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Providers

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:

bash
openclaw plugins install @openclaw/deepseek-provideropenclaw gateway restart

Getting started

  • Get your API key

    Create an API key at platform.deepseek.com.

  • Run onboarding

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

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

  • Verify models are available

    bash
    openclaw models list --provider deepseek

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

    bash
    openclaw models list --all --provider deepseek
    • Non-interactive setup

    For scripted or headless installations, pass all flags directly:

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

    Built-in catalog

    Model ref Name Input Context Max output Notes
    deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash DeepSeek V4 Flash text 1,000,000 384,000 Default model; V4 thinking-capable surface
    deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro DeepSeek V4 Pro text 1,000,000 384,000 V4 thinking-capable surface
    deepseek/deepseek-chat DeepSeek Chat text 1,000,000 384,000 Deprecated V4 Flash non-thinking compatibility name
    deepseek/deepseek-reasoner DeepSeek Reasoner text 1,000,000 384,000 Deprecated V4 Flash thinking compatibility name

    OpenClaw's local cost estimates follow DeepSeek's published cache-hit, cache-miss, and output rates. DeepSeek can change those rates; its Models & Pricing page is authoritative for billing.

    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 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.

    Use deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash for the default fast path. Use deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro for the stronger model when you can accept higher cost or latency.

    Live testing

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

    bash
    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.

    Config example

    json5
    {  env: { DEEPSEEK_API_KEY: "sk-..." },  agents: {    defaults: {      model: { primary: "deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash" },    },  },}
    Model selection

    Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.
    Configuration reference

    Full config reference for agents, models, and providers.
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