Using DeepSeek With Kilo Code

Kilo Code supports accessing models through the DeepSeek API, including deepseek-chat and deepseek-reasoner.

Website: https://platform.deepseek.com/

Getting an API Key

Sign Up/Sign In: Go to the DeepSeek Platform. Create an account or sign in.
Navigate to API Keys: Find your API keys in the API keys section of the platform.
Create a Key: Click "Create new API key". Give your key a descriptive name (e.g., "Kilo Code").
Copy the Key: Important: Copy the API key immediately. You will not be able to see it again. Store it securely.

{% tabs %} {% tab label="VSCode (Legacy)" %}

Open Kilo Code Settings: Click the gear icon ({% codicon name="gear" /%}) in the Kilo Code panel.
Select Provider: Choose "DeepSeek" from the "API Provider" dropdown.
Enter API Key: Paste your DeepSeek API key into the "DeepSeek API Key" field.
Select Model: Choose your desired model from the "Model" dropdown.

{% /tab %} {% tab label="VSCode" %}

Open Settings (gear icon) and go to the Providers tab to add DeepSeek and enter your API key.

The extension stores this in your kilo.json config file. You can also edit the config file directly — see the CLI tab for the file format.

{% /tab %} {% tab label="CLI" %}

Set the API key as an environment variable or configure it in your kilo.json config file:

Environment variable:

bash

export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Config file (~/.config/kilo/kilo.json or ./kilo.json):

jsonc

{
  "provider": {
    "deepseek": {
      "env": ["DEEPSEEK_API_KEY"],
    },
  },
}

Then set your default model:

jsonc

{
  "model": "deepseek/deepseek-chat",
}

{% /tab %} {% /tabs %}