DeepSeek-first agent sessions

Run agent work inside WispTerm

Open a native AI Agent tab that can inspect terminal context, run local PowerShell or cmd tools, work with WSL and SSH sessions, load local skills, and keep approvals in the terminal UI.

Configure DeepSeek Agent tools

wispterm — AI Agent

agent

pwsh

ssh: lab

You Inspect this repo and find the test command.
WispTerm tool request
terminal_list visible surfaces: pwsh, ssh: lab
terminal_select surface=pwsh
powershell_exec rg -n "test" README.md build.zig
approved

Agent Use zig build test. I found it in build.zig.

AI that understands the terminal

WispTerm keeps agent work close to the shell state you already have open. It does not need a separate browser workspace to understand tabs, split panes, local commands, WSL, and SSH sessions.

DeepSeek V4 profiles

The default profile targets OpenAI-compatible Chat Completions at https://api.deepseek.com with deepseek-v4-pro. Use deepseek-v4-flash when you want a faster, lighter profile.

Terminal-aware tools

Agent tools can list visible terminal surfaces, select the intended tab or panel, run local commands, and type into active REPL, WSL, or SSH contexts.

Approval-based execution

Tool requests appear in WispTerm before execution when permission is set to confirm. Switch to full only for trusted workflows.

Saved conversations

Agent sessions are persisted so you can reopen work from the command center with Select Agent History or use the left sidebar history page on AI tabs.

Markdown exports

Run Export AI Chat Markdown to save the full transcript, or Export AI Chat Markdown Clean to save only user prompts and the final answer without thinking or tool details. WispTerm opens a save dialog and copies the saved path.

Configure DeepSeek V4

Open the session launcher with CtrlShiftT, choose AI Agent, and fill the AI profile. If no profile exists, WispTerm opens this form before the first agent launch.

Recommended agent profile

Profile name	`DeepSeek`
Base URL	`https://api.deepseek.com`
API key	Your DeepSeek key, or leave empty when `DEEPSEEK_API_KEY` is set
Model	`deepseek-v4-pro`
Protocol	`chat_completions`; use `responses` for OpenAI Responses API providers
Thinking	`enabled`
Effort	`max` for coding-heavy agent work; `high` is WispTerm's built-in default
Stream	`false`
Agent	`true`

Environment key

When the profile base URL points to DeepSeek and the profile key is empty, WispTerm reads DEEPSEEK_API_KEY from the process environment.

# Windows (PowerShell)
$env:DEEPSEEK_API_KEY = "sk-your-deepseek-api-key"
# Persist for future sessions:
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("DEEPSEEK_API_KEY","sk-your-deepseek-api-key","User")

# macOS / Linux (shell)
export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY="sk-your-deepseek-api-key"
# Persist: add the export line to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc

DeepSeek V4 models expose a 1M context length and support thinking mode through thinking plus reasoning_effort. Chat Completions remains the default protocol; Responses profiles use instructions, input, and Responses-style function tools.

Agent tools and boundaries

The agent can help with local work without losing track of which terminal it is controlling. WispTerm requires an explicit terminal selection before write tools target another surface.

Local commands

Shell commands run as background child processes where possible, so tool execution does not flash a separate console window. The agent uses powershell_exec on Windows and shell_exec on macOS/Linux.

WSL and SSH routing

The agent can inspect visible terminal surfaces, save WispTerm SSH profiles with ssh_profile_save, and route writes to the selected WSL or SSH session rather than guessing from focus alone.

Terminal selection

Tool calls use surface IDs from terminal_list. Before writing, the agent calls terminal_select to make the target explicit.

Permission mode

Keep ai-agent-permission = confirm for normal use. Use full only when you trust both the task and the opened workspace.

# AI Chat agent tools
ai-agent-enabled            = true
ai-agent-permission         = confirm   # confirm | full
ai-agent-command-timeout-ms = 60000
ai-agent-output-limit       = 16384

Skills and fast paths

Skills let you keep reusable instructions next to the terminal. They are loaded into the next request and saved into chat history as replayable context.

Skill locations

WispTerm discovers SKILL.md files under the platform config directory (%APPDATA%\wispterm on Windows, ~/Library/Application Support/wispterm on macOS) in skills/ and plugins/skills/, plus the same two sub-paths next to the executable and in the current working directory.

Load a skill

Use $skill-name your request in the AI Agent tab to load that skill for the next request without changing global configuration.

Slash commands

/skills lists discovered skills, /commands lists local AI commands, and /reload-skills refreshes future skill calls from disk.

Command center paths

Run New Agent from CtrlShiftP, reopen saved sessions with Select Agent History, or export Markdown records from the active AI tab.

Troubleshooting

Missing API key

Set DEEPSEEK_API_KEY before launching WispTerm, or save the key in the AI profile.

Authentication or balance errors

For 401 errors, check the key and base URL. For payment errors, check the DeepSeek Platform balance.

No tool execution

Set the profile's Agent field to true, and approve tool cards when permission mode is confirm.

Model aliases

Use current DeepSeek V4 model IDs such as deepseek-v4-pro or deepseek-v4-flash rather than legacy aliases.

References: DeepSeek model details and DeepSeek thinking mode.