DeepSeek's API Can't Read Images — So We Fixed That for Claude Code
DeepSeek's API Can't Read Images — So We Fixed That for Claude Code
From the founder · July 2026
I wanted to run Claude Code on DeepSeek for the price. If you've tried the same, you've probably hit the wall I did: DeepSeek's own API is text-only. Paste a screenshot or a UI mockup into your session and it simply fails.
For agentic coding, that's not a small limitation. Half of real-world prompts start with an image: "here's a screenshot of the bug," "build this from the mockup," "why does this dialog look broken?" A coding agent that can't see is working with one hand tied behind its back.
That's why I built CloudCode.ONE.
Vision that just works
CloudCode.ONE is a pay-as-you-go AI coding gateway. Text requests go to DeepSeek V4 Pro with its 1-million-token context window — enough to hold a serious codebase in a single session. But the moment a request contains an image, we automatically route it to a vision-capable model.
No configuration. No manual model switching. You paste screenshots, error dialogs, or Figma mockups into Claude Code exactly like you're used to, and the agent codes from them.
Pay-as-you-go, from $5 — no subscription
AI coding pricing today is all-or-nothing: commit to a $20–200/month subscription, or ride raw API billing and hope for the best. If you code in bursts — a heavy weekend, then two quiet weeks — you're overpaying either way.
CloudCode.ONE works differently:
- Top up from $5. Pay only for the tokens you actually use.
- Credit never expires. A quiet month costs you nothing.
- No subscription, no monthly minimum. Ever.
And your credit goes further than you'd expect: DeepSeek V4 Flash automatically handles the fast subagent and haiku-tier calls, so the big model is only doing the work that actually needs it.
Works with the tools you already use
CloudCode.ONE exposes both Anthropic-compatible and OpenAI-compatible APIs. For Claude Code, setup is literally one environment variable:
export ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=https://api.cloudcode.one
That's it. It also works with Cline, Roo Code, OpenCode, and any other tool that speaks either API.
Don't want to touch API keys at all?
We also ship Harness, a free desktop agent app for Windows and Ubuntu. Sign in with your browser and it connects automatically — no API-key copy-pasting, no config files. It's early (v0.1.0) and improving fast.
Who this is for
- Bursty coders who don't want another subscription idling between projects
- Side-project builders who want serious agentic coding at hobby-budget prices
- Anyone who needs a cheap, capable second model for subagent work alongside their main setup
- Everyone who has ever pasted a screenshot into Claude Code on DeepSeek and watched it fail
Try it for five cents
Not five dollars — five cents. Apply the coupon code below at top-up and take CloudCode.ONE for a real spin with your own projects before deciding whether it earns a place in your toolkit:
Coupon code: MYFIVECENTSFORDEV26
Run a real session. Paste a screenshot. See how far a million tokens of context gets you.
Built by one person, shaped by your feedback
CloudCode.ONE is built and run by a solo founder. That means no committees and fast iteration — and it also means your feedback lands directly on the desk of the person who can act on it. Pricing, model choices, missing features: all fair game. Tell me what's broken and what you want next.
Get started at cloudcode.one →