Skip to main content

Documentation Index

Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.openclaw.ai/llms.txt

Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

DeepSeek provides powerful AI models with an OpenAI-compatible API.
PropertyValue
Providerdeepseek
AuthDEEPSEEK_API_KEY
APIOpenAI-compatible
Base URLhttps://api.deepseek.com

​
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
This will prompt for your API key and set deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash as the default model.
3

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
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 the 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 refNameInputContextMax outputNotes
deepseek/deepseek-v4-flashDeepSeek V4 Flashtext1,000,000384,000Default model; V4 thinking-capable surface
deepseek/deepseek-v4-proDeepSeek V4 Protext1,000,000384,000V4 thinking-capable surface
deepseek/deepseek-chatDeepSeek Chattext131,0728,192DeepSeek V3.2 non-thinking surface
deepseek/deepseek-reasonerDeepSeek Reasonertext131,07265,536Reasoning-enabled V3.2 surface
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.

​
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" },
    },
  },
}

Model selection

Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.

Configuration reference

Full config reference for agents, models, and providers.