DeepSeek CLI

This repository contains the DeepSeek CLI, a command-line AI coding assistant that leverages the powerful DeepSeek Coder models to accelerate your development workflows and enhance your coding experience.

With the DeepSeek CLI you can:

• Code Completion & Generation: Get intelligent code suggestions and generate complete functions across 100+ programming languages.
• Repository-Level Understanding: Analyze and work with large codebases using DeepSeek's advanced code comprehension capabilities.
• Code Refactoring & Migration: Modernize legacy code, migrate between frameworks, and implement best practices.
• Debugging & Code Review: Get help identifying bugs, security issues, and code quality improvements.
• Project Scaffolding: Generate new applications, components, and boilerplate code from descriptions or requirements.
• Multi-Language Support: Work seamlessly across Python, JavaScript, Java, C++, Go, Rust, and 90+ other languages.

Quickstart

🏠 Local Setup (Recommended - Free & Private)

1. Prerequisites:

   • Node.js version 18 or higher
   • Ollama for local AI models

2. Install Ollama:

   # macOS
   brew install ollama
   
   # Linux
   curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh
   
   # Windows: Download from https://ollama.ai

3. Install the CLI:

   npm install -g run-deepseek-cli

4. Setup Local Environment:

   # Start Ollama service
   ollama serve
   
   # Install DeepSeek Coder model (choose one)
   ollama pull deepseek-coder:6.7b    # Recommended (4GB)
   ollama pull deepseek-coder:1.3b    # Lightweight (1GB)
   ollama pull deepseek-coder:33b     # Most capable (19GB)

5. Start Using:

   deepseek

☁️ Cloud Setup (Requires API Key)

1. Install the CLI:

   npm install -g run-deepseek-cli

2. Configure API Access:

   export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY="your_api_key_here"
   export DEEPSEEK_USE_LOCAL=false

   Get your API key from DeepSeek Platform.

3. Start Using:

   deepseek

Examples

Once the CLI is running, you can start interacting with DeepSeek Coder from your shell.

Start a New Project

cd new-project/
deepseek
> Create a FastAPI web application with user authentication and a PostgreSQL database

Work with Existing Code

git clone https://github.com/your-repo/existing-project
cd existing-project
deepseek
> Analyze this codebase and suggest performance optimizations

Code Completion and Generation

deepseek
> Write a Python function to implement binary search with proper error handling

deepseek
> Convert this JavaScript function to TypeScript with proper type annotations

Popular Tasks

Explore and Understand Code

Start by cding into an existing or newly-cloned repository and running deepseek.

> Explain the architecture of this application and identify the main components.

> What design patterns are used in this codebase?

> Find potential security vulnerabilities in this code.

Code Generation and Refactoring

> Implement a REST API for user management with CRUD operations.

> Refactor this class to follow SOLID principles.

> Add comprehensive error handling to this module.

Migration and Modernization

> Help me migrate this React class component to hooks.

> Convert this Python 2.7 code to Python 3.10 with type hints.

> Upgrade this Express.js app to use async/await instead of callbacks.

Code Review and Quality

> Review this pull request and suggest improvements.

> Add unit tests for all functions in this file.

> Optimize this algorithm for better time complexity.

Project Setup

> Create a React TypeScript project with Redux Toolkit and Material-UI.

> Set up a Django project with Docker, PostgreSQL, and Redis.

> Generate a microservices architecture using Node.js and Docker Compose.

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Description	Default
DEEPSEEK_USE_LOCAL	Use local Ollama instead of cloud API	true
DEEPSEEK_MODEL	Model to use	deepseek-coder:6.7b
OLLAMA_HOST	Ollama server URL	http://localhost:11434
DEEPSEEK_API_KEY	DeepSeek API key (cloud mode only)	-

Local Models Available

Model	Size	Memory	Best For
deepseek-coder:1.3b	1GB	2GB RAM	Quick completions, lightweight tasks
deepseek-coder:6.7b	4GB	8GB RAM	General coding, recommended
deepseek-coder:33b	19GB	32GB RAM	Complex analysis, best quality

Configuration File

Create a .env file in your project root:

# Local mode (default)
DEEPSEEK_USE_LOCAL=true
DEEPSEEK_MODEL=deepseek-coder:6.7b
OLLAMA_HOST=http://localhost:11434

# Cloud mode (optional)
# DEEPSEEK_USE_LOCAL=false
# DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=your_api_key_here

Supported Programming Languages

DeepSeek CLI supports intelligent code generation and completion for 100+ programming languages including:

Popular Languages: Python, JavaScript, TypeScript, Java, C++, C#, Go, Rust, PHP, Ruby, Kotlin, Swift, Scala, R, Julia, Dart, HTML, CSS, SQL

Systems & Scripting: Shell, PowerShell, Bash, Dockerfile, Makefile, YAML, JSON, XML

Specialized: CUDA, Assembly, Verilog, VHDL, Solidity, Protocol Buffer, Thrift

For the complete list, see Supported Languages.

