# Give a Text-Only Coding Agent Vision with ModLens

> Use ModLens to route screenshots and image files through a configured vision engine, then return structured evidence to a text-only coding agent.

- Author: Kai Wang (AI Kai)
- Published: 2026-08-23
- Updated: 2026-08-23
- Topic: AI Dev Tools
- Tags: modlens, vision, coding-agents, agent-skills
- Canonical: https://hqman.me/blog/modlens-vision-text-models/

The standard DeepSeek V4 Flash route is text-only. DeepSeek also offers a separate V4 Flash Vision experimental model, so check which route your harness uses. A text-only route cannot inspect a mockup or compare a screenshot with a design without another vision tool.

<video controls preload="metadata" poster="/media/blog/modlens-vision-text-models/modlens-demo-thumbnail.jpg" width="1394">
  <source src="/media/blog/modlens-vision-text-models/modlens-demo.mp4" type="video/mp4" />
</video>

## What ModLens Does

ModLens is a plugin and skill-based bridge for supported agent harnesses. It sends an image to a configured vision engine and returns structured evidence to the text-only model.

```text
Text-only model
  -> ModLens
    -> Configured vision engine
      -> Structured JSON evidence
        -> Text-only model
```

The result includes OCR text, layout regions, entities, relationships, and uncertainty that the calling model can inspect.

## Install It

For Codex, Claude Code, Pi, or OpenCode, follow the current [ModLens installation guide](https://github.com/liustack/modlens/blob/main/INSTALL.md) and run its health check before using an image.

For DeepSeek Harness, use the current plugin command in the [ModLens README](https://github.com/liustack/modlens).

Paste an image path into the agent conversation and ask a focused question about its contents. The exact trigger and provider depend on the harness and configuration you chose.

## Privacy Boundary

ModLens sends the image to the vision engine you configure. Review that provider's terms, quotas, and data handling before using private screenshots.

## Sources

- [ModLens README](https://github.com/liustack/modlens)
- [ModLens installation guide](https://github.com/liustack/modlens/blob/main/INSTALL.md)
- [ModLens security policy](https://github.com/liustack/modlens/blob/main/SECURITY.md)