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:
openclaw plugins install @openclaw/deepseek-provideropenclaw gateway restartGetting started
Get your API key
Create an API key at platform.deepseek.com.
Run onboarding
openclaw onboard --auth-choice deepseek-api-keyPrompts for your API key and sets deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro as the default model.
Verify models are available
openclaw models list --provider deepseekTo inspect the plugin's static catalog without a running Gateway:
openclaw models list --all --provider deepseekOnboarding preserves your model entries and leaves generated catalog rows to discovery. With models.mode: "replace", it also writes the built-in catalog because that mode skips discovery.
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-riskBuilt-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 |
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.
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.tsVerifies 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.tsThis 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" }, }, },}