christian-bromann deepagents-cli (JavaScript/TypeScript)
Overview
Open-source coding assistant for terminal with persistent memory. Capabilities: file operations, shell execution, web search, HTTP requests, task planning, memory, HITL, and skills.
Installation
npm install -g deepagents-cli
# Start CLI
deepagents
CLI Commands
| Command | Description |
|---|---|
deepagents |
Start the CLI |
deepagents list |
List agents |
deepagents skills |
Manage skills |
deepagents help |
Show help |
deepagents reset --agent NAME |
Clear memory |
deepagents threads list |
List sessions |
deepagents threads delete ID |
Delete session |
Memory (AGENTS.md)
Global Memory
~/.deepagents/<agent_name>/AGENTS.md
Store: personality, coding preferences, communication style
Project Memory
.deepagents/AGENTS.md (requires .git folder)
Store: project architecture, conventions, team guidelines
Skills
# Create skill
deepagents skills create test-skill
# Project skill
cd /path/to/project
deepagents skills create test-skill --project
Locations:
- Global:
~/.deepagents/<agent_name>/skills/ - Project:
.deepagents/skills/
Code Examples
Programmatic CLI Usage
import { createDeepAgent, FilesystemBackend } from "deepagents";
import { MemorySaver } from "@langchain/langgraph";
// Create an agent with the same capabilities as the CLI
const agent = await createDeepAgent({
name: "my-assistant",
backend: new FilesystemBackend({ rootDir: ".", virtualMode: true }),
checkpointer: new MemorySaver(),
skills: ["./.deepagents/skills/"],
});
// Invoke like the CLI would
const result = await agent.invoke(
{
messages: [{ role: "user", content: "Refactor the auth module" }],
},
{ configurable: { thread_id: "session-1" } }
);
Managing Skills via CLI
# Create a new global skill
deepagents skills create my-skill
# Create a project-scoped skill
cd /path/to/project
deepagents skills create my-skill --project
# List available skills
deepagents skills list
Managing Memory via CLI
# Reset agent memory
deepagents reset --agent my-assistant
# List conversation threads
deepagents threads list
# Delete a specific thread
deepagents threads delete session-1
Decision Table: Memory vs Skills
| Content | Location | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Coding style | AGENTS.md (global) | Always relevant |
| Project arch | AGENTS.md (project) | Project context |
| Testing workflow | Skill | Task-specific |
| Large docs | Skill | On-demand loading |
Boundaries
What CAN Configure
✅ Agent name and personality via AGENTS.md ✅ Project-specific conventions via project AGENTS.md ✅ Custom skills (global or project-scoped) ✅ Model selection via environment variables ✅ Thread management (list, delete) ✅ API keys for web search and model providers
What CANNOT Configure
❌ Core CLI commands (fixed set) ❌ Built-in tool names (ls, read_file, write_file, etc.) ❌ Middleware order in CLI mode ❌ AGENTS.md file format (must be markdown) ❌ Skills protocol format (must follow SKILL.md spec)
Gotchas
1. Project Root Needs .git
# ❌ No project memory
cd /project # No .git
deepagents
# ✅ Init git
git init
deepagents
2. Skills Location
# ❌ Wrong
/project/skills/SKILL.md
# ✅ Correct
/project/.deepagents/skills/skill-name/SKILL.md
3. Web Search Needs API Key
export TAVILY_API_KEY="your-key"
deepagents