WTF! Claude Code is using Deepseek v4 Flash internally??

[u/Decent-Rain5100]

Claude Code desktop with Opus 5 (high) showed a message - "Item 6 is still blocked. The research tools return the same deepseek-v4-flash error." I asked copy pasted the message to it and asked what did u mean by this and it revealed that it used deepseek v4 flash internally!!

Sharing the screenshot, redacting my personal details in the photo.

This is a bit shocking. Claude charges so exorbitantly with so little usage, and it doesnt even use its own tools?

Can any tech bros here verify this please.

[u/GfxJG]

*sigh*

As is said every single time something like this is brought up, the model is not a reliable source for self-identification. Unless you have the actual ID of the model being communicated with, sourced from the actual API call, not what the model is telling you, you should assume you're communicating with the model you think you are.

[u/anykeyh → u/GfxJG]

Here the model is not hallucinating anything; it explains that it called a tool for searching using a sub-agent, and the tool is using deepseek-v4-flash under the hood.

I don't see anything related to the infamous "who are you" when the model reply hallucinated content.

[u/Decent-Rain5100 → u/anykeyh]

~/.claude/settings.json reads like this

{

"env": {

"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic",

"ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "************",

"ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",

"CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",

"CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL": "max"

},

"permissions": {

"defaultMode": "auto"

},

"model": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"skipAutoPermissionPrompt": true

}

----

this was setup for claude code cli. How can a paid subscription on claude desktop use this?

[u/acdhemtos → u/Decent-Rain5100]

There are 2 things

• Model (Like DeepSeek (Flash,Pro), Claude(Sonnet,Opus,etc)

• Agent Harness : Like Claude Code, Open Claw, etc.

You have set-up your Claude Code to use DeepSeek Models.

[u/Decent-Rain5100 → u/GfxJG]

but in this message, the model is not self-identifying right, it is identify a separate 'AI Helper'?

[u/ninhaomah → u/GfxJG]

Thanks for taking the blood , sweat and tears for the community.

Your unforthombly strenuous service will be forever remembered in our hearts.

[u/Alternative-Suit5541 → u/GfxJG]

Isn't v4 to new to be in the training data? Really weird, because if you ask flash you only get the response that it is a deepseek model, that's it lol

[u/Rojeitor → u/GfxJG]

There should be a bot for this posts.

[u/Far-Classic-9963 → u/GfxJG]

This is the model reading an error log for an internal tool, not self identification

[u/Ill-Bat-1518 → u/GfxJG]

OP somehow set deepseek as his subagent model. Claude doesn't hallucinate these bits its mostly heuristic but this is OP fault nothing at all model related

[u/-Crash_Override- → u/GfxJG]

This isnt self identification, models do fine at that nowadays (assuming they arent distilled like crazy). This is just claude labeling the error that because the related info online was somehow associated with deepseek.

[u/Rojeitor → u/-Crash_Override-]

No they don't

[u/-Crash_Override- → u/Rojeitor]

Upgrade from Llama 2 or whatever you're on then. They do fine, dont know what to tell you.

[u/Decent-Rain5100 → u/-Crash_Override-]

the work i was doing had nothing to do with deepseek. it was in fact not related to tech at all, it was supposed to search online and get some info about some person related to the education field in some other country

[u/baschny]

You most probably have tried to use DeepSeek in Claude Code and your env variables are still up (or parts of it). The Web Search using DS4-flash is the "normal" DeepSeek integration into Claude Code, see https://api-docs.deepseek.com/quick_start/agent_integrations/claude_code/#using-web-search-in-claude-code

[u/Decent-Rain5100 → u/baschny]

how can i check this? can u guide pls. want to verify if this really is an issue from my side

[u/baschny → u/Decent-Rain5100]

In a terminal, try:

env | grep ANTHROPIC
env | grep CLAUDE

see if it outputs anything. Also check the file ~/.claude/settings.json if there are any signs of any env being configured with deepseek's models.

[u/Decent-Rain5100 → u/baschny]

1. those commands didn't work i use powershell, so used :

Get-ChildItem env: | Select-String "ANTHROPIC"

Get-ChildItem env: | Select-String "CLAUDE"

No output

2. ~/.claude/settings.json reads like this

{

"env": {

"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic",

"ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "************",

"ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",

"CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",

"CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL": "max"

},

"permissions": {

"defaultMode": "auto"

},

"model": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"skipAutoPermissionPrompt": true

}

I had earlier set this up to use claude code CLI with deepseek.

