Before you start
- An email address, a phone number or a Google account, to sign in to DeepSeek.
- A way to pay. DeepSeek takes the cost of what TAKT uses from money you add to your account in advance, which it calls topping up. Without a balance, DeepSeek turns requests away. When you top up in US dollars, DeepSeek offers PayPal or a debit or credit card, Visa or Mastercard, and Google Pay.
Get your key
Open the DeepSeek Platform and click Log in, or click Sign up to create an account.
Open the Top up page and pick an amount, or Custom. Choose how to pay and click Next step. The payment shows on the Billing page once it has gone through.
Open the API keys page.
Click Create new API key, type a name for the key, and click Create API key.
Click Copy. DeepSeek shows the full key only once, when you create it, so copy it now.
Paste it into TAKT
Go back to TAKT. On the Set up screen, click Add key on the DeepSeek card. Paste your key into the box marked Paste your DeepSeek key, then click Check and save. The button shows Checking… while TAKT tests the key. When it works, you see ✓ Connected.
Keep it safe
- Treat the key like a password. Anyone who has it can spend your balance, so never share it. If you think someone else has seen it, delete it: on the API keys page, click the bin icon next to it, then Revoke. Then make a new one.
- DeepSeek shows the full key only once. If you lose it, you cannot see it again, so make a new one instead.
- DeepSeek's documentation does not describe a spending limit. It takes the cost from your balance and turns requests away when the balance runs out, so start with a small top-up.
What it costs
You pay DeepSeek directly, at DeepSeek's prices, and TAKT adds nothing on top. DeepSeek lists its prices on its Models and Pricing page.
If it does not work
- No balance yet. DeepSeek calls this Insufficient Balance. Top up on the Top up page, then try again.
- Part of the key is missing. DeepSeek treats an incomplete key as a wrong one. You cannot see the key again, so make a new one on the API keys page and copy it with the Copy button.
- The key was deleted. A deleted key stops working for good. Make a new one on the API keys page.
Last checked: 11 October 2026, against these DeepSeek pages:
- api-docs.deepseek.com
- api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/pricing
- api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/error_codes
- api-docs.deepseek.com/faq
- The DeepSeek Platform screens, as shown in the screenshots, 15 October 2026