diff --git a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/package.json b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/package.json
index d233ef7764..2c39e2d920 100644
--- a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/package.json
+++ b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/package.json
@@ -27,8 +27,10 @@
   ],
   "license": "BSD-3-Clause",
   "peerDependencies": {
+    "@deepseek-ai/dsh-credentials": "^0.0.1",
     "@deepseek-ai/dsh-invariants": "^0.0.1",
     "@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm": "^0.0.1",
+    "@deepseek-ai/dsh-settings": "^0.0.1",
     "@deepseek-ai/dsh-timeout": "^0.0.1",
     "cordis": "^4.0.0-rc.7"
   },
@@ -37,8 +39,10 @@
     "schemastery": "^3.18.0"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
+    "@deepseek-ai/dsh-credentials": "workspace:^",
     "@deepseek-ai/dsh-invariants": "workspace:^",
     "@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm": "workspace:^",
+    "@deepseek-ai/dsh-settings": "workspace:^",
     "@deepseek-ai/dsh-timeout": "workspace:^",
     "cordis": "^4.0.0-rc.7"
   }
diff --git a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/src/adapter.ts b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/src/adapter.ts
index ff5ce9bf72..0163dd3cab 100644
--- a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/src/adapter.ts
+++ b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/src/adapter.ts
@@ -1,21 +1,23 @@
 /**
  * `DeepSeekAdapter`: fetch + SSE against a DeepSeek (OpenAI-compatible)
- * chat-completions endpoint, emitting harness StreamChunks.
+ * chat-completions endpoint, emitting harness StreamChunks. The adapter is
+ * transport-only: connection facts arrive through a thunk resolved once per
+ * operation and the bearer token through a per-request resolver, so the
+ * registering plugin owns validation, layering, and credential policy.
  *
  * @module dsh-llm-deepseek/adapter
  */
 
-import { attributionHeaders, CONTEXT_WINDOW_EXCEEDED_CODE, isContextWindowExceededError, isQuotaExceededError, LlmAdapter, LlmError, ProviderRequestId, QUOTA_EXCEEDED_CODE, ReasoningEffortId, resolveRetryPolicy } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm'
+import { attributionHeaders, CONTEXT_WINDOW_EXCEEDED_CODE, isContextWindowExceededError, isQuotaExceededError, LlmAdapter, LlmError, ProviderRequestId, QUOTA_EXCEEDED_CODE, ReasoningEffortId } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm'
 import type {
   GenerateOptions,
   LlmModelInfo,
   LlmProviderInfo,
   LlmResolvedModelInfo,
   ResolvedRetryPolicy,
-  RetryPolicyConfig,
   StreamChunk,
 } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm'
-import { idleWatchdog, MAX_TIMER_DELAY_MS, timeoutOf } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-timeout'
+import { idleWatchdog, timeoutOf } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-timeout'
 import { serializeRequest } from './serialize.ts'
 import type { RequestDefaults } from './serialize.ts'
 import { parseSse } from './sse.ts'
@@ -34,22 +36,37 @@ export interface DeepSeekCatalogModel {
   contextWindow?: number
 }
 
-/** Constructor options for {@link DeepSeekAdapter}; the plugin's `apply` resolves them from Config + environment. */
-export interface DeepSeekAdapterOptions {
-  /** Bearer token sent in the `authorization` header on every request. */
-  apiKey: string
+/**
+ * Validated connection facts for one operation. The plugin's
+ * `resolveAdapterOptions` is the one explicit resolve step producing this
+ * shape; the adapter trusts it and re-reads it per operation, which is what
+ * makes a configuration change reach the next request without re-registration.
+ */
+export interface DeepSeekConnectionOptions {
   /** Endpoint base; `/chat/completions` is appended. */
   baseURL: string
   /** Request defaults applied to every call (thinking mode, effort). */
-  defaults?: RequestDefaults
+  defaults: RequestDefaults
   /** Positive context capacity used when the selected model has no exact value. */
   defaultContextWindow?: number
   /** Advisory models exposed to discovery consumers; requests remain unrestricted. */
-  models?: readonly DeepSeekCatalogModel[]
+  models: readonly DeepSeekCatalogModel[]
   /** Maximum provider idle time while one stream read is outstanding. */
-  streamIdleTimeoutMs?: number
-  /** Provider-owned model-request retry policy; omission uses normal defaults. */
-  retryPolicy?: RetryPolicyConfig
+  streamIdleTimeoutMs: number
+  /** Provider-owned model-request retry policy, already resolved. */
+  retryPolicy: ResolvedRetryPolicy
+}
+
+/** Constructor options for {@link DeepSeekAdapter}: the two resolution seams the plugin owns. */
+export interface DeepSeekAdapterOptions {
+  /** Current validated connection facts; called once per operation. */
+  options: () => DeepSeekConnectionOptions
+  /**
+   * Resolve the bearer token for one request; called once per stream call and
+   * frozen for that call. Throws `LlmError` `MISSING_CREDENTIAL` when no key
+   * is available anywhere.
+   */
+  resolveApiKey: () => Promise<string>
 }
 
 /** Default maximum idle interval while an adapter stream read is outstanding. */
@@ -118,29 +135,8 @@ export function httpErrorCode(status: number, error?: WireError['error']): strin
  * map to `ABORTED`; the configured per-read idle watchdog maps to `TIMEOUT`.
  */
 export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
-  private readonly streamIdleTimeoutMs: number
-  private readonly retryPolicy: ResolvedRetryPolicy
-
-  constructor(private readonly options: DeepSeekAdapterOptions) {
+  constructor(private readonly config: DeepSeekAdapterOptions) {
     super()
-    if (options.defaults?.thinking === 'disabled'
-      && options.defaults.reasoningEffort !== undefined
-      && options.defaults.reasoningEffort !== 'off') {
-      throw new Error('llm-deepseek: only reasoningEffort "off" can be configured when thinking is disabled')
-    }
-    if (options.defaultContextWindow !== undefined
-      && (!Number.isInteger(options.defaultContextWindow) || options.defaultContextWindow <= 0)) {
-      throw new Error('llm-deepseek: defaultContextWindow must be a positive integer')
-    }
-    this.streamIdleTimeoutMs = options.streamIdleTimeoutMs ?? DEFAULT_STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS
-    if (!Number.isFinite(this.streamIdleTimeoutMs)
-      || this.streamIdleTimeoutMs <= 0
-      || this.streamIdleTimeoutMs > MAX_TIMER_DELAY_MS) {
-      throw new Error(
-        `llm-deepseek: streamIdleTimeoutMs must be a positive finite number no greater than ${MAX_TIMER_DELAY_MS}`,
-      )
-    }
-    this.retryPolicy = resolveRetryPolicy(options.retryPolicy, 'llm-deepseek: retryPolicy')
   }
 
