DeepSeek CLI

A powerful command-line interface for interacting with DeepSeek v3.2 AI models.

Features

• Chat Completions: Send individual messages or have conversations
• Interactive Mode: Chat continuously with conversation history
• Multiple Models: Support for both deepseek-chat and deepseek-reasoner
• Thinking Mode: Enable reasoning mode for complex tasks
• Streaming: Real-time streaming responses
• Configurable: Easy API key setup and configuration
• Token Tracking: Monitor token usage

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7+
• pip

Setup

1. Install dependencies:

   pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Make the CLI executable (optional):

   chmod +x deepseek-cli.py

3. Get your API key:

   • Visit DeepSeek Platform
   • Create an API key

Configuration

Method 1: Environment Variable

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

Method 2: Config Command

./deepseek-cli.py config --api-key your-api-key-here

Usage

Quick Chat

# Simple chat with default model
./deepseek-cli.py chat "Hello, how are you?"

# Chat with specific model
./deepseek-cli.py chat --model deepseek-reasoner "Explain quantum physics"

# With system message
./deepseek-cli.py chat --system "You are a helpful assistant" "What is 2+2?"

# Streaming response
./deepseek-cli.py chat --stream "Tell me a story"

# Thinking mode
./deepseek-cli.py chat --thinking-mode "Solve this complex problem"

Interactive Mode

# Start interactive chat
./deepseek-cli.py interactive

# With specific model
./deepseek-cli.py interactive --model deepseek-reasoner

Interactive Commands:

• help - Show help
• clear - Clear conversation history
• exit or quit - Exit interactive mode

List Models

./deepseek-cli.py models

Check Balance

./deepseek-cli.py balance

Command Reference

chat

Send a single chat message.

Options:

• --model, -m: Model to use (deepseek-chat or deepseek-reasoner)
• --system, -s: System message for context
• --temperature, -t: Sampling temperature (0.0-2.0, default: 0.7)
• --max-tokens, -M: Maximum tokens to generate
• --stream: Enable streaming response
• --thinking-mode: Enable thinking mode (uses deepseek-reasoner)

interactive

Start an interactive chat session with conversation history.

Options:

• --model, -m: Default model to use
• --temperature, -t: Default temperature

models

List all available DeepSeek models.

balance

Check account balance and usage information.

config

Configure API key and settings.

Options:

• --api-key: Your DeepSeek API key
• --base-url: API base URL (default: https://api.deepseek.com)

version

Show version information.

Examples

Example 1: Simple Question

$ ./deepseek-cli.py chat "What is machine learning?"

============================================================
Model: deepseek-chat
Created: 2025-12-03 10:30:00
============================================================

Machine learning is a subset of artificial intelligence...

Example 2: With System Context

$ ./deepseek-cli.py chat --system "You are a Python expert" "How do I reverse a list?"

# DeepSeek will respond with Python-specific guidance

Example 3: Thinking Mode

$ ./deepseek-cli.py chat --thinking-mode "Analyze the pros and cons of microservices architecture"

# Uses deepseek-reasoner for deeper analysis

Example 4: Interactive Session

$ ./deepseek-cli.py interactive

You: What is Python?
DeepSeek: Python is a high-level, interpreted programming language...
You: Tell me more about its features
DeepSeek: Python has several key features...
[Tokens: 1250]

Models

deepseek-chat

• Non-thinking mode of DeepSeek-V3.2
• Fast responses
• Best for general conversations and tasks
• Default model

deepseek-reasoner

• Thinking mode of DeepSeek-V3.2
• Uses reasoning for complex problems
• Best for complex analysis and problem-solving
• Enable with --thinking-mode flag

Environment Variables

• DEEPSEEK_API_KEY: Your API key (alternative to config file)

Configuration File

The CLI saves configuration to ~/.deepseek_config.json:

{
  "api_key": "your-api-key-here",
  "base_url": "https://api.deepseek.com"
}

Troubleshooting

"API key not found" error

• Set DEEPSEEK_API_KEY environment variable, or
• Run ./deepseek-cli.py config --api-key YOUR_KEY

ImportError: No module named 'openai'

• Run: pip install -r requirements.txt

Connection errors

• Check your internet connection
• Verify API key is correct
• Ensure you have access to DeepSeek API

License

MIT

Support

• DeepSeek API Documentation: https://api-docs.deepseek.com/
• DeepSeek Platform: https://platform.deepseek.com/
• Email: api-service@deepseek.com