a new terminal, enter a project, and launch:

cd your-project
deepseek

Without a global link:

pnpm --dir /path/to/dhscode-tui deepseek

Repository-local Windows entry:

node .\apps\cli\lib\bin.js

First run

1. Start deepseek in the project directory.
2. Run /login and paste a DeepSeek API key. The local credential provider persists it for later sessions.
3. Run /model to confirm or switch the model.
4. Enter a coding request and press Enter.
5. Press Shift+Tab to cycle work modes, or use /permission and /plan.

One-off unrestricted launch:

deepseek --dangerously-skip-permissions

Use bypass only in a trusted workspace: it permits shell commands and file changes without approval prompts.

Model profiles and minimal-first bootstrap

The standard agent begins with a small stable prompt and minimal catalog (shell + read). After the first durable tool call or assistant reply, the complete coding catalog becomes available. This keeps the initial request near the official DeepSeek Harness minimal-mode shape while preserving a full coding agent for the rest of the session.

The default effort is max. DeepSeek profiles support sampling values such as temperature=1.0 and top_p=0.95. Prompt anchoring improves consistency, but cannot guarantee a particular hidden chain-of-thought prefix.

• Minimal (recommended for V4 Pro): preserves the anchored Minimal system prompt and promotes the complete catalog only after the first durable action.
• Router (primarily for V4 Flash): adapts the task-aware routing approach from dsh-routing-suite. It narrows the first visible tool surface by task, then restores the complete catalog. The routing-suite author describes this profile as mainly intended for Flash; Pro users should keep Minimal unless they specifically want to evaluate routing behavior.

Switch profiles with /mode minimal or /mode router. This profile selector is independent from Build/Flow/Inspect/Plan permission modes.

Windows Git Bash behavior

The v0.2.0 Windows backend gives agent tool calls real Git Bash/MSYS command semantics instead of presenting PowerShell as Bash. Minimal is the default V4 Pro profile; Router keeps the same Bash backend but is tuned mainly for V4 Flash. In local V4 Pro max-effort Minimal runs, planning language became more collaborative (We could, Should we, and We should) while retaining natural Let's transitions. These screenshots are observed samples, not a guarantee that every model response will use a fixed prefix.

Main commands

Command	Purpose
/login	Persist or replace the DeepSeek API token
/model, /effort	Select the model and reasoning effort
/permission, /bypass, /plan	Control safety and work mode
/workdir [path]	Open another project in a fresh session
/diff	Review uncommitted workspace changes
/checkpoint [label]	Save a reversible workspace/conversation point
/rewind	Restore a checkpoint and optionally branch the conversation
/resume, /continue	Resume a persisted session
/new, /clear	Start fresh while preserving the previous session
/compact, /context	Manage and inspect context pressure
/agents	List and manage durable continuable subagents
/mcp	Show MCP connection state and public tools
/skills, /skill:<name>	Discover and load skills
/tasks	Inspect background and delegated tasks
/copy, /export	Copy a response or export the conversation
/config, /status, /help	Settings, diagnostics, and documentation

Type / for scrollable command completion. Skill commands load asynchronously from active catalogs.

Keyboard essentials

• Enter sends; Shift+Enter or Alt+Enter inserts a newline.
• Shift+Tab cycles work modes; Alt+P selects a model; Alt+T toggles thinking.
• Ctrl+V or Alt+V pastes a clipboard image when available.
• Long/multiline text appears as compact [Paste #N ...] blocks; normal text can be composed before, between, and after multiple blocks.
• Mouse wheel scrolls; Ctrl+End jumps to the latest output.
• Ctrl+O cycles tool-card detail; Ctrl+R searches history.
• Ctrl+S stashes/restores a draft; Ctrl+G opens the external editor.
• ! command streams a shell command and offers its result to the model.
• Ctrl+C cancels/clears; press twice on empty input to exit.

Platform support

Windows

Windows Terminal is the primary v0.2.0 desktop target. Minimal and Router requests use fresh Git Bash processes instead of the unsupported Windows persistent-PTY path. DeepSeek Code detects DSH_BASH_PATH, GIT_BASH, standard Git for Windows installations, and then PATH. Because the MSYS runtime cannot create its signal pipes inside the Windows restricted-token sandbox, Bash calls require a one-call full-access approval or /bypass on; safe modes retain PowerShell for confined commands.

For mixed Chinese/English sessions, select Sarasa Mono SC (or another verified CJK monospace font) in the Windows Terminal Git Bash profile. A proportional CJK fallback can make Chinese glyphs appear at inconsistent widths even when the TUI's terminal-column calculations are correct.

$env:DSH_BASH_PATH = 'C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe'
deepseek

Linux and servers

Run the same deepseek command in Bash-compatible terminals and SSH sessions. Inline bitmap support depends on the terminal; ANSI pixels and text metadata remain available as fallbacks.

Data and security

• Sessions and credentials remain local under the configured DSH home.
• API keys are not printed by /status or normal logs.
• Workspace Write is the normal editing mode; Inspect and Plan reduce mutation authority; bypass removes approval prompts.
• Use /checkpoint before broad refactors. Rewind is not a replacement for Git commits or backups.
• Never grant unrestricted access to an untrusted repository.

Architecture

DeepSeek Code remains a DeepSeek Harness distribution, not a monolithic CLI. Cordis plugins provide the model route, tools, sessions, permissions, credentials, MCP, skills, agents, and UI. Optional capabilities degrade independently when their service is not mounted.

• TUI subsystem
• MCP subsystem
• Architecture
• Development guide
• Testing

Known v0.2.0 limitations

• Source release only; no npm, MSI, Homebrew, or standalone binary yet.
• Terminals differ in mouse reporting, OSC 52 clipboard, and image protocols.
• MCP and agents have functional commands, not graphical marketplaces.
• Checkpoints support the local workflow but are not transactional storage.
• Compatibility-breaking configuration changes may occur before v1.0.

Development

pnpm install
pnpm run build:lib:host
pnpm run test
pnpm run test:e2e

Keyless E2E fixtures need no API key; real model calls do. Report bugs through GitHub Issues with the OS, terminal, Node version, launch command, and smallest reproduction.

Release status

v0.2.0 — second public release. The terminal coding loop is usable for early adopters; APIs and configuration remain pre-1.0.

License

MIT. See THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.