   override providerInfo(provider: string): LlmProviderInfo {
@@ -148,11 +144,11 @@ export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
   }
 
   override providerRetryPolicy(_provider: string): ResolvedRetryPolicy {
-    return this.retryPolicy
+    return this.config.options().retryPolicy
   }
 
   override listModels(provider: string): Promise<readonly LlmModelInfo[]> {
-    return Promise.resolve((this.options.models ?? []).map(model => modelInfo(provider, model)))
+    return Promise.resolve(this.config.options().models.map(model => modelInfo(provider, model)))
   }
 
   override resolveModel(
@@ -160,15 +156,16 @@ export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
     model: string,
     _signal?: AbortSignal,
   ): Promise<LlmResolvedModelInfo> {
-    const configured = this.options.models?.find(entry => entry.id === model)
+    const connection = this.config.options()
+    const configured = connection.models.find(entry => entry.id === model)
     const contextWindow = configured?.contextWindow
-      ?? this.options.defaultContextWindow
+      ?? connection.defaultContextWindow
     return Promise.resolve({
       ...configured === undefined
         ? { provider, id: model, name: model }
         : modelInfo(provider, configured),
       ...contextWindow === undefined ? {} : { context: { contextWindow } },
-      ...this.options.defaults?.thinking === 'disabled'
+      ...connection.defaults.thinking === 'disabled'
         ? {
           reasoning: {
             efforts: OFF_ONLY_REASONING_EFFORTS,
@@ -178,9 +175,9 @@ export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
         : {
           reasoning: {
             efforts: REASONING_EFFORTS,
-            defaultEffort: this.options.defaults?.reasoningEffort === 'off'
+            defaultEffort: connection.defaults.reasoningEffort === 'off'
               ? OFF_REASONING_EFFORT
-              : this.options.defaults?.reasoningEffort === 'max'
+              : connection.defaults.reasoningEffort === 'max'
                 ? MAX_REASONING_EFFORT
                 : HIGH_REASONING_EFFORT,
           },
@@ -189,12 +186,17 @@ export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
   }
 
   async * stream(options: GenerateOptions): AsyncIterable<StreamChunk> {
+    // One resolution per stream call: connection facts and the credential
+    // freeze here and hold for this whole request, so an in-flight stream
+    // never observes a configuration change and the next call re-resolves.
+    const connection = this.config.options()
+    const apiKey = await this.config.resolveApiKey()
     const consumer = new AbortController()
     const upstream = options.signal === undefined
       ? consumer.signal
       : AbortSignal.any([options.signal, consumer.signal])
-    using watchdog = idleWatchdog(upstream, this.streamIdleTimeoutMs, STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_CODE)
-    const iterator = this.request(options, watchdog.signal)[Symbol.asyncIterator]()
+    using watchdog = idleWatchdog(upstream, connection.streamIdleTimeoutMs, STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_CODE)
+    const iterator = this.request(options, watchdog.signal, connection, apiKey)[Symbol.asyncIterator]()
     let exhausted = false
     try {
       while (true) {
@@ -208,7 +210,7 @@ export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
     } catch (error: unknown) {
       if (timeoutOf(watchdog.signal, STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_CODE) !== undefined) {
         throw new LlmError(
-          `DeepSeek stream idle timeout after ${this.streamIdleTimeoutMs}ms`,
+          `DeepSeek stream idle timeout after ${connection.streamIdleTimeoutMs}ms`,
           'TIMEOUT',
           { cause: error },
         )
@@ -217,7 +219,7 @@ export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
         throw new LlmError('DeepSeek request aborted by caller', 'ABORTED', { cause: error })
       }
       if (error instanceof LlmError) throw error
-      throw new LlmError(`DeepSeek API stream from ${this.options.baseURL} failed`, 'TRANSPORT', { cause: error })
+      throw new LlmError(`DeepSeek API stream from ${connection.baseURL} failed`, 'TRANSPORT', { cause: error })
     } finally {
       consumer.abort('DeepSeek stream consumer stopped')
       if (!exhausted && iterator.return !== undefined) {
@@ -230,13 +232,18 @@ export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
     }
   }
 
-  private async * request(options: GenerateOptions, signal: AbortSignal): AsyncIterable<StreamChunk> {
-    const body = serializeRequest(options, this.options.defaults ?? {})
+  private async * request(
+    options: GenerateOptions,
+    signal: AbortSignal,
+    connection: DeepSeekConnectionOptions,
+    apiKey: string,
+  ): AsyncIterable<StreamChunk> {
+    const body = serializeRequest(options, connection.defaults)
     // Prepared outside the try so the TRANSPORT label below covers exactly the
     // transport boundary, never a serialization failure.
     const payload = JSON.stringify(body)
     const headers = {
-      'authorization': `Bearer ${this.options.apiKey}`,
+      'authorization': `Bearer ${apiKey}`,
       'content-type': 'application/json',
       'accept': 'text/event-stream',
       ...attributionHeaders(),
@@ -252,7 +259,7 @@ export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
     // outweighs its additional runtime dependencies.
     let response: Response
     try {
-      response = await fetch(`${this.options.baseURL}/chat/completions`, {
+      response = await fetch(`${connection.baseURL}/chat/completions`, {
         method: 'POST',
         headers,
         body: payload,
@@ -266,7 +273,7 @@ export class DeepSeekAdapter extends LlmAdapter {
       // lives on `cause`. Wrapping with the endpoint and chaining the cause
       // lets `errorChain` render the full diagnosis at every reporting seam.
       throw new LlmError(
-        `DeepSeek API request to ${this.options.baseURL} failed`,
+        `DeepSeek API request to ${connection.baseURL} failed`,
         'TRANSPORT',
         { cause: error },
       )
diff --git a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/src/index.ts b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/src/index.ts
index 00db46d642..054f1984b0 100644
--- a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/src/index.ts
@@ -1,41 +1,56 @@
 /**
- * Register a {@link DeepSeekAdapter} for the `deepseek` provider route on `ctx.llm`. Configuration uses
- * Cordis schemastery; pass secrets from environment variables through `cordis.yml` with `!!js`,
- * as shown in the package README, rather than reading ad hoc files.
+ * Register a {@link DeepSeekAdapter} for the `deepseek` provider route on
+ * `ctx.llm`, with connection facts resolved per request instead of frozen at
+ * load: the plugin layers its `cordis.yml` entry config under the optional
+ * `llm-deepseek` user-settings section (`ctx.settings`) and resolves the API
+ * key through the optional credential seam (`ctx.credentials`), so a changed
+ * base URL, catalog, or key reaches the very next request without restarting
+ * anything, while an in-flight stream keeps the facts it started with. The
+ * one registration-captured fact — the retry policy — re-registers the route
+ * in place when it changes.
  * @module @deepseek-ai/dsh-llm-deepseek
  */
 
