MCP & skills

MCP extends DeepSeek TUI with external tools. Skills capture repeatable instructions so every session follows your team conventions.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol servers run as separate processes. DeepSeek TUI loads them from your MCP config and exposes their capabilities alongside native tools—ideal for databases, ticketing, browsers, or proprietary APIs.

Example `mcp.json`

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/workspace"]
    },
    "github": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-github"],
      "env": {
        "GITHUB_PERSONAL_ACCESS_TOKEN": "ghp_..."
      }
    },
    "postgres": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres"],
      "env": {
        "POSTGRES_URL": "postgresql://localhost:5432/mydb"
      }
    },
    "brave-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search"],
      "env": {
        "BRAVE_API_KEY": "your-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Paths and tokens should stay out of git—treat this file like secrets-adjacent configuration.

Popular servers

Server	Package	Use case
Filesystem	`@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem`	Managed file roots
GitHub	`@modelcontextprotocol/server-github`	Issues & PR context
Postgres	`@modelcontextprotocol/server-postgres`	Schema-aware queries
Brave Search	`@modelcontextprotocol/server-brave-search`	Web discovery
Puppeteer	`@modelcontextprotocol/server-puppeteer`	Headless browser checks

Skills

Skills are markdown instructions stored under folders such as ~/.deepseek/skills/<name>/SKILL.md. Use them for style guides, testing rules, release checklists, or anything you want repeated every session.

Example skill

# ~/.deepseek/skills/typescript-style/SKILL.md
# TypeScript conventions

- Strict mode on
- Prefer named exports
- Add tests for every public helper
- Run `pnpm lint` before suggesting commits

Team workflows

Combine MCP (capabilities) with skills (policies): MCP might open a ticket while the skill enforces how summaries are written or how branches are named.

FAQ

Do MCP tools obey approvals?

Yes—treat powerful MCP actions like shell commands.

Where is MCP config?

Typically ~/.deepseek/mcp.json alongside config.toml.