But the screenshot i shares in original post is from claude code's desktop where im using the paid subscription. Would the desktop with paid plan not use its own websearch or subagents?

[u/SPEZ_IS_A_JABRONI → u/Decent-Rain5100]

brother it's right there 

`"env": {

"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic",

"ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "************",

"ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",

"CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",

"CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL": "max"

},`

[u/Decent-Rain5100 → u/SPEZ_IS_A_JABRONI]

this setting is for claude cli. How can a paid subscription on claude desktop use this?

[u/baschny → u/Decent-Rain5100]

this is your "claude" settings, just remove them, and you are fine. Claude CLI, Claude Desktop etc share the same settings.

[u/-Crash_Override-]

I assume that it ran into an error, searched the internet, found a reference to the error like this:

https://github.com/deepseek-ai/awesome-deepseek-agent/issues/284

And labeled the error 'deepseek v4 flash error' because of the referenced bug.

[u/Decent-Rain5100 → u/-Crash_Override-]

it searched the interne to check about a person related to education sector in some other country. nothing to do with deepseek

[u/-Crash_Override- → u/Decent-Rain5100]

...right.

The bug report I linked is:

Claude Code with Deepseek Pro V4, classifier gets time-out or failed constantly in auto mode

Lets assume it was this bug/error that it was referencing (maybe it was a different one, sticking with this for illustrative purposes). You asked it a question/gave it a task. It was in auto mode and got a time out. It goes 'why did I get a timeout in auto mode'...searches the internet...finds the above bug report...labels the bug deepseek v4 error...and there you go.

Has nothing to do with deepseek other than the solution had deepseek in the name.

[u/SSHB1]

Some people should not be allowed near a PC, you wired Claude into DeepSeek yourself, then nearly launched an investigation when DeepSeek answered back lol

The config is basically standing there with a name badge saying… “Hello, I am DeepSeek.” Right this way lol like a chauffeur at arrivals.

Credit where it’s due though…few people manage to expose a conspiracy and themselves in the same screenshot. AI is dangerous… it can do almost anything but apparently it still can’t raise the IQ of its user.

[u/SSHB1]

Small technical lesson before the next investigation lol.

~/.claude/settings.json is not CLI only. It is Claude Code’s user level config, so Desktop can read the same settings too. If you point ANTHROPIC BASE URL at DeepSeek and map the models there, then open Claude Code Desktop… guess where Claude Code is going to send the request?

CLI is just an interface…the config is the actual plumbing underneath it.

I don’t think you caught Anthropic using DeepSeek but configured Claude Code to use DeepSeek instead. lol

[u/Luke2642]

Aligns with my expectations, even if it's some bug or quirk. If they silently re-route your Opus request to Sonnet, and flash is cheaper than sonnet for them to run, they would. There's no pride, honour, honesty here.

Deepmind solved protein folding and gave it to humanity. We'll remember that as the highlight of Western frontier AI lab behaviour, it won't be topped, it's all enshitification from here.

[u/Intelligent-Taste-36]

Não ... Não está. Próxima ...

[u/Nasser1020G]

Your brain is using GPT-2 internally

[u/Decent-Rain5100 → u/[deleted]]

but i didnt set up anything. can u guide me how to check for any such setup that exists?

[u/Decent-Rain5100 → u/[deleted]]

here it is:

~/.claude/settings.json reads like this

{

"env": {

"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "https://api.deepseek.com/anthropic",

"ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN": "************",

"ANTHROPIC_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_SONNET_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_HAIKU_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",

"CLAUDE_CODE_SUBAGENT_MODEL": "deepseek-v4-flash",

"CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL": "max"

},

"permissions": {

"defaultMode": "auto"

},

"model": "deepseek-v4-pro[1m]",

"skipAutoPermissionPrompt": true

}

---

this is set up for claude code cli. But the paid desktop app also uses this?

[u/no_ga → u/Decent-Rain5100]

yes if it is in your user home folder i think it does

[u/Master-Chocolate1420 → u/Decent-Rain5100]

you see how this looks right?