 import type { Context } from 'cordis'
 import z from 'schemastery'
-import { RetryPolicySchema } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm'
+import { LlmError, resolveRetryPolicy, RetryPolicySchema } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm'
 import type { RetryPolicyConfig } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm'
+import { credentialRef } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-credentials'
+import type { CredentialRef } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-credentials'
+import { deepEqualJson, settingsNamespace } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-settings'
 import { MAX_TIMER_DELAY_MS } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-timeout'
 import { DEFAULT_STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS, DeepSeekAdapter } from './adapter.ts'
-import type { DeepSeekCatalogModel } from './adapter.ts'
+import type { DeepSeekCatalogModel, DeepSeekConnectionOptions } from './adapter.ts'
 
 export { DeepSeekAdapter } from './adapter.ts'
-export type { DeepSeekAdapterOptions, DeepSeekCatalogModel } from './adapter.ts'
+export type { DeepSeekAdapterOptions, DeepSeekCatalogModel, DeepSeekConnectionOptions } from './adapter.ts'
 export type { RequestDefaults } from './serialize.ts'
 export type * from './types.ts'
 
 export const name = 'llm-deepseek'
 export const inject = ['llm']
 
+const NS = settingsNamespace('llm-deepseek')
+const DEFAULT_API_KEY_ENV = 'DEEPSEEK_API_KEY'
+
 const DEFAULT_MODELS: DeepSeekCatalogModel[] = [
   { id: 'deepseek-v4-flash', name: 'DeepSeek-V4-Flash', contextWindow: 256_000 },
   { id: 'deepseek-v4-pro', name: 'DeepSeek-V4-Pro', contextWindow: 256_000 },
 ]
 
 /**
- * Plugin config, validated by the same-named schemastery schema. Every field
- * is optional in yml: credentials/endpoint fall back to the environment (a
- * missing API key fails plugin load, not the first call), omitted thinking
- * mode uses the provider default, and omitted reasoning effort resolves to
- * `high`.
+ * Plugin config, validated by the same-named schemastery schema and doubling
+ * as the `llm-deepseek` settings-section shape. Every field is optional in
+ * yml: a missing API key resolves through {@link Config.apiKeyEnv} at each
+ * request (a request without any key fails with `MISSING_CREDENTIAL`, not at
+ * plugin load), omitted thinking mode uses the provider default, and omitted
+ * reasoning effort resolves to `high`.
  */
 export interface Config {
-  /** API key; falls back to $DEEPSEEK_API_KEY. Required one way or the other. */
+  /** Literal API key; prefer {@link apiKeyEnv} so no secret enters configuration files. */
   apiKey?: string
+  /** Credential reference (environment-variable name) resolved per request; defaults to `DEEPSEEK_API_KEY`. */
+  apiKeyEnv?: string
   /** Endpoint base; falls back to $DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL, then the public API. */
   baseURL?: string
   /** Deployment thinking policy; `disabled` limits every conversation request to `off`. */
@@ -60,7 +75,8 @@ const catalogModel: z<DeepSeekCatalogModel> = z.object({
 })
 
 export const Config: z<Config> = z.object({
-  apiKey: z.string(),
+  apiKey: z.string().role('secret'),
+  apiKeyEnv: z.string().default(DEFAULT_API_KEY_ENV),
   baseURL: z.string(),
   thinking: z.union(['enabled', 'disabled']),
   reasoningEffort: z.union(['off', 'high', 'max']),
@@ -73,6 +89,12 @@ export const Config: z<Config> = z.object({
 /** Public API default; the internal endpoint comes from $DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL. */
 export const PUBLIC_BASE_URL = 'https://api.deepseek.com'
 
+/** Connection facts plus the plugin-consumed credential reference. */
+export interface ResolvedDeepSeekOptions extends DeepSeekConnectionOptions {
+  /** Reference resolved per request when no literal key is configured. */
+  apiKeyEnv: CredentialRef
+}
+
 /** Resolve, validate, and detach the advisory model catalog. */
 function resolveModels(models: readonly DeepSeekCatalogModel[] | undefined): DeepSeekCatalogModel[] {
   const seen = new Set<string>()
@@ -98,20 +120,35 @@ function resolveModels(models: readonly DeepSeekCatalogModel[] | undefined): Dee
   })
 }
 
