How to Use Slash Commands in Deep Code and DeepSeek-TUI: A Complete Guide

Both Deep Code and DeepSeek-TUI expose a slash-command interface—activated by pressing /—that opens a searchable overlay for executing built-in actions, managing conversations, and invoking custom Agent Skills defined in SKILL.md files.

The deepseek-ai/awesome-deepseek-agents repository provides two terminal-based AI coding assistants that share a unified command architecture. Learning how to use slash commands in Deep Code and DeepSeek-TUI enables you to navigate sessions, trigger agent workflows, and extend functionality without leaving the terminal interface.

Slash Command Fundamentals

Both applications implement a lightweight command overlay that maps the / key to actionable operations. When activated, the interface performs runtime discovery of available commands by scanning predefined skill directories, then presents results in a fuzzy-searchable list. This architecture ensures consistent interaction patterns across both tools while supporting dynamic extensibility through user-defined skills.

Deep Code Slash Commands

Deep Code implements its interface through a skill/command picker that appears immediately when you type / during an active session.

Opening the Skill Picker

Pressing / inside Deep Code triggers the picker overlay. This interface displays built-in commands such as /new to start a fresh chat or /resume to continue previous conversations, alongside any discovered custom skills. According to the Deep Code source code, the picker uses fuzzy-search logic to filter entries as you type, allowing rapid navigation through large skill libraries.

Skill Discovery and Loading

Deep Code discovers skills by scanning two directory structures at runtime: ~/.agents/skills/<name>/SKILL.md for user-level definitions and ./.deepcode/skills/<name>/SKILL.md for project-specific configurations. When you select a skill from the picker, Deep Code injects the skill's prompt template directly into the current conversation context, enabling the model to execute the task immediately.

# Inside a Deep Code session

/

# → skill picker appears

# Type the name of your skill, e.g. `skill-writer`

# Press Enter

DeepSeek-TUI Slash Commands

DeepSeek-TUI extends the slash-command paradigm with a full-featured terminal application that integrates operational modes and configuration settings.

The Slash-Command Menu

Pressing / in DeepSeek-TUI opens the slash-command menu, which surfaces both built-in subcommands and user-defined skills. Unlike Deep Code's minimalist picker, this menu routes selections through a command dispatcher capable of spawning complex agent chains and tool invocations based on the selected entry.

Built-in Subcommands

The menu exposes system subcommands including doctor for health checks, mcp list for enumerating Model Context Protocol servers, and serve --http for launching HTTP services. When you select an entry, DeepSeek-TUI parses the command and routes it through the internal dispatcher, which then executes the appropriate tool chain or agent workflow.

Mode and Reasoning Effort Integration

DeepSeek-TUI's slash-command interface respects the current mode (Plan, Agent, or YOLO) and reasoning effort settings defined in ~/.deepseek/config.toml. Before executing a command, cycle modes using Tab and adjust reasoning effort with Shift+Tab. The executed command inherits these parameters, controlling whether side-effectful tools may be invoked during execution.

# Cycle mode (Plan → Agent → YOLO) with Tab

Tab

# Cycle reasoning effort (off → high → max) with Shift+Tab

Shift+Tab

# Now press '/' and execute the desired command; it will respect the chosen mode and effort.

Creating Custom Skills

Both tools support extension through SKILL.md files, though they maintain separate directory structures.

For Deep Code, place skills in:

• ~/.agents/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md (user-level)
• ./.deepcode/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md (project-level)

For DeepSeek-TUI, use:

• ~/.deepseek/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md (user-level)
• ./.deepseek/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md (project-level)

Once placed, these skills appear automatically in the respective slash-command interfaces without requiring application restarts.

# Place a SKILL.md at ~/.deepseek/skills/quickfix/

# Then, inside the TUI:

/

# The new skill `quickfix` appears in the list

# Select it to let the model generate a patch

Summary

• Activate the interface by pressing / in either Deep Code or DeepSeek-TUI.
• Deep Code uses a skill picker that scans ~/.agents/skills/ and ./.deepcode/skills/ for SKILL.md files, injecting selected prompts directly into context.
• DeepSeek-TUI provides a command menu with built-in subcommands (doctor, mcp list, serve --http) plus user skills from ~/.deepseek/skills/.
• DeepSeek-TUI commands respect operational modes (Plan/Agent/YOLO) and reasoning effort settings controlled via Tab and Shift+Tab.
• Both tools support hot-reloading of skills from SKILL.md files located in user or project-specific directories.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use the same custom skills in both Deep Code and DeepSeek-TUI?

Not without duplication. While both tools parse SKILL.md files, they scan different directories. Deep Code looks in ~/.agents/skills/ and ./.deepcode/skills/, whereas DeepSeek-TUI checks ~/.deepseek/skills/ and ./.deepseek/skills/. You must copy or symlink skill definitions to both locations to share them across applications.

How do I prevent a slash command from executing tools in DeepSeek-TUI?

Set the operational mode to Plan before executing the command. Press Tab to cycle to Plan mode, then press / to open the menu and select your command. In Plan mode, the agent describes what it would do without invoking side-effectful tools, regardless of the command selected.

Where does Deep Code store project-specific skill configurations?

Deep Code discovers project-level skills in ./.deepcode/skills/<name>/SKILL.md relative to the current working directory. These project-specific definitions take precedence over user-level skills in ~/.agents/skills/ when filename conflicts occur, allowing repository-specific agent behaviors.

Do slash commands work when DeepSeek-TUI runs as an HTTP server?

The TUI slash-command interface remains available in the terminal when running deepseek with the serve --http subcommand. However, HTTP clients interact through the REST API endpoints rather than slash commands. Terminal users can still press / to access the menu, while API consumers send JSON payloads to the configured HTTP port.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}