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Setting Up DeepSeek ​

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This guide takes you from wherever you are right now to a working DeepSeek inside Quiper — no prior setup assumed. The goal is simple: after you follow these steps, DeepSeek works. It covers the full path, from installing Quiper (if you don't have it) to creating a DeepSeek account (if you don't have one) to signing in inside the overlay.

NOTE

DeepSeek ships on the web at chat.deepseek.com and in the iOS App Store and Google Play apps (see deepseek.com: "DeepSeek Web" at chat.deepseek.com and Introducing DeepSeek App: "Easy login: E-mail/Google Account/Apple ID" and "100% FREE — No ads, no in-app purchases"). As of September 2026 there is no standalone consumer DeepSeek app for macOS — the mobile apps plus the web chat are the official surfaces, and the separate developer console at platform.deepseek.com is for API keys and billing. This guide is for running chat.deepseek.com inside Quiper, where it shares an overlay with your other engines.

Starting point: what do you already have? ​

Pick the section that matches your situation and start there. You can skip anything marked "only if you don't have this yet."

If you…Start with
Haven't installed QuiperStep 1: Install Quiper
Installed Quiper but never launched itStep 2: Launch Quiper
Launched Quiper but don't see DeepSeekStep 4: Open DeepSeek in Quiper
Don't have a DeepSeek accountStep 3: Create a DeepSeek account
Already signed in to DeepSeekSkip ahead to Verify DeepSeek works

1. Install Quiper ​

Requirements: macOS 14.6 (Sonoma) or newer. No other hardware requirements.

  1. Download the latest disk image from the releases page (Quiper.dmg).
  2. Double-click the downloaded .dmg to mount it.
  3. Drag Quiper.app into your Applications folder.
  4. (Optional but recommended) Verify the download came from this repository's CI:
    bash
    gh attestation verify Quiper.dmg --repo sassanh/quiper
  5. Double-click Quiper.app in Applications to launch it. If macOS warns about an app from an unidentified developer, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway.

TIP

Built Quiper from source or running the Debug build? The setup steps below are identical.

2. Launch Quiper ​

  1. Launch Quiper. It runs as a menu-bar application — you'll see its icon in the top-right menu bar. By default a Dock icon appears only while the overlay is open; set Dock visibility to Always or Never under Settings (⌘ ⇧ ,) → Appearance.
  2. When macOS asks to allow notifications, click Allow. Quiper needs this to show native notifications when a DeepSeek generation finishes in the background. (You can change this later under System Settings → Notifications.)
  3. Open the overlay by pressing ⌥ Space (Option + Space). If the hotkey doesn't respond, Quiper needs Accessibility permission — see Troubleshooting.
  4. Dismiss the overlay with ⌥ Space again, ⌘ H, or ⌘ Q.

The overlay is now your home base: press ⌥ Space from any app to summon it.

3. Create a DeepSeek account (only if you don't have one) ​

DeepSeek runs on your DeepSeek chat account at chat.deepseek.com. If you already use DeepSeek on the web or in the mobile app, skip this step. The chat account is separate from the developer account at platform.deepseek.com (API keys and billing); you only need the chat account for this guide.

DeepSeek offers Email and Mobile (phone + SMS) sign-in plus Continue with Google on the web; the mobile apps also offer Sign in with Apple. You only need one method. Create your account at chat.deepseek.com/sign_up and follow the prompts there.

You can also create an account later from inside Quiper — the sign-in screen in the next step offers the same Sign up link.

4. Open DeepSeek in Quiper ​

DeepSeek ships as a built-in engine template, so on a fresh install it's already in your engine selector — no configuration needed.

  1. Press ⌥ Space to open the overlay.
  2. Click the DeepSeek tab in the engine selector at the top. (If you've registered an engine hotkey in Settings → Shortcuts → Engine Hotkeys, press it to jump straight to DeepSeek.)
  3. A session tab opens and Quiper automatically places the keyboard cursor inside DeepSeek's prompt field, ready to type.