-export function apply(ctx: Context, config: Config): void {
+/**
+ * The one explicit resolve step from raw config to validated connection
+ * facts. Programmatic construction may bypass Schemastery normalization, so
+ * every default and bound is re-judged here — for the composition entry at
+ * load (fail loud) and for each settings snapshot at its first use.
+ * @param config - raw plugin config or resolved settings snapshot.
+ * @returns validated connection facts plus the credential reference.
+ */
+export function resolveAdapterOptions(config: Config): ResolvedDeepSeekOptions {
   if (config.thinking === 'disabled'
     && config.reasoningEffort !== undefined
     && config.reasoningEffort !== 'off') {
     throw new Error('llm-deepseek: only reasoningEffort "off" can be configured when thinking is disabled')
   }
-  const apiKey = config.apiKey ?? process.env.DEEPSEEK_API_KEY
-  if (apiKey === undefined || apiKey.length === 0) {
-    throw new Error('llm-deepseek: an API key is required (Config.apiKey or $DEEPSEEK_API_KEY)')
+  if (config.defaultContextWindow !== undefined
+    && (!Number.isInteger(config.defaultContextWindow) || config.defaultContextWindow <= 0)) {
+    throw new Error('llm-deepseek: defaultContextWindow must be a positive integer')
   }
-  const baseURL = config.baseURL ?? process.env.DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL ?? PUBLIC_BASE_URL
-  ctx.llm.registerAdapter(['deepseek'], new DeepSeekAdapter({
-    apiKey,
-    baseURL,
+  const streamIdleTimeoutMs = config.streamIdleTimeoutMs ?? DEFAULT_STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS
+  if (!Number.isFinite(streamIdleTimeoutMs)
+    || streamIdleTimeoutMs <= 0
+    || streamIdleTimeoutMs > MAX_TIMER_DELAY_MS) {
+    throw new Error(
+      `llm-deepseek: streamIdleTimeoutMs must be a positive finite number no greater than ${MAX_TIMER_DELAY_MS}`,
+    )
+  }
+  return {
+    apiKeyEnv: credentialRef(config.apiKeyEnv ?? DEFAULT_API_KEY_ENV),
+    baseURL: config.baseURL ?? process.env.DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL ?? PUBLIC_BASE_URL,
     defaults: {
       thinking: config.thinking,
       reasoningEffort: config.reasoningEffort,
@@ -120,7 +157,92 @@ export function apply(ctx: Context, config: Config): void {
       ? {}
       : { defaultContextWindow: config.defaultContextWindow },
     models: resolveModels(config.models),
-    streamIdleTimeoutMs: config.streamIdleTimeoutMs ?? DEFAULT_STREAM_IDLE_TIMEOUT_MS,
-    ...config.retryPolicy === undefined ? {} : { retryPolicy: config.retryPolicy },
-  }))
+    streamIdleTimeoutMs,
+    retryPolicy: resolveRetryPolicy(config.retryPolicy, 'llm-deepseek: retryPolicy'),
+  }
+}
+
+export function apply(ctx: Context, config: Config): void {
+  let current: () => Config = () => config
+  let lastRaw: Config | undefined
+  let lastGood: ResolvedDeepSeekOptions | undefined
+  const options = (): ResolvedDeepSeekOptions => {
+    const raw = current()
+    if (raw === lastRaw && lastGood !== undefined) return lastGood
+    try {
+      const next = resolveAdapterOptions(raw)
+      lastRaw = raw
+      lastGood = next
+      return next
+    } catch (error) {
+      // Static composition resolves before anything registers, so this branch
+      // only sees a live settings snapshot failing a beyond-schema bound:
+      // keep serving the last good facts and say so once per bad snapshot.
+      if (lastGood === undefined) throw error
+      lastRaw = raw
+      ctx.logger.error('llm-deepseek: keeping the last good configuration after an invalid settings section')
+      ctx.logger.error(error)
+      return lastGood
+    }
+  }
+  options()
+
+  const resolveApiKey = async (): Promise<string> => {
+    const raw = current()
+    if (raw.apiKey !== undefined && raw.apiKey.length > 0) return raw.apiKey
+    const ref = options().apiKeyEnv
+    const credentials = ctx.get('credentials')
+    if (credentials !== undefined) {
+      const hit = await credentials.resolve(ref)
+      if (hit !== undefined) return hit.value
+    } else {
+      // Without the seam, keep the historical ambient fallback so a plain
+      // cordis.yml composition works from the environment alone.
+      const ambient = process.env[ref]
+      if (ambient !== undefined && ambient.length > 0) return ambient
+    }
+    throw new LlmError(
+      'llm-deepseek: no API key for provider route "deepseek"; set the llm-deepseek "apiKey" setting,'
+      + ` store ${ref} with the credentials service, or export ${ref}`,
+      'MISSING_CREDENTIAL',
+    )
+  }
+
+  const adapter = new DeepSeekAdapter({ options, resolveApiKey })
+  // Route effects bind to this apply fiber via the stable `ctx` reference,
+  // even when a swap runs inside the scoped settings callback below.
+  let disposeRoute = ctx.llm.registerAdapter(['deepseek'], adapter)
+  let registeredPolicy = options().retryPolicy
+  const ensureRegistrationFacts = (): void => {
+    const policy = options().retryPolicy
+    if (deepEqualJson(policy, registeredPolicy)) return
+    // The registry captures the retry policy at registration, so it is the one
+    // fact per-request resolution cannot refresh: swap the registration in one
+    // synchronous section (same adapter instance, no NO_ADAPTER window).
+    disposeRoute()
+    disposeRoute = ctx.llm.registerAdapter(['deepseek'], adapter)
+    registeredPolicy = policy
+  }
+
+  void resolveApiKey().then(() => undefined, () => {
+    // Expected on a first boot with dynamic sources: the route stays
+    // registered (the catalog is browsable) and each request fails with the
+    // actionable MISSING_CREDENTIAL message until a key arrives.
+    ctx.logger.warn('llm-deepseek: no API key resolved yet for route "deepseek"; requests will fail until one is configured')
+  })
+
+  ctx.inject(['settings'], (sctx) => {
+    const scope = sctx.settings.register(NS, Config, { base: config })
+    current = () => scope.get()
+    sctx.effect(() => () => {
+      // Settings detached (provider disposed or reloading): fall back to the
+      // composition entry so the plugin keeps working exactly as configured.
+      current = () => config
+      ensureRegistrationFacts()
+    })
+    ensureRegistrationFacts()
+    scope.watch(() => {
+      ensureRegistrationFacts()
+    })
+  })
 }
diff --git a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/adapter.spec.ts b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/adapter.spec.ts
index 1b64c57982..935235d825 100644
--- a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/adapter.spec.ts
+++ b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/adapter.spec.ts
@@ -1,5 +1,3 @@
-import { createServer } from 'node:http'
-import type { IncomingMessage, Server, ServerResponse } from 'node:http'
 import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
 import { Context } from 'cordis'
 import LlmService, { createUserMessage,
@@ -14,90 +12,18 @@ import LlmService, { createUserMessage,
 import { MAX_TIMER_DELAY_MS } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-timeout'
 import { SessionId } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-session'
 import * as LlmDeepSeek from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm-deepseek'
-import { DeepSeekAdapter } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm-deepseek'
+import { DeepSeekAdapter, resolveAdapterOptions } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm-deepseek'
 import { httpErrorCode } from '../src/adapter.ts'
 import { assemble } from './assemble.ts'
-
-/** One scripted behavior for the next request the mock server receives. */
-type Behavior =
-  | { kind: 'sse'; events: string[]; delayMs?: number }
-  | { kind: 'http-error'; status: number; body: string; contentType?: string; headers?: Record<string, string> }
-  | { kind: 'close-early'; events: string[] }
-
-interface MockServer {
-  url: string
-  /** Bodies of received requests, in order. */
-  requests: unknown[]
-  /** Header bags of received requests, in order (parallel to `requests`). */
-  headers: IncomingMessage['headers'][]
-  script: Behavior[]
-  close(): Promise<void>
-}
-
-const servers: Server[] = []
+import { closeMockServers, mockServer, textEvents } from './mock-server.ts'
+import type { Behavior } from './mock-server.ts'
 
