Connect Alibaba Cloud Model Studio (which plan)
One key calls both Qwen and DeepSeek, with a single bill — if you've used DeepSeek directly, you don't need a separate key from platform.deepseek.com.
Model Studio has three plans; pick the one you bought first. Their addresses and keys don't work across plans — pick the wrong one and you get a 401 or unexpected charges:
| Plan | When | Key looks like | Billing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Token Plan (subscription) | You bought Token Plan | a dedicated key starting with sk-sp- | Credits, not per token |
| Pay as you go (standard) | No subscription | starts with sk- | per token |
| Coding Plan (subscription) | You bought Coding Plan | also a dedicated sk-sp- key | request quota, not per token |
Token Plan and Coding Plan are separate products and can't be converted — use the one you bought.
Plan 1: Token Plan (subscription)
- Turn on Token Plan in the Model Studio console (subscription, metered in Credits).
- On the Token Plan page get the "dedicated API key" — it starts with
sk-sp-and is not the pay-as-you-go key. - On the "Alibaba Cloud Model Studio" card choose "Token Plan", click "Add API key" and paste the key; keep the prefilled address (the one with token-plan).
- Click "Fetch model list" to see what your subscription includes, and pick one.
- Click "Test". Leave the three price boxes at 0 — Credits aren't token money.
It has one address only (Beijing region): https://token-plan.cn-beijing.maas.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1.
Plan 2: pay as you go (standard)
- Open the Model Studio console (get an API key), sign in with your Alibaba Cloud account and activate it.
- Pick the region (Beijing / Singapore) at the top right, open "API-KEY" and click "Create my API-KEY".
- Copy the key (starts with
sk-), choose "Pay as you go" on the card, click "Add API key" and paste it. - Pick the address by region: Beijing for mainland China, Singapore (international) otherwise — keys don't work across the two.
- Pick a model → click "Test"; a model name and a latency means it works.
Two addresses:
- Beijing (China):
https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1 - Singapore (international):
https://dashscope-intl.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1
The standard endpoint has no model list, so the dropdown falls back to the verified list from the built-in price table.
Plan 3: Coding Plan (subscription)
- Turn on Coding Plan in the Model Studio console (subscription, request quota).
- On the Coding Plan page click "Get API key" — also a dedicated
sk-sp-key. - Choose "Coding Plan" on the card and paste the key; keep the prefilled address (with coding, without compatible-mode).
- Click "Fetch model list" and pick one of the models in your subscription.
- Click "Test". Leave the price boxes at 0 — quota isn't token money.
Two addresses: China https://coding.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1, international https://coding-intl.dashscope.aliyuncs.com/v1.
FAQ
- 401 invalid_api_key: usually the key doesn't match the plan (e.g. a Token Plan
sk-sp-key against the standard endpoint). Switch to the matching plan. - How much of my subscription is left: only the Model Studio console knows; we don't guess.