DeepSeek V4 for Copilot Chat
Pick DeepSeek V4 from the Copilot Chat model picker — and keep everything else Copilot already gives you.
Love DeepSeek's price-performance but don't want to give up GitHub Copilot's agent mode, tool calling, and polished UI? This extension drops DeepSeek V4 Pro & Flash straight into the Copilot Chat model selector — with vision, thinking mode, and your own API key.
Why this extension?
- Don't replace Copilot — power it up. No new sidebar, no new chat UI to learn. Just a new model in the picker you already use.
- Agent mode, tool calling, instructions, MCP, skills — all of it still works. Copilot's entire stack, now running on DeepSeek.
- Vision on a text-only model. DeepSeek V4 can't see images. This extension proxies any image you drop into chat through another Copilot model you already have, then feeds the description to DeepSeek — transparently.
- BYOK, pay DeepSeek directly. Your API key, your bill, your rate limits. Stored in the OS keychain, never on disk.
Features
DeepSeek V4 Pro & Flash in the model picker
Both models show up alongside GPT-4o, Claude, and friends in Copilot Chat's model selector. 1M token context on both. Switch models mid-chat without losing history.
Transparent Vision Proxy
DeepSeek V4 is text-only. Drop a screenshot into chat and this extension automatically hands the image to another installed Copilot model (Claude, GPT-4o, whatever you've got), gets a description, and feeds that back to DeepSeek. Zero config — just pick your preferred vision model once.
Thinking Mode with Reasoning Effort Control
Full support for DeepSeek V4's reasoning_content. Toggle thinking on/off per your needs — on for complex refactors, off to save tokens on quick edits. Choose between high (balanced) and max (deep reasoning for hard agent tasks).
Inherits Every Copilot Capability
Because this plugs into Copilot's native provider API, you get the full stack for free:
- Agent mode — autonomous multi-step tasks
- Tool calling — file edits, terminal, workspace search, Git, tests
- Instructions & skills — all your
.instructions.md, AGENTS.md, and skills just work
- Prompt caching stats — DeepSeek's cache hit rate logged in the output channel so you can see the savings
Secure by Default
API key lives in VS Code's SecretStorage (OS keychain on macOS / Windows / Linux). Never in settings.json, never in your Git history.
Zero Runtime Dependencies
Pure VS Code API + Node.js built-ins. No Python, no Docker, no local proxy server to babysit.
Getting Started
Prerequisites
- VS Code 1.104 or later
- GitHub Copilot subscription (Free / Pro / Enterprise — the free tier works)
- DeepSeek API key from platform.deepseek.com
Usage
- Install from the VS Code Marketplace
- Run DeepSeek: Set API Key from the Command Palette (
Cmd+Shift+P)
- Paste your key (starts with
sk-)
- Open Copilot Chat, click the model picker, pick DeepSeek V4 Pro or DeepSeek V4 Flash
- That's it — chat away
Models
| Model |
Best For |
| DeepSeek V4 Flash |
Fast everyday coding, quick edits, cheap iteration |
| DeepSeek V4 Pro |
Complex refactors, agent tasks, deep reasoning |
Both support thinking mode, tool calling, and 1M token context.
Settings
| Setting |
Default |
Description |
deepseek-copilot.baseUrl |
https://api.deepseek.com |
API endpoint — change for self-hosted / proxied deployments |
deepseek-copilot.thinking |
true |
Enable thinking mode (chain-of-thought). Disable for simple tasks to save tokens |
deepseek-copilot.thinkingEffort |
high |
high for most tasks, max for complex agent work |
deepseek-copilot.maxTokens |
0 |
Max output tokens (0 = no limit). Useful for cost control |
deepseek-copilot.visionModel |
(auto) |
Which Copilot model to proxy images through |
deepseek-copilot.visionPrompt |
(built-in) |
Prompt used to describe image attachments |
Compared to alternatives
|
This extension |
Local proxy (e.g. LiteLLM) |
Standalone DeepSeek extensions |
| Works inside Copilot Chat |
✅ |
✅ |
❌ separate UI |
| Agent mode, tools, skills |
✅ |
✅ |
⚠️ reimplemented |
| Vision support |
✅ proxied |
❌ |
❌ |
| Extra process to run |
❌ |
✅ |
❌ |
| One-click install |
✅ |
❌ |
✅ |
| API key in OS keychain |
✅ |
❌ |
⚠️ varies |
License
MIT
