---
summary: "DeepSeek setup (auth + model selection)"
title: "DeepSeek"
read_when:
  - You want to use DeepSeek with OpenClaw
  - You need the API key env var or CLI auth choice
---

[DeepSeek](https://www.deepseek.com) 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

<Steps>
  <Step title="Get your API key">
    Create an API key at [platform.deepseek.com](https://platform.deepseek.com/api_keys).
  </Step>
  <Step title="Run onboarding">
    ```bash
    openclaw onboard --auth-choice deepseek-api-key
    ```

    This will prompt for your API key and set `deepseek/deepseek-chat` as the default model.

  </Step>
  <Step title="Verify models are available">
    ```bash
    openclaw models list --provider deepseek
    ```
  </Step>
</Steps>

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="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
    ```

  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Warning>
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`).
</Warning>

## Built-in catalog

| Model ref                    | Name              | Input | Context | Max output | Notes                                             |
| ---------------------------- | ----------------- | ----- | ------- | ---------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| `deepseek/deepseek-chat`     | DeepSeek Chat     | text  | 131,072 | 8,192      | Default model; DeepSeek V3.2 non-thinking surface |
| `deepseek/deepseek-reasoner` | DeepSeek Reasoner | text  | 131,072 | 65,536     | Reasoning-enabled V3.2 surface                    |

<Tip>
Both bundled models currently advertise streaming usage compatibility in source.
</Tip>

## Config example

```json5
{
  env: { DEEPSEEK_API_KEY: "sk-..." },
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      model: { primary: "deepseek/deepseek-chat" },
    },
  },
}
```

## Related

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Model selection" href="/concepts/model-providers" icon="layers">
    Choosing providers, model refs, and failover behavior.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Configuration reference" href="/gateway/configuration-reference" icon="gear">
    Full config reference for agents, models, and providers.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>