 afterEach(async () => {
-  await Promise.all(servers.splice(0).map(server => new Promise(resolve => server.close(resolve))))
+  await closeMockServers()
   vi.unstubAllEnvs()
   vi.useRealTimers()
 })
 
-/** Local chat-completions stand-in: replays scripted behaviors per request. */
-async function mockServer(script: Behavior[]): Promise<MockServer> {
-  const requests: unknown[] = []
-  const headers: IncomingMessage['headers'][] = []
-  const server = createServer((request: IncomingMessage, response: ServerResponse) => {
-    let body = ''
-    request.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => { body += chunk.toString('utf8') })
-    request.on('end', () => {
-      requests.push(JSON.parse(body))
-      headers.push(request.headers)
-      const behavior = script.shift()
-      if (!behavior) {
-        response.writeHead(500).end('mock script exhausted')
-        return
-      }
-      if (behavior.kind === 'http-error') {
-        response.writeHead(behavior.status, {
-          'content-type': behavior.contentType ?? 'application/json',
-          ...behavior.headers,
-        })
-        response.end(behavior.body)
-        return
-      }
-      response.writeHead(200, { 'content-type': 'text/event-stream' })
-      const write = (index: number): void => {
-        if (index >= behavior.events.length) {
-          if (behavior.kind === 'sse') response.end()
-          else response.destroy() // close-early: drop the socket mid-stream
-          return
-        }
-        response.write(`data: ${behavior.events[index]}\n\n`)
-        setTimeout(() => { write(index + 1) }, behavior.kind === 'sse' ? behavior.delayMs ?? 0 : 5)
-      }
-      write(0)
-    })
-  })
-  servers.push(server)
-  await new Promise<void>(resolve => server.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', resolve))
-  const address = server.address()
-  if (address === null || typeof address === 'string') throw new Error('no port')
-  return {
-    url: `http://127.0.0.1:${address.port}`,
-    requests,
-    headers,
-    script,
-    close: () => new Promise(resolve => server.close(() => { resolve() })),
-  }
-}
-
-const textEvents = [
-  '{"choices":[{"delta":{"role":"assistant","content":null,"reasoning_content":""}}]}',
-  '{"choices":[{"delta":{"content":"hello"}}]}',
-  '{"choices":[{"delta":{"content":""},"finish_reason":"stop"}],"usage":{"prompt_tokens":3,"completion_tokens":1}}',
-  '[DONE]',
-]
-
 async function harness(baseURL: string, config: object = {}) {
   const ctx = new Context()
   await ctx.plugin(LlmService)
@@ -105,6 +31,15 @@ async function harness(baseURL: string, config: object = {}) {
   return ctx
 }
 
+/** Direct adapter over the plugin's real resolve step, with a static key. */
+function adapterOf(config: Partial<LlmDeepSeek.Config> & { apiKey?: string } = {}): DeepSeekAdapter {
+  const { apiKey, ...rest } = config
+  return new DeepSeekAdapter({
+    options: () => resolveAdapterOptions(rest),
+    resolveApiKey: () => Promise.resolve(apiKey ?? 'k'),
+  })
+}
+
 describe('DeepSeekAdapter against a mock server', () => {
   it('streams a text generation end to end through the assembler', async () => {
     const server = await mockServer([{ kind: 'sse', events: textEvents }])
@@ -275,11 +210,7 @@ describe('DeepSeekAdapter against a mock server', () => {
     'rejects direct adapter effort %s before I/O when thinking is disabled',
     async (effort) => {
       const server = await mockServer([])
-      const adapter = new DeepSeekAdapter({
-        apiKey: 'test-key',
-        baseURL: server.url,
-        defaults: { thinking: 'disabled' },
-      })
+      const adapter = adapterOf({ apiKey: 'test-key', baseURL: server.url, thinking: 'disabled' })
 
       const stream = adapter.stream({
         provider: 'deepseek',
@@ -483,7 +414,7 @@ describe('DeepSeekAdapter against a mock server', () => {
   })
 
   it('throws EMPTY_RESPONSE when the response has no body', async () => {
-    const adapter = new DeepSeekAdapter({ apiKey: 'k', baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1' })
+    const adapter = adapterOf({ baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1' })
     const fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'fetch').mockResolvedValue(
       new Response(null, { status: 200 }),
     )
@@ -538,7 +469,7 @@ describe('DeepSeekAdapter against a mock server', () => {
   it('maps connection failures to TRANSPORT without losing the cause', async () => {
     const cause = new TypeError('connection refused')
     const fetchSpy = vi.spyOn(globalThis, 'fetch').mockRejectedValue(cause)
-    const adapter = new DeepSeekAdapter({ apiKey: 'k', baseURL: 'https://example.invalid' })
+    const adapter = adapterOf({ baseURL: 'https://example.invalid' })
     try {
       const drain = async (): Promise<void> => {
         for await (const _chunk of adapter.stream({ provider: 'deepseek', model: 'm', messages: [] })) { /* drain */ }
@@ -555,7 +486,7 @@ describe('DeepSeekAdapter against a mock server', () => {
       failed.reject('offline')
       return failed.promise
     })
-    const adapter = new DeepSeekAdapter({ apiKey: 'k', baseURL: 'https://example.invalid' })
+    const adapter = adapterOf({ baseURL: 'https://example.invalid' })
     try {
       const drain = async (): Promise<void> => {
         for await (const _chunk of adapter.stream({ provider: 'deepseek', model: 'm', messages: [] })) { /* drain */ }
@@ -585,11 +516,7 @@ describe('DeepSeekAdapter against a mock server', () => {
       })
       return Promise.resolve(new Response(body, { status: 200 }))
     })
-    const adapter = new DeepSeekAdapter({
-      apiKey: 'k',
-      baseURL: 'https://example.invalid',
-      streamIdleTimeoutMs: 100,
-    })
+    const adapter = adapterOf({ baseURL: 'https://example.invalid', streamIdleTimeoutMs: 100 })
     try {
       const drain = (async () => {
         for await (const _chunk of adapter.stream({ provider: 'deepseek', model: 'm', messages: [] })) { /* drain */ }
@@ -733,22 +660,15 @@ describe('plugin registration and config', () => {
   )
 
