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 |
Getting started
Get your API key
Create an API key at platform.deepseek.com.
Run onboarding
openclaw onboard --auth-choice deepseek-api-key
This will prompt for your API key and set deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash as the default model.
Verify models are available
openclaw models list --provider deepseek
To inspect the bundled static catalog without requiring a running Gateway, use:
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
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 | 131,072 | 8,192 | DeepSeek V3.2 non-thinking surface |
deepseek/deepseek-reasoner |
DeepSeek Reasoner | text | 131,072 | 65,536 | Reasoning-enabled V3.2 surface |
Thinking and tools
DeepSeek V4 thinking sessions have a stricter replay contract than most
OpenAI-compatible providers: after a thinking-enabled turn uses tools, DeepSeek
expects replayed assistant messages from that turn to include
reasoning_content on follow-up requests. OpenClaw handles this inside the
DeepSeek plugin, so normal multi-turn tool use works with
deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash and deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro.
If you switch an existing session from another OpenAI-compatible provider to a
DeepSeek V4 model, older assistant tool-call turns may not have native
DeepSeek reasoning_content. OpenClaw fills that missing field on replayed
assistant messages for DeepSeek V4 thinking requests so the provider can accept
the history without requiring /new.
When thinking is disabled in OpenClaw (including the UI None selection),
OpenClaw sends DeepSeek thinking: { type: "disabled" } and strips replayed
reasoning_content from the outgoing history. This keeps disabled-thinking
sessions on the non-thinking DeepSeek path.
Use deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash for the default fast path. Use
deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro when you want the stronger V4 model and can accept
higher cost or latency.
Live testing
The direct live model suite includes DeepSeek V4 in the modern model set. To run only the DeepSeek V4 direct-model checks:
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
That live check verifies both V4 models can complete and that thinking/tool follow-up turns preserve the replay payload DeepSeek requires.
Config example
{
env: { DEEPSEEK_API_KEY: "sk-..." },
agents: {
defaults: {
model: { primary: "deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash" },
},
},
}