CLI Commands

Command	Description
deepseek	Start interactive mode
deepseek setup	Setup local Ollama environment
deepseek chat "prompt"	Single prompt mode
deepseek --local	Force local mode
deepseek --model <model>	Specify model to use
deepseek --help	Show help information
deepseek --version	Show version

Setup Command

The setup command helps you install and configure the local environment:

deepseek setup

This will:

• Check if Ollama is installed
• Start Ollama service if needed
• Download the specified DeepSeek model
• Verify everything is working

Interactive Mode

The interactive mode provides a rich REPL experience:

• Syntax Highlighting: Color-coded responses for better readability
• Code Block Detection: Automatic language detection and formatting
• Session History: Navigate through previous commands
• File Context: Automatic inclusion of relevant project files
• Multi-turn Conversations: Maintain context across interactions

Advanced Features

Repository Context

DeepSeek CLI automatically analyzes your repository structure and includes relevant context:

# Analyze entire repository
deepseek --include-all
> Suggest improvements for the overall code architecture

# Include specific files/directories
deepseek --include src/ tests/ README.md
> Update the documentation to reflect recent API changes

Code Templates

Generate common patterns and boilerplate:

> Generate a React component template with props validation
> Create a Python class with proper docstrings and type hints
> Set up a GitHub Actions workflow for CI/CD

Integration Workflows

> Analyze the git diff and write a commit message
> Generate API documentation from this OpenAPI spec
> Create database migration scripts from these model changes

Installation Options

NPM (Recommended)

npm install -g run-deepseek-cli

Development Installation

git clone https://github.com/your-username/deepseek-cli.git
cd deepseek-cli
npm install
npm run build
npm link

Docker

docker run -it -v $(pwd):/workspace -e DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=your_key deepseek/cli

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guide for details.

Development Setup

1. Fork and clone the repository
2. Install dependencies: npm install
3. Run tests: npm test
4. Start development server: npm run dev

Building from Source

npm run build
npm run package

Documentation

• Full Documentation
• API Reference
• Configuration Guide
• Troubleshooting
• Examples & Tutorials

Performance & Limits

Model	Speed	Context Window	Best For
deepseek-coder-1.3b-instruct	Fastest	16K tokens	Quick completions
deepseek-coder-6.7b-instruct	Fast	16K tokens	General coding tasks
deepseek-coder-33b-instruct	Slower	16K tokens	Complex analysis

DeepSeek Models

This project leverages the DeepSeek Coder models:

• DeepSeek Coder Base: Pre-trained on 2T tokens (87% code, 13% natural language)
• DeepSeek Coder Instruct: Fine-tuned for instruction following and chat
• Multi-size Options: 1.3B, 6.7B, and 33B parameter models available

For more details about the models, visit the DeepSeek Coder GitHub repository.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

API Key Issues:

export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY="your_actual_api_key"
# Verify with: echo $DEEPSEEK_API_KEY

Node.js Version:

node --version  # Should be 18+
npm update -g deepseek-cli

Permission Errors:

sudo npm install -g run-deepseek-cli
# Or use a Node version manager like nvm

For more troubleshooting help, see our Troubleshooting Guide.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.

The use of DeepSeek Coder models is subject to the DeepSeek Model License.

Citation

If you use this tool in your research or projects, please cite:

@misc{deepseek-cli,
  title={DeepSeek CLI: Command-Line AI Coding Assistant},
  author={Your Name},
  year={2025},
  url={https://github.com/your-username/deepseek-cli}
}

@misc{deepseek-coder,
  author={Daya Guo, Qihao Zhu, Dejian Yang, Zhenda Xie, Kai Dong, Wentao Zhang, Guanting Chen, Xiao Bi, Y. Wu, Y.K. Li, Fuli Luo, Yingfei Xiong, Wenfeng Liang},
  title={DeepSeek-Coder: When the Large Language Model Meets Programming -- The Rise of Code Intelligence},
  journal={CoRR},
  volume={abs/2401.14196},
  year={2024},
  url={https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.14196}
}

Contact & Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• DeepSeek Support: [email protected]

Acknowledgments

• Built on the foundation of Gemini CLI
• Powered by DeepSeek Coder models
• Thanks to the open-source community for contributions and feedback