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

Install plugin

Install the official plugin:

apus plugins install @openclaw/deepseek-provider

Installation applies to a running Gateway automatically; otherwise it takes effect on the next startup. See Apply changes and inspect.

Getting started

Create an API key at [platform.deepseek.com](https://platform.deepseek.com/api_keys).

```bash
apus onboard --auth-choice deepseek-api-key
```

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

```bash
apus models list --provider deepseek
```

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

```bash
apus models list --all --provider deepseek
```

Onboarding 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.

For scripted or headless installations, pass all flags directly:

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

Built-in catalog

Apus's local costs are estimates. Canonical Flash uses DeepSeek's peak rates: $0.30 per million input tokens, $1.20 per million output tokens, and $0.006 per million cached input tokens. Published off-peak rates are half those amounts. Legacy rows retain their earlier bundled metadata. DeepSeek still accepts deepseek-v4-flash and deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp, routes them to V4.1 Flash, and bills them at current Flash rates. Existing explicit selections remain valid in Apus. DeepSeek can change rates; its Models & Pricing page is authoritative for billing.

For image inputs, select deepseek/deepseek-flash. The legacy deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash-vision-exp selection also retains image support. Canonical Flash accepts PNG, JPEG, GIF, and WebP images through the same API and API key. See DeepSeek vision for image limits.

Thinking and tools

When a DeepSeek model emits DSML tool markup as text, including through OpenRouter or another OpenAI-compatible provider, Apus recovers valid calls, tool_calls, tool_call, and function_calls blocks into tool calls instead of showing their payloads in chat. This includes doubled fullwidth markers with a separator space. Direct provider calls and tool-free finalization hide these blocks without recovering tools. Malformed or unfinished blocks are also hidden without executing them; existing tool permissions still apply to recovered calls. Native tool calls take precedence when the same response also contains DSML, so recovered duplicates do not execute. Routing through OpenRouter keeps OpenRouter's reasoning request format.

DeepSeek V4 thinking sessions require replayed assistant messages from a thinking-enabled turn to include reasoning_content on follow-up requests. Apus's DeepSeek plugin backfills that field automatically, so normal multi-turn tool use works on deepseek/deepseek-flash, 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), Apus sends thinking: { type: "disabled" } and strips replayed reasoning_content from outgoing history, keeping the session on the non-thinking DeepSeek path.

Fresh onboarding selects deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro. To select canonical Flash:

apus models set deepseek/deepseek-flash

Live testing

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

APUS_LIVE_PROVIDERS=deepseek \
APUS_LIVE_MODELS="deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash,deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro" \
pnpm test:live src/agent/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:

APUS_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

Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.

Running DeepSeek V4 Flash from a local OpenAI-compatible ds4 server.

Full config reference for agents, models, and providers.