Agent skill

DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules

by codewhale-hq in codewhale-hq/Codewhale

Three rules for multi-step work with DeepSeek V4 thinking models: verify references, use a verifier subagent before big edits, and write plans with exact path and line.

MITAuto-check passedAgent Workflows

Install DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules

skills CLI
$ npx skills add codewhale-hq/Codewhale --skill v4-best-practices -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install codewhale-hq/Codewhale v4-best-practices --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/codewhale-hq/Codewhale.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/crates/tui/assets/skills/v4-best-practices .claude/skills/v4-best-practices && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
v4-best-practices
GitHub stars
41k
Token cost
~443 tokens
SKILL.md length
145 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
63
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

Three rules for multi-step work with DeepSeek V4 thinking models: verify references, use a verifier subagent before big edits, and write plans with exact path and line.

  • Works in 3 steps: Verify references before writing → Spawn a verifier sub-agent before… → Plan output must use confirmed path:line…
  • Writing a multi-file plan with a DeepSeek V4 thinking model
  • SKILL.md covers 1. Verify references before…, 2. Spawn a verifier sub-agent… and 3. Plan output must use…
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

The skill targets deepseek-v4-pro and deepseek-v4-flash on plan-driven tasks, and each rule names the failure it prevents. First, before citing a file path, function or type in code or plan output, confirm it exists with `grep_files` or `read_file`, which avoids edit errors on missing paths and hallucinated symbols.

Second, before executing a plan that touches three or more files, spawn a `deepseek-v4-flash` verifier subagent with thinking off to read the targets and confirm the assumptions still hold, so edits do not fail halfway through. Third, plan output should use confirmed `path:line` references taken from a prior search instead of vague pointers such as the client module, so agent-mode execution can find each edit target.

When your agent uses it

  • Writing a multi-file plan with a DeepSeek V4 thinking model
  • Checking plan assumptions before a multi-file edit begins
  • Replacing vague location pointers in a plan with exact references

Example prompts

  • “Plan the retry refactor across the client and config modules, with confirmed path and line references.”
  • “Before editing these four files, have a verifier subagent confirm the symbols still exist.”
  • “Verify the function names in this plan against the workspace before I approve it.”

Requirements

  • A DeepSeek V4 model and file search and read tools in the agent

Workflow steps

3 steps, taken from the step headings in SKILL.md.

  1. Verify references before writing
  2. Spawn a verifier sub-agent before multi-file execution
  3. Plan output must use confirmed path:line references

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 64bb073. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules loads about 443 tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 56 tokens; SKILL.md has 145 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~56
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~443

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from codewhale-hq/Codewhale at commit 64bb073, republished under its MIT licence (© codewhale-hq). 145 words, ~443 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/v4-best-practices/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
v4-best-practices
description
Use when working with deepseek-v4-pro or deepseek-v4-flash in thinking mode on multi-step or plan-driven tasks. Provides rules to prevent stale references, unverified plan assumptions, and vague plan output.

V4 Best Practices

Rules for multi-step V4 thinking-mode workflows. Each rule prevents a specific, observable failure class.

1. Verify references before writing

Before referencing a file path, function, or type in code or plan output, call grep_files or read_file to confirm it exists in the workspace.

# Bad:  edit_file path="src/config/loader.rs" (assumed from memory)
# Good: grep_files pattern="pub fn load_config" → confirms src/config/mod.rs:42
#        then reference src/config/mod.rs:42

Failure avoided: edit_file errors on non-existent paths; LSP diagnostics on hallucinated symbols.

2. Spawn a verifier sub-agent before multi-file execution

Before executing a plan that touches 3+ files, spawn a deepseek-v4-flash sub-agent (thinking off) to read the target files and confirm path/symbol assumptions still hold.

agent type="verifier" model="deepseek-v4-flash"
  prompt: "Read these files and confirm: [list assumptions]. Report mismatches."

Failure avoided: multi-step edits fail partway because file structure changed since the plan was drafted.

3. Plan output must use confirmed path:line references

In plan-mode output, replace vague location pointers with path:line references drawn from a prior grep_files result.

# Bad:  "Update the retry logic in the client module"
# Good: "Update retry loop at crates/tui/src/client.rs:187"

Failure avoided: agent-mode execution cannot locate the intended edit target when plan directions are imprecise.

© codewhale-hq, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in crates/tui/assets/skills/v4-best-practices of codewhale-hq/Codewhale.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 64bb073

Compare with similar skills

DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules this skillcodewhale-hq/Codewhale41k—~443Automated safety check: PassMIT
Vibe ImplementidiotLeoLYJ/Daliu-Awesome-Skills140—~2.7kAutomated safety check: PassNone
Subagent Driven DevelopmentAsvarox/allkaraoke26137 repos~1.2kAutomated safety check: PassNone
Inline Plan ExecutionjnMetaCode/superpowers-zh8.3k—~2.5kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Codex Deepseek Subagentoil-oil/codex-deepseek-subagent374—~673Automated safety check: PassMIT
OMA Multi-Agent Orchestrationfirst-fluke/oh-my-agent1.3k—~4.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Works with

Categories

Questions about DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules

What does DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules do?

Three rules for multi-step work with DeepSeek V4 thinking models: verify references, use a verifier subagent before big edits, and write plans with exact path and line. The skill targets deepseek-v4-pro and deepseek-v4-flash on plan-driven tasks, and each rule names the failure it prevents. First, before citing a file path, function or type in code or plan output, confirm it exists with `grep_files` or `read_file`, which avoids edit errors on missing paths and hallucinated symbols.

When should I use DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules?

DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules fits situations like: writing a multi-file plan with a DeepSeek V4 thinking model; checking plan assumptions before a multi-file edit begins; replacing vague location pointers in a plan with exact references.

How do I install DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add codewhale-hq/Codewhale --skill v4-best-practices -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (crates/tui/assets/skills/v4-best-practices in codewhale-hq/Codewhale) into .claude/skills/v4-best-practices in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules in Codex?

Run `npx skills add codewhale-hq/Codewhale --skill v4-best-practices -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (crates/tui/assets/skills/v4-best-practices in codewhale-hq/Codewhale) into .agents/skills/v4-best-practices in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add codewhale-hq/Codewhale --skill v4-best-practices -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/v4-best-practices, .gemini/skills/v4-best-practices, .github/skills/v4-best-practices and .opencode/skills/v4-best-practices in your project.

What does DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules is instructions for the agent only. Our summary lists: A DeepSeek V4 model and file search and read tools in the agent.

Does DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules use?

DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules use?

About 443 tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 1.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules: Vibe Implement (idiotLeoLYJ/Daliu-Awesome-Skills, 140 stars), Subagent Driven Development (Asvarox/allkaraoke, 261 stars), Inline Plan Execution (jnMetaCode/superpowers-zh, 8.3k stars) and Codex Deepseek Subagent (oil-oil/codex-deepseek-subagent, 374 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains DeepSeek V4 Thinking-Mode Rules?

codewhale-hq (a GitHub organization) maintains it in codewhale-hq/Codewhale, which has 41,076 GitHub stars. The repository holds 63 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on October 10, 2026.

Source: codewhale-hq/Codewhale on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.