   it.each(['high', 'max'] as const)(
-    'rejects disabled-thinking effort %s at the direct constructor boundary',
+    'rejects disabled-thinking effort %s at the resolver boundary',
     (reasoningEffort) => {
-      expect(() => new DeepSeekAdapter({
-        apiKey: 'k',
-        baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1',
-        defaults: { thinking: 'disabled', reasoningEffort },
-      })).toThrow(/only reasoningEffort "off"/)
+      expect(() => resolveAdapterOptions({ thinking: 'disabled', reasoningEffort }))
+        .toThrow(/only reasoningEffort "off"/)
     },
   )
 
-  it('accepts disabled thinking with off at the direct constructor boundary', async () => {
-    const adapter = new DeepSeekAdapter({
-      apiKey: 'k',
-      baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1',
-      defaults: { thinking: 'disabled', reasoningEffort: 'off' },
-    })
+  it('accepts disabled thinking with off at the resolver boundary', async () => {
+    const adapter = adapterOf({ thinking: 'disabled', reasoningEffort: 'off' })
     await expect(adapter.resolveModel('deepseek', 'pass-through')).resolves.toMatchObject({
       reasoning: {
         efforts: [{ id: ReasoningEffortId('off'), name: 'Off' }],
@@ -863,11 +783,8 @@ describe('plugin registration and config', () => {
   it.each([0, 1.5])(
     'rejects invalid adapter-wide default context capacity %s',
     async (defaultContextWindow) => {
-      expect(() => new DeepSeekAdapter({
-        apiKey: 'k',
-        baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1',
-        defaultContextWindow,
-      })).toThrow(/defaultContextWindow must be a positive integer/)
+      expect(() => resolveAdapterOptions({ defaultContextWindow }))
+        .toThrow(/defaultContextWindow must be a positive integer/)
 
       const ctx = new Context()
       await ctx.plugin(LlmService)
@@ -889,13 +806,19 @@ describe('plugin registration and config', () => {
     expect(ctx.llm.listProviders()).toEqual([{ id: 'deepseek', name: 'DeepSeek' }])
   })
 
-  it('throws a clear error when no API key is available', async () => {
+  it('loads keyless, keeps the catalog browsable, and fails the request actionably', async () => {
     vi.stubEnv('DEEPSEEK_API_KEY', '')
     const ctx = new Context()
     await ctx.plugin(LlmService)
-    await expect(ctx.plugin(LlmDeepSeek, {}))
-      .rejects.toThrow(/an API key is required/)
-    expect(ctx.llm.listProviders()).toEqual([])
+    await ctx.plugin(LlmDeepSeek, { baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1' })
+    // First-boot onboarding: the route registers so models stay discoverable;
+    // only the request itself needs a key.
+    expect(ctx.llm.listProviders()).toEqual([{ id: 'deepseek', name: 'DeepSeek' }])
+    await expect(ctx.llm.listModels('deepseek')).resolves.toHaveLength(2)
+    await expect(assemble(ctx, { model: 'deepseek-v4-flash', messages: [] }))
+      .rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'MISSING_CREDENTIAL' })
+    await expect(assemble(ctx, { model: 'deepseek-v4-flash', messages: [] }))
+      .rejects.toThrow(/store DEEPSEEK_API_KEY with the credentials service, or export DEEPSEEK_API_KEY/)
   })
 
   it('prefers explicit config over env for key and base URL', async () => {
@@ -927,23 +850,32 @@ describe('plugin registration and config', () => {
     expect(ctx.llm.listProviders()).toEqual([{ id: 'deepseek', name: 'DeepSeek' }])
   })
 
-  it('adapter is constructible directly for embedding', async () => {
-    const adapter = new DeepSeekAdapter({ apiKey: 'k', baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1' })
+  it('adapter is constructible directly for embedding over the shared resolver', async () => {
+    const adapter = adapterOf()
     expect(adapter).toBeInstanceOf(DeepSeekAdapter)
-    await expect(adapter.listModels('deepseek')).resolves.toEqual([])
+    // Direct embedding shares the plugin's one resolve step, so it advertises
+    // the same default catalog instead of a divergent empty one.
+    await expect(adapter.listModels('deepseek')).resolves.toHaveLength(2)
+  })
+
+  it('resolves connection facts and the credential exactly once per stream call', async () => {
+    const server = await mockServer([{ kind: 'sse', events: textEvents }])
+    const options = vi.fn(() => resolveAdapterOptions({ baseURL: server.url }))
+    const resolveApiKey = vi.fn(() => Promise.resolve('per-request-key'))
+    const adapter = new DeepSeekAdapter({ options, resolveApiKey })
+
+    for await (const _chunk of adapter.stream({ provider: 'deepseek', model: 'm', messages: [] })) { /* drain */ }
+
+    expect(options).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(resolveApiKey).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1)
+    expect(server.headers[0]?.authorization).toBe('Bearer per-request-key')
   })
 
   it('rejects invalid idle watchdog bounds for direct and plugin composition', async () => {
-    expect(() => new DeepSeekAdapter({
-      apiKey: 'k',
-      baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1',
-      streamIdleTimeoutMs: Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY,
-    })).toThrow(/streamIdleTimeoutMs.*positive finite/)
-    expect(() => new DeepSeekAdapter({
-      apiKey: 'k',
-      baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1',
-      streamIdleTimeoutMs: MAX_TIMER_DELAY_MS + 1,
-    })).toThrow(/streamIdleTimeoutMs.*no greater/)
+    expect(() => resolveAdapterOptions({ streamIdleTimeoutMs: Number.POSITIVE_INFINITY }))
+      .toThrow(/streamIdleTimeoutMs.*positive finite/)
+    expect(() => resolveAdapterOptions({ streamIdleTimeoutMs: MAX_TIMER_DELAY_MS + 1 }))
+      .toThrow(/streamIdleTimeoutMs.*no greater/)
 
