Codex desktop + DeepSeek — One-Script Bridge

You want Codex CLI but don't want to pay OpenAI. DeepSeek is cheaper and faster — but the two speak completely different protocols. This repo gives you a single script that builds the bridge, writes the config, and launches everything. CLI power, DeepSeek prices, zero manual setup.

中文说明

Pain Point

You want to use Codex CLI — it's fast, terminal-native, and free with OAuth. But it only connects to OpenAI models. DeepSeek V4 offers comparable quality at a fraction of OpenAI's cost. Problem: Codex speaks Responses API, DeepSeek speaks Anthropic Messages API. They literally can't communicate. You get 404 Not Found.

The official DeepSeek guide walks you through the fix manually — install Go, clone Moon Bridge, hand-edit config.yml, run CLI flags, manage a background proxy. Works, but takes 20+ minutes of YAML and frustration.

Solution

One script, end to end. Clone this repo, run setup.sh, and you have a working Codex→DeepSeek connection. The script handles every step: it checks prerequisites (Go, Node, Codex CLI), clones Moon Bridge, writes the config with your API key, builds the binary, generates your ~/.codex/config.toml, and starts the proxy in the background.

Quickstart

git clone https://github.com/veritasian/codex-deepseek.git
bash codex-deepseek/scripts/setup.sh     # prompts for your DeepSeek API key
bash codex-deepseek/scripts/start.sh     # launches moon-bridge + codex

Get your API key: platform.deepseek.com/api_keys

How It Works

Codex CLI ──Responses API──→ Moon Bridge ──Anthropic API──→ DeepSeek
          localhost:38440    (local proxy)     api.deepseek.com

Step	What the script does
1. Prerequisites	Checks Go, Node, Codex CLI. Installs missing ones via Homebrew.
2. Moon Bridge	Clones from GitHub (or git pull if already cloned)
3. Config	Writes ~/moon-bridge/config.yml with your API key (chmod 600)
4. Build	go build the moonbridge binary
5. Codex	Backs up existing ~/.codex/config.toml, generates a new one pointing to the bridge
6. Launch	Starts moonbridge in background on port 38440, ready for Codex

Daily Use

One-click auto:

bash codex-deepseek/scripts/start.sh

Manual:

~/moon-bridge/moonbridge --config ~/moon-bridge/config.yml &
codex

Login item (starts on boot): System Settings → General → Login Items → + → ~/moon-bridge/moonbridge — add argument: --config ~/moon-bridge/config.yml

Bonus: Claude Code Skill

This repo includes a SKILL.md. Install it and Claude handles the entire setup with natural language:

cp -r codex-deepseek ~/.claude/skills/

> connect Codex to my DeepSeek API key

Files

File	Purpose
scripts/setup.sh	Full setup: clone → config → build → launch
scripts/start.sh	Quick launcher: starts moon-bridge if needed, opens Codex
SKILL.md	Claude Code skill for automatic triggering

Inspiration

This project is based on the official DeepSeek + Codex integration guide. That guide walks through the full manual setup — install Go, clone Moon Bridge, write config.yml by hand, generate Codex config via CLI, manage the proxy process. This repo wraps the same steps into one script.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Fix
connection refused	Moon Bridge isn't running — start it first
401 Unauthorized	Wrong API key — check ~/moon-bridge/config.yml
Port 38440 already in use	lsof -ti:38440 | xargs kill
codex: command not found	npm install -g @openai/codex

License

MIT