Your DeepSeek-native AI Coding Agent
Whale is a terminal-first AI coding agent built around DeepSeek's prefix-cache. Read code, edit files, run commands, and extend with MCP and Skills — all from your terminal.
Get Started in 3 Steps
Install, configure, and start coding with Whale.
Homebrew
$ brew install usewhale/tap/whale curl (recommended)
$ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/usewhale/whale/main/scripts/install.sh | sh curl (recommended)
$ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/usewhale/whale/main/scripts/install.sh | sh PowerShell (recommended)
$ irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/usewhale/whale/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex CMD
$ powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -Command "irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/usewhale/whale/main/scripts/install.ps1 | iex" After installing, get started:
Install Whale
# See the tabs above for your OS
# Or download from GitHub Releases Configure your API key
whale setup
whale doctor Start coding
whale
# or run one-shot:
whale exec "Summarize this project" Why Whale?
Designed for DeepSeek, optimized for long coding sessions.
Extreme Cost Efficiency
DeepSeek-native optimization with ~90% prefix-cache hit rate. A typical 5-turn coding session costs ~$0.001 — about 93% less than Claude Code.
Terminal Native
No IDE dependency. Works with your shell, git, and test commands. TUI and CLI dual modes for interactive or headless use.
Extensible via MCP & Skills
Connect external tools with MCP servers. Reuse workflows with local Agent Skills. Customize your coding agent without forking.
Cache-First Architecture
Whale's loop is designed around DeepSeek's byte-stable prefix-cache. Long sessions keep benefiting from cached prefixes, keeping costs low.
Real Cost Comparison
How much you save with Whale and DeepSeek vs Claude Code.
| Scenario | Whale (DeepSeek) | Claude Code | Savings |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5-turn coding session | ~$0.001 | ~$0.015 | ~93% |
| Tool-calling task | ~$0.00014 | ~$0.0034 | ~96% |
| R1 reasoning task | ~$0.0065 | ~$0.044 | ~85% |
How Whale Compares
A honest look at where Whale fits in the AI coding agent landscape.
| Feature | Whale | Claude Code | Codex CLI | Cursor | Aider |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary interface | Terminal TUI/CLI | Terminal agent | Terminal agent | IDE | CLI |
| Default backend | DeepSeek | Anthropic | OpenAI | Multi-model | Multi-model |
| DeepSeek optimized | ✓ | — | — | — | limited |
| Prefix-cache friendly | ✓ | n/a | n/a | model-dep. | limited |
| Local code read/write | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Shell / test execution | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | partial | ✓ |
| /ask read-only mode | ✓ | partial | partial | n/a | partial |
| /plan planning mode | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | n/a | partial |
| MCP support | ✓ | ✓ | version-dep. | partial | partial |
| Skills / workflows | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | partial | limited |
| Open source | ✓ | — | ✓ | — | ✓ |