     const ctx = new Context()
     await ctx.plugin(LlmService)
diff --git a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/dynamic-config.spec.ts b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/dynamic-config.spec.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..79a8afb671
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/dynamic-config.spec.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,163 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest'
+import { Context } from 'cordis'
+import { mkdtemp, rm, writeFile } from 'node:fs/promises'
+import { tmpdir } from 'node:os'
+import { join } from 'node:path'
+import LlmService from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm'
+import { credentialRef } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-credentials'
+import { CredentialsLocal } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-credentials-local'
+import { settingsNamespace } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-settings'
+import { SettingsLocal } from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-settings-local'
+import * as LlmDeepSeek from '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm-deepseek'
+import { assemble } from './assemble.ts'
+import { closeMockServers, mockServer, textEvents } from './mock-server.ts'
+
+const NS = settingsNamespace('llm-deepseek')
+const KEY_REF = credentialRef('DEEPSEEK_API_KEY')
+
+const cleanups: Array<() => Promise<void>> = []
+
+afterEach(async () => {
+  while (cleanups.length > 0) await cleanups.pop()!()
+  await closeMockServers()
+  vi.unstubAllEnvs()
+})
+
+async function home(): Promise<string> {
+  const dir = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), 'dsh-llm-dynamic-'))
+  cleanups.push(() => rm(dir, { recursive: true, force: true }))
+  return dir
+}
+
+interface Harness {
+  ctx: Context
+  settingsFiber: { dispose(): Promise<void> }
+}
+
+/**
+ * Real dynamic composition: llm + settings-local + credentials-local +
+ * llm-deepseek over one temp harness home. `watch: false` keeps every change
+ * flowing through the in-process write path, which is deterministic; external
+ * file watching is the providers' own covered concern.
+ */
+async function boot(dir: string, config: object): Promise<Harness> {
+  const ctx = new Context()
+  cleanups.push(async () => {
+    await ctx.fiber.dispose()
+  })
+  await ctx.plugin(LlmService)
+  const settingsFiber = ctx.plugin(SettingsLocal, { path: join(dir, 'settings.yaml'), watch: false })
+  await settingsFiber
+  await ctx.plugin(CredentialsLocal, { path: join(dir, '.env'), watch: false })
+  await ctx.plugin(LlmDeepSeek, config)
+  return { ctx, settingsFiber }
+}
+
+function prompt(ctx: Context) {
+  return assemble(ctx, { model: 'deepseek-v4-flash', messages: [] })
+}
+
+describe('request-level dynamic configuration', () => {
+  it('routes the next request with the freshly resolved base URL and credential', async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('DEEPSEEK_API_KEY', '')
+    const dir = await home()
+    await writeFile(join(dir, '.env'), 'DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=first-key\n')
+    const serverA = await mockServer([{ kind: 'sse', events: textEvents }])
+    const serverB = await mockServer([{ kind: 'sse', events: textEvents }])
+    const { ctx } = await boot(dir, { baseURL: serverA.url })
+
+    await prompt(ctx)
+    expect(serverA.headers[0]?.authorization).toBe('Bearer first-key')
+
+    await ctx.settings.update(NS, { baseURL: serverB.url })
+    await ctx.credentials.set(KEY_REF, 'second-key')
+
+    await prompt(ctx)
+    // No restart, no re-registration: the next request resolved both facts.
+    expect(serverA.requests).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(serverB.headers[0]?.authorization).toBe('Bearer second-key')
+  })
+
+  it('prefers a literal settings apiKey over the credential layers', async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('DEEPSEEK_API_KEY', '')
+    const dir = await home()
+    await writeFile(join(dir, '.env'), 'DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=file-key\n')
+    const server = await mockServer([{ kind: 'sse', events: textEvents }])
+    const { ctx } = await boot(dir, { baseURL: server.url })
+
+    await ctx.settings.update(NS, { apiKey: 'literal-key' })
+    await prompt(ctx)
+    expect(server.headers[0]?.authorization).toBe('Bearer literal-key')
+  })
+
+  it('starts keyless and serves the next request once the key arrives', async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('DEEPSEEK_API_KEY', '')
+    const dir = await home()
+    const server = await mockServer([{ kind: 'sse', events: textEvents }])
+    const { ctx } = await boot(dir, { baseURL: server.url })
+
+    await expect(prompt(ctx)).rejects.toMatchObject({ code: 'MISSING_CREDENTIAL' })
+    await ctx.credentials.set(KEY_REF, 'sk-arrived')
+    await prompt(ctx)
+    expect(server.headers[0]?.authorization).toBe('Bearer sk-arrived')
+  })
+
+  it('advertises a live settings catalog without re-registration', async () => {
+    const dir = await home()
+    const { ctx } = await boot(dir, { apiKey: 'k', baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1' })
+
+    await expect(ctx.llm.listModels('deepseek')).resolves.toHaveLength(2)
+    await ctx.settings.update(NS, { models: [{ id: 'settings-model', name: 'From Settings' }] })
+    await expect(ctx.llm.listModels('deepseek')).resolves.toEqual([
+      { provider: 'deepseek', id: 'settings-model', name: 'From Settings' },
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('re-registers the route in place when the captured retry policy changes', async () => {
+    const dir = await home()
+    const { ctx } = await boot(dir, { apiKey: 'k', baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1' })
+
+    await ctx.settings.update(NS, {
+      retryPolicy: { mode: 'always', backoff: { initialDelayMs: 25, maxDelayMs: 100, jitterRatio: 0.2 } },
+    })
+    expect(ctx.llm.providerRetryPolicy('deepseek')).toEqual({
+      mode: 'always',
+      initialDelayMs: 25,
+      maxDelayMs: 100,
+      jitterRatio: 0.2,
+    })
+    expect(ctx.llm.listProviders()).toEqual([{ id: 'deepseek', name: 'DeepSeek' }])
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the last good options when a settings snapshot fails beyond-schema validation', async () => {
