Quickly Building Your Own AI Assistant with ModelArts Studio (MaaS) DeepSeek API and Cherry Studio

Context

Large Language Models (LLMs) are now essential for advancing natural language processing applications. The DeepSeek series offers LLMs designed for efficiency and strong performance.

To simplify their use, several tools and platforms have been developed. Among them, Cherry Studio stands out as a versatile open-source desktop application compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. It combines popular LLMs like OpenAI, DeepSeek, and Gemini, enabling both cloud-based and local operations. Its features include dialog knowledge bases, AI painting, translation, and seamless model switching.

ModelArts Studio (MaaS) integrates DeepSeek models into its platform and enhances their accuracy and efficiency using AI Cloud Service.

This guide explains how to access Cherry Studio with MaaS DeepSeek APIs to create your own AI assistant swiftly.

Solution Architecture

Figure 1 Solution architecture

• Users submit requests through Cherry Studio.
• Cherry Studio sends the requests to MaaS DeepSeek.
• MaaS DeepSeek processes the requests and returns the results to Cherry Studio.
• Cherry Studio optimizes the results and returns them to users.

Prerequisites

• You have registered a Huawei Cloud account and completed real-name authentication. For details, see Signing Up for a HUAWEI ID and Enabling Huawei Cloud Services and Real-Name Authentication.
• You have completed ModelArts agency authorization. For details, see Configuring ModelArts Studio (MaaS) Access Authorization.
• You have deployed a service. For details, see Deploying a Model Service in ModelArts Studio (MaaS).

Step 1: Downloading and Installing Cherry Studio

You can download and install Cherry Studio from the official website or open-source address.

Step 2: Obtaining MaaS DeepSeek Interconnection Information

Obtain key details about the target MaaS DeepSeek model service for connecting with Cherry Studio.

1. Create an API key for authentication when calling the MaaS DeepSeek model service.

   You can create a up to 30 keys. Each key is displayed only once after creation. Keep it secure. If the key is lost, it cannot be retrieved. In this case, create a new API key.

   1. Log in to ModelArts Studio (MaaS) console and select CN Southwest-Guiyang1 from the top navigation bar.
   2. In the navigation pane, choose API Keys.
   3. On the API Keys page, click Create API Key, enter the tag and description, and click OK.

      The tag and description cannot be modified after the key is created.

      Table 1 Parameters

      Parameter	Description
      Tag	Tag of the API key. The tag must be unique. The tag can contain 1 to 100 characters. Only letters, digits, underscores (_), and hyphens (-) are allowed.
      Description	Description of the custom API key. The value can contain 1 to 100 characters.

   4. In the Your Key dialog box, copy the key and store it securely.
   5. After the key is saved, click Close.

      After you click Close, the key cannot be viewed again.

2. Obtain the API URL and model name of the MaaS DeepSeek model service.
   1. In the navigation pane of the ModelArts Studio (MaaS) console, choose Real-Time Inference.
   2. Click the My Services tab and click Deploy Model in the upper right corner to create a model service. For details, see Deploying a Model Service in ModelArts Studio (MaaS).
   3. Choose More > View Call Description in the Operation column of the target running model service.
   4. Check the basic API URL and model name on the page. You will need these for the next steps in configuring Cherry Studio.

Step 3: Configuring MaaS DeepSeek in Cherry Studio

1. Add a MaaS provider in Cherry Studio.
   1. In the lower left corner of the Cherry Studio client, click the settings icon and click Add in Model Provider.
      Figure 2 Adding a provider
      
   2. Set the provider name and provider type and click OK.

      Table 2 Parameters for adding a provider

      Parameter	Description
      Provider Name	Enter MaaS, which can be changed as needed.
      Provider Type	Set this parameter to OpenAI.

2. Add the MaaS DeepSeek API key and API URL in Cherry Studio.
   1. In the lower left corner of the Cherry Studio client, click the settings icon.
   2. Click MaaS and configure the API key and API URL.

      Parameter	Description
      API Key	API key created in Step 2: Obtaining MaaS DeepSeek Interconnection Information.
      API Host	Basic API URL of the MaaS service obtained in Step 2: Obtaining MaaS DeepSeek Interconnection Information. Remove /v1/chat/completions from the URL and enter it.

3. Add a model to Cherry Studio.
   1. In the Models area, click Add.
   2. Set the model ID, model name, and group name, and click Add Model.

      Parameter	Description
      Model ID	Model name obtained in Step 2: Obtaining MaaS DeepSeek Interconnection Information
      Model Name	Custom model name
      Group Name	Custom group name

Step 4: Using MaaS DeepSeek in Cherry Studio

1. In the navigation pane of Cherry Studio, click and select the configured model.
   Figure 3 Selecting a model
   
2. Enter text in the text box to start a conversation.

   Choose the model name in the top menu to switch models.

   Figure 4 Model Q&A example