DeepSeek

DeepSeek provides powerful AI models with an OpenAI-compatible API.

Property	Value
Provider	deepseek
Auth	DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
API	OpenAI-compatible
Base URL	https://api.deepseek.com

Install plugin

Install the official plugin, then restart Gateway:

openclaw plugins install @openclaw/deepseek-provider
openclaw gateway restart

Getting started

1. Get your API key

   Create an API key at platform.deepseek.com.

2. Run onboarding

   openclaw onboard --auth-choice deepseek-api-key
   

   Prompts for your API key and sets deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro as the default model.

3. Verify models are available

   openclaw models list --provider deepseek
   

   To inspect the plugin’s static catalog without a running Gateway:

   openclaw models list --all --provider deepseek
   

Non-interactive setup

For scripted or headless installations, pass all flags directly:

openclaw onboard --non-interactive \
  --mode local \
  --auth-choice deepseek-api-key \
  --deepseek-api-key "$DEEPSEEK_API_KEY" \
  --skip-health \
  --accept-risk

If Gateway runs as a daemon (launchd/systemd), make sure DEEPSEEK_API_KEY is available to that process (for example, in ~/.openclaw/.env or via env.shellEnv).

Built-in catalog

Model ref	Name	Input	Context	Max output	Notes
deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash	DeepSeek V4 Flash	text	1,000,000	384,000	Fast V4 thinking-capable surface
deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro	DeepSeek V4 Pro	text	1,000,000	384,000	Default; strongest V4 model
deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp	DeepSeek V4 Flash Vision (Experimental)	text, image	1,000,000	384,000	Experimental image understanding

DeepSeek retired deepseek-chat and deepseek-reasoner on July 24, 2026 at 15:59 UTC. Those model IDs are no longer accessible. Move configured model refs to deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash or deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro.

OpenClaw’s local costs are estimates. The vision model’s bundled estimate uses DeepSeek’s peak rates; its published off-peak rates are half those amounts. DeepSeek can change rates; its Models & Pricing page is authoritative for billing.

For image inputs, select deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp. The regular Flash and Pro models are text-only. DeepSeek’s experimental vision model accepts PNG, JPEG, GIF, and WebP images through the same API and API key. See DeepSeek vision for image limits.

V4 models support DeepSeek’s thinking control. OpenClaw also replays DeepSeek reasoning_content on follow-up turns so thinking sessions with tool calls can continue. Use /think xhigh or /think max with DeepSeek V4 models to request DeepSeek’s maximum reasoning_effort; both map to "max".

Thinking and tools

DeepSeek V4 thinking sessions require replayed assistant messages from a thinking-enabled turn to include reasoning_content on follow-up requests. OpenClaw’s DeepSeek plugin backfills that field automatically, so normal multi-turn tool use works on deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash, deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp, and deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro even when history came from another OpenAI-compatible provider (no native reasoning_content) or from a plain assistant message. No /new required after switching providers mid-session.

When thinking is disabled (including the UI None selection), OpenClaw sends thinking: { type: "disabled" } and strips replayed reasoning_content from outgoing history, keeping the session on the non-thinking DeepSeek path.

Fresh onboarding selects the stronger deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro model. Use deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash when lower cost or latency matters more than maximum capability.

Live testing

To run only the DeepSeek V4 direct-model checks from the modern model live suite:

OPENCLAW_LIVE_PROVIDERS=deepseek \
OPENCLAW_LIVE_MODELS="deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash,deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro" \
pnpm test:live src/agents/models.profiles.live.test.ts

Verifies both V4 models complete and that thinking/tool follow-up turns preserve the replay payload DeepSeek requires.

To check the experimental vision model with the same DEEPSEEK_API_KEY:

OPENCLAW_LIVE_DEEPSEEK_MODEL=deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp \
pnpm test:live extensions/deepseek/deepseek.live.test.ts

This runs text, generated-image recognition, and thinking replay checks against the selected model.

Config example

{
  env: { vars: { DEEPSEEK_API_KEY: "sk-..." } },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro" },
    },
  },
}

Related

Model selection

Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.

Configuration reference

Full config reference for agents, models, and providers.