+    const dir = await home()
+    const { ctx } = await boot(dir, { apiKey: 'k', baseURL: 'http://127.0.0.1:1' })
+
+    // Schema-valid but resolver-invalid: duplicate catalog ids pass the array
+    // schema and fail the explicit resolve step.
+    await ctx.settings.update(NS, { models: [{ id: 'dup' }, { id: 'dup' }] })
+    await expect(ctx.llm.listModels('deepseek')).resolves.toHaveLength(2)
+    await ctx.settings.update(NS, { models: [{ id: 'recovered' }] })
+    await expect(ctx.llm.listModels('deepseek')).resolves.toEqual([
+      { provider: 'deepseek', id: 'recovered', name: 'recovered' },
+    ])
+  })
+
+  it('falls back to the composition entry when settings detach', async () => {
+    vi.stubEnv('DEEPSEEK_API_KEY', '')
+    const dir = await home()
+    await writeFile(join(dir, '.env'), 'DEEPSEEK_API_KEY=steady-key\n')
+    const serverA = await mockServer([{ kind: 'sse', events: textEvents }])
+    const serverB = await mockServer([{ kind: 'sse', events: textEvents }])
+    const { ctx, settingsFiber } = await boot(dir, { baseURL: serverA.url })
+
+    await ctx.settings.update(NS, { baseURL: serverB.url })
+    await prompt(ctx)
+    expect(serverB.requests).toHaveLength(1)
+
+    await settingsFiber.dispose()
+    await prompt(ctx)
+    expect(serverA.requests).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(serverA.headers[0]?.authorization).toBe('Bearer steady-key')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/mock-server.ts b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/mock-server.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..cdb499e143
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tests/mock-server.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,82 @@
+import { createServer } from 'node:http'
+import type { IncomingMessage, Server, ServerResponse } from 'node:http'
+
+/** One scripted behavior for the next request the mock server receives. */
+export type Behavior =
+  | { kind: 'sse'; events: string[]; delayMs?: number }
+  | { kind: 'http-error'; status: number; body: string; contentType?: string; headers?: Record<string, string> }
+  | { kind: 'close-early'; events: string[] }
+
+export interface MockServer {
+  url: string
+  /** Bodies of received requests, in order. */
+  requests: unknown[]
+  /** Header bags of received requests, in order (parallel to `requests`). */
+  headers: IncomingMessage['headers'][]
+  script: Behavior[]
+  close(): Promise<void>
+}
+
+const servers: Server[] = []
+
+/** Close every server opened since the last call; run from each spec's afterEach. */
+export async function closeMockServers(): Promise<void> {
+  await Promise.all(servers.splice(0).map(server => new Promise(resolve => server.close(resolve))))
+}
+
+/** A minimal complete text generation, reused by request-shape assertions. */
+export const textEvents = [
+  '{"choices":[{"delta":{"role":"assistant","content":null,"reasoning_content":""}}]}',
+  '{"choices":[{"delta":{"content":"hello"}}]}',
+  '{"choices":[{"delta":{"content":""},"finish_reason":"stop"}],"usage":{"prompt_tokens":3,"completion_tokens":1}}',
+  '[DONE]',
+]
+
+/** Local chat-completions stand-in: replays scripted behaviors per request. */
+export async function mockServer(script: Behavior[]): Promise<MockServer> {
+  const requests: unknown[] = []
+  const headers: IncomingMessage['headers'][] = []
+  const server = createServer((request: IncomingMessage, response: ServerResponse) => {
+    let body = ''
+    request.on('data', (chunk: Buffer) => { body += chunk.toString('utf8') })
+    request.on('end', () => {
+      requests.push(JSON.parse(body))
+      headers.push(request.headers)
+      const behavior = script.shift()
+      if (!behavior) {
+        response.writeHead(500).end('mock script exhausted')
+        return
+      }
+      if (behavior.kind === 'http-error') {
+        response.writeHead(behavior.status, {
+          'content-type': behavior.contentType ?? 'application/json',
+          ...behavior.headers,
+        })
+        response.end(behavior.body)
+        return
+      }
+      response.writeHead(200, { 'content-type': 'text/event-stream' })
+      const write = (index: number): void => {
+        if (index >= behavior.events.length) {
+          if (behavior.kind === 'sse') response.end()
+          else response.destroy() // close-early: drop the socket mid-stream
+          return
+        }
+        response.write(`data: ${behavior.events[index]}\n\n`)
+        setTimeout(() => { write(index + 1) }, behavior.kind === 'sse' ? behavior.delayMs ?? 0 : 5)
+      }
+      write(0)
+    })
+  })
+  servers.push(server)
+  await new Promise<void>(resolve => server.listen(0, '127.0.0.1', resolve))
+  const address = server.address()
+  if (address === null || typeof address === 'string') throw new Error('no port')
+  return {
+    url: `http://127.0.0.1:${address.port}`,
+    requests,
+    headers,
+    script,
+    close: () => new Promise(resolve => server.close(() => { resolve() })),
+  }
+}
diff --git a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tsconfig.json b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tsconfig.json
index 45c2af21a5..ee8a81e73b 100644
--- a/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tsconfig.json
+++ b/packages/llm/llm-deepseek/tsconfig.json
@@ -20,6 +20,12 @@
     {
       "path": "../../llm/llm"
     },
+    {
+      "path": "../../credentials/credentials"
+    },
+    {
+      "path": "../../settings/settings"
+    },
     {
       "path": "../../support/invariants"
     },
diff --git a/pnpm-lock.yaml b/pnpm-lock.yaml
index 52e7b070b7..c7f3ae3f7d 100644
--- a/pnpm-lock.yaml
+++ b/pnpm-lock.yaml
@@ -2949,12 +2949,18 @@ importers:
         specifier: ^3.18.0
         version: 3.18.0
     devDependencies:
+      '@deepseek-ai/dsh-credentials':
+        specifier: workspace:^
+        version: link:../../credentials/credentials
       '@deepseek-ai/dsh-invariants':
         specifier: workspace:^
         version: link:../../support/invariants
       '@deepseek-ai/dsh-llm':
         specifier: workspace:^
         version: link:../llm
+      '@deepseek-ai/dsh-settings':
+        specifier: workspace:^
+        version: link:../../settings/settings
       '@deepseek-ai/dsh-timeout':
         specifier: workspace:^
         version: link:../../util/timeout