DeepSeek API setup: register, top up, create a key and connect OpenClaw

Create a DeepSeek platform account, add API credit and generate your own API key for OpenClaw. This guide prepares the model account; follow the separate cloud deployment guide ↗ to install the server.

1. Register and sign in

1. Open the official DeepSeek platform ↗. Check that the address is platform.deepseek.com.
2. Sign in with your existing DeepSeek account, or choose Sign up on the login page.
3. Use a phone or email registration option offered in your region. Complete the verification shown, set a password and save it privately.
4. Read the platform terms and complete registration yourself. If your account requires identity or other verification, follow its instructions using your own details.
5. After login, locate Usage, API keys and Top up in the platform menu. If you see only the chat interface, reopen the platform link above.

Check: you can access the API platform dashboard. Being able to chat on the DeepSeek website does not establish an API balance.

2. Add API credit

1. Choose Top up, or open the official top-up page ↗.
2. Select the online top-up option. Review the amounts, currency and payment methods offered for your account. The Chinese page checked for this guide offered preset CNY amounts, a custom amount, Alipay and WeChat Pay; other regions may differ.
3. Choose an affordable small amount for your initial test. Review View pricing before paying; a large deposit is not required by this tutorial.
4. Confirm the account being credited, the amount, currency and payment recipient. Choose Pay and complete payment yourself using an offered method.
5. Return to Usage ↗, refresh and confirm that the API balance has updated. Check Billing for the matching record.

Check: the dashboard shows usable API credit. If a payment has not arrived, check its order and billing record before attempting another payment.

Credit pays for API usage. The platform states that its free web/app chat does not require this top-up. Charges depend on model and usage; a top-up is not unlimited access. Consult official pricing ↗.

3. Create and save an API key

1. Open API keys, or the official key page ↗.
2. Choose Create API key.
3. Enter a recognizable name, such as openclaw-home. This is a label, not the key itself.
4. Choose Create in the dialog.
5. Immediately copy the full key into your password manager. The platform states that the full secret is visible and copyable only when created; the masked list entry is not the complete key.
6. Confirm that the new name appears in the list. If you did not save the secret, create a replacement and update your configuration. A Tracking ID is not an API key.

Check: you privately saved the full key and can see its label in the list. Do not send it in MochiBot, WeChat, public comments or screenshots. It differs from your cloud SSH private key and MochiLab Skills access key.

4. Enter the key in OpenClaw

Return to step 6 of the deployment guide ↗ and continue in the server terminal:

1. Choose DeepSeek (API key) as provider. Check More… if needed.
2. If prompted, install the DeepSeek provider plugin as described in the main tutorial and wait for completion.
3. At Enter DeepSeek API key, paste the full saved key into that terminal prompt and press Enter.
4. Use the model from the main guide: deepseek/deepseek-flash in OpenClaw. The corresponding direct DeepSeek API model name is deepseek-flash. No custom API script is needed here.
5. At Test AI access now with a live completion?, choose Yes. This makes a real, billable API request.
6. Check Usage in DeepSeek for requests around the test time. Reporting may be delayed.

Check: the model access test succeeds. Continue with steps 7–9 of the main guide to connect a chat client.

5. Troubleshooting

• 401 / Authentication failed: check the complete, active DeepSeek key and remove unintended whitespace. Do not use a password or Tracking ID.
• 402 / Insufficient balance: check usable API credit and whether the payment arrived.
• 429: reduce request rate or concurrent tasks and retry later.
• 500 / 503: wait and retry; consult official help if the service error persists.
• Invalid model: compare with the official first-call guide ↗ instead of copying another provider's model identifier.

If a key leaks, revoke it on the key page, create a replacement and update your services. Removing a public message alone does not protect an exposed key.

Return to the cloud deployment guide → ↗

Menu and button names were checked on 2026-10-26. We did not register, pay or create a key on the reader's behalf. Account requirements and payment options depend on the actual platform page. References: official help ↗, official error codes ↗.