DeepSeek Harness Desktop

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DeepSeek Harness Desktop (dsh-desktop) is a cross-platform desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux that packages the full DeepSeek Harness (dsh) agent framework and its web UI. On launch it starts a local service and opens it in a standalone app window for a near-native desktop experience.

DeepSeek Harness is an open-source agent harness with an everything-is-a-plugin architecture: configure a model and a workspace in the web UI, and let the agent read and edit project files, run commands, delegate subtasks, and maintain a plan.

Key features

Desktop app

• One-click launch: automatically starts the local service (default http://127.0.0.1:3080) and opens a Chromium/Chrome app window
• Standalone window: runs in --app mode with no tabs or address bar
• Isolated profile: uses a dedicated Chromium profile directory, separate from your daily browser
• Works out of the box: launch from the system app menu or the terminal after installation
• Bundled runtime: ships its own Node.js, no dependencies to install
• Configurable: customize port, browser, and external service address via environment variables

Software features

• Web UI: model configuration, workspace management, conversational agent sessions, with approval prompts for sensitive operations
• Multiple model providers: DeepSeek API, other providers, and custom OpenAI-compatible endpoints
• Multiple run modes: dsh web (web UI) and dsh --profile headless "task" (one-shot headless execution)
• Plugin system: everything is a plugin; manage profile plugins with dsh plugin, and tag plugin repositories with dsh-plugin for discoverability
• