DeepSeek becomes default model on ChatGPT Codex
deepseek openai
| Source: Mastodon | Original article
Developers can now set DeepSeek as the default model for ChatGPT Codex, enabling the platform to use DeepSeek for all coding assistance.
A new guide is circulating online showing how to make DeepSeek the default model for OpenAI’s Codex coding assistant inside ChatGPT. The tutorial, posted on a YouTube channel on 06 August 2026, walks users through the steps required to register a ChatGPT account without a phone number, install the desktop client and then point Codex at an OpenAI‑compatible endpoint that serves DeepSeek‑V3 or DeepSeek‑R1. The same DeepSeek models are listed among more than 500 free LLM APIs on a public “Free LLM API Keys” page, which notes that several providers expose the models through OpenAI‑compatible wrappers.
Why it matters is twofold. First, DeepSeek is a non‑OpenAI model that has been praised for its open‑source licensing and competitive performance on coding tasks. By swapping the underlying engine, developers can experiment with lower‑cost or more transparent alternatives while still using the familiar Codex interface, which OpenAI markets as a “command centre for agentic coding.” Second, the move underscores a growing trend of third‑party models being layered onto proprietary platforms, a development that could pressure OpenAI to clarify its model‑selection policies and pricing structures.
What to watch next includes any official response from OpenAI—whether it will endorse, block or integrate third‑party back‑ends more formally. Regulators may also take note; the U.S. Senate is currently debating a “duty of care” bill that could give the government authority to intervene when AI models are deemed unsafe, a context that could affect how platforms handle external model endpoints. Finally, the developer community will likely test DeepSeek’s coding accuracy and speed against OpenAI’s native models, providing early data on whether the switch delivers tangible benefits for everyday software engineering.
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