The terminal UI

Run deepcode in your project folder to work from the terminal. Type a task in plain language, then use the commands below to choose a model, attach files, and control the conversation. New to DeepCode? Follow Your first coding task for setup.

The three keys

Key	What it does
Esc	Interrupt the running turn. The turn stops; the conversation survives.
Ctrl+O	Cycle transcript detail: normal → verbose → summary. Show more or less detail about the work.
Ctrl+D	Close the client (same as /exit); running work continues in the background.

Slash commands

Type / to list commands. /model and /resume open pickers when called without arguments: use arrow keys, type to filter, and press Enter to choose. Other commands may show their current setting or require an argument; /queue and /rename, for example, require text.

Command	Does
/help	This table, in the terminal
/new [title]	Start a fresh conversation
/resume [id|all]	Pick a session from this directory — or all directories
/rename <title>	Rename this session
/delete <id>	Permanently delete a stored session
/model [connection] [id]	Show or switch connection/model — the picker shows every configured connection’s full catalog
/effort [auto|off|level]	Reasoning effort for the next turns
/context [auto|tokens]	Context-window cap for the next turns — 64k, 1m, or auto to follow the model’s published window
/permissions [preset]	Tool access: ask · read-only · full-access · inherit
/transcript [mode]	Same three modes Ctrl+O cycles
/preset [id|clear]	Agent presets — selectable only while the conversation is still blank
/skills	List every discovered skill
/skill <id|name>	Choose a Skill for your next message
/plugins	List installed plugins
/mcp [action]	List, add, test, authorize MCP servers
/goal …	A durable goal for this session — see Goals
/queue <instruction>	Save an instruction to run after the current task
/stop	Interrupt the active turn (same as Esc)
/retry	Re-run the last finished turn with the current model
/reconnect	Reconnect and return to your current conversation
/clear	Clear the conversation context
/compact	Summarize older turns to free context — see Sessions
/exit	Quit

Inline references

@path — include a project file in your message. Type @ and use Tab-completion to find the file:

› the parser in @src/config/loader.py rejects valid YAML — why?

$skill-name — invoke a skill inline, with completion over active skills:

› $SKILL_NAME review the changes on this branch

Replace SKILL_NAME with a name shown by /skills.

Talking while it works

You don’t have to wait for a turn to finish:

• Type a message mid-turn and it steers the running work — the agent sees it at the next boundary: Steered the active turn.
• /queue lines up a full instruction to run after the current turn.
• Esc stops the turn; what completed stays in history.

Approvals

Under the default ask preset, sensitive tools pause for you:

◆ approval needed bash
  rm -rf build/
  ⎿ reply y once · a session · n deny

y/yes allows this once. a/always allows that tool for the rest of the session. n/no denies — the agent is told, and works around it.

Switching to /permissions full-access asks you to confirm explicitly before it takes effect; read-only denies mutating actions under the tool policy. These are per-session — your other sessions keep their own settings.

What the status line tells you

The bottom line is alive during work — a spinner plus what the agent is on:

⠸ Run · 4s · pytest -q
⠼ Thinking · 8s · High · comparing the two configs
⠋ Working · 2s

Run shows the current tool or command. Thinking appears when the provider shares reasoning progress; Working means DeepCode is waiting for its response to begin. If it stays there unexpectedly long, see Troubleshooting. When idle, the line shows your display mode and keyboard hints.