Fred docs

Fred is an open-source DeepSeek-powered agentic coding CLI. The binary is fred; install with uv tool install fredcode. This site adds managed billing and a streaming proxy at api.fredcode.net; the CLI also runs unchanged against DeepSeek directly if you supply your own key.

In a hurry?

Run uv tool install fredcode → fred login → fred -p "say hi". Three commands, two minutes. See Install if you don't have uv.

Getting started

New here? Three pages, fifteen minutes.

Install

macOS, Linux, Windows. uv is the path of least resistance.

Quickstart

Models — flash vs pro

When to switch with /pro, what it costs, how slot routing works.

Configuration

Files & env vars

~/.config/fred/, AGENTS.md, every FRED_* knob.

Permissions & sandbox

How tool gating works, sandbox modes, --yolo, rules.

Billing & credits

Full-retail pricing, top-ups, the $1 signup credit.

Features

Plan vs act mode

Read-only mode for risky tasks. Shift+Tab toggles.

Project rules

Per-repo .dsc/rules/*.md files the model loads on demand.

Hooks

Run shell commands at session lifecycle events.

MCP servers

Plug in any Model Context Protocol stdio server.

Checkpoints

Shadow git lets you /restore the workspace turn-by-turn.

Reference

CLI reference

Every flag, subcommand, and exit code.

Slash commands

Everything you can type at the prompt.

API reference

OpenAI-compatible chat completions over api.fredcode.net.

Operations

Telemetry

Opt-in only. Never your code. Schema in the docs.

Troubleshooting

Install hiccups, 401s, browser flow stuck, more.

Two ways to run

Hosted (this site): fred login issues a key, traffic flows through api.fredcode.net, usage shows up at /usage. Pay per token at the rates on /pricing. $1 in free credits on signup.

Direct to DeepSeek: set DEEPSEEK_API_KEY and skip the proxy. The CLI talks to api.deepseek.com/v1 and you pay them directly. No telemetry, no managed billing — same code, just unmanaged.