NOTE

Don't see a DeepSeek tab? On a fresh install all default engines are preloaded, but if DeepSeek was removed earlier you can add it again: open Settings (⌘ ⇧ ,) → Engines, click Add Engine, choose Blank, set the name to DeepSeek and the URL to https://chat.deepseek.com, then save. See Managing Engines for the focus selector (textarea, div[contenteditable='true'], [role='textbox']) and custom CSS defaults.

5. Sign in to DeepSeek inside Quiper ​

You sign in directly to DeepSeek from inside the overlay — Quiper never sees or stores your password.

  1. With the DeepSeek tab open, click Log in (top-right).
  2. Choose your sign-in method — Email + password, Phone + SMS (where offered), Google, or Apple (Apple is most reliable in the iOS app; web availability has varied). Quiper keeps the accounts.google.com and appleid.apple.com OAuth flows inside the overlay via built-in routing rules, so you won't be bounced out to a browser.
  3. Complete the CAPTCHA/slider if prompted (appears more often on new devices or unusual IPs) and, if you have 2FA enabled, the six-digit code from your authenticator or SMS.
  4. You will land on the DeepSeek chat page with the prompt box at the bottom. Your cross-platform chat history syncs across chat.deepseek.com and the mobile apps on the same account.

Once signed in, DeepSeek stays signed in across Quiper sessions.

6. Verify DeepSeek works ​

  1. Press ⌥ Space to open the overlay (if it isn't already open).
  2. Confirm the DeepSeek tab is active and the prompt field is focused.
  3. Type a test message — for example, "Reply with OK" — and press Enter.
  4. Wait for the response to stream in. A generated answer means DeepSeek is fully working in Quiper.

Optional refinements after sign-in ​

  • Native notifications: Background generations surface as macOS notifications (requires the permission you granted in Step 2).
  • Persistent sessions: Use ⌘ 1–⌘ 0 to keep up to ten separate DeepSeek threads alive. See Daily Workflow & Shortcuts.
  • Native look: Enable the transparent-background CSS in Settings (⌘ ⇧ ,) → Engines → DeepSeek → Custom CSS and a matching vibrancy material under Settings → Appearance.
  • Extra privacy: Lock DeepSeek's local data behind Touch ID under Settings → Engines → DeepSeek → Secure Storage (the Encrypt Local Storage toggle). See Touch ID & Security.

Troubleshooting ​

ProblemLikely fix
⌥ Space doesn't open the overlayGrant Quiper Accessibility permission in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility, then re-bind the hotkey in Settings (⌘ ⇧ ,) → Shortcuts.
Google or Apple sign-in bounces to SafariThe accounts.google.com or appleid.apple.com Internal routing rule is missing or reordered. Add it back in Settings → Engines → DeepSeek → Domain Routing (defaults: ^https?://([^/]*\.)?accounts\.google\.com(/|$) and ^https?://([^/]*\.)?appleid\.apple\.com(/|$) → Internal), or see Keeping Sign-In Inside the Overlay for right-click and ask-first alternatives.
No DeepSeek tab in the selectorRe-add the engine manually (see Step 4).
Focus doesn't land in the prompt fieldThe focus selector is stale. Reset it in Settings → Engines → DeepSeek → Prompt Input (enable Use Latest Default) and reload with ⌘ R.
No verification code email/SMSWait 60 seconds, request again, check spam; some disposable-email domains are blocked — try a primary mailbox. Phone delivery can stall on some carriers — switching to email or Google usually works.
"Email already registered" or two historiesYou created two accounts with different methods. Sign in with the original provider (Email vs. Google vs. Apple). Use the same method everywhere.
No notifications for finished repliesCheck System Settings → Notifications → Quiper is set to Banners or Alerts.

For anything else, see Troubleshooting & Diagnostics.

Released under the MIT License.

Copyright © 2024-present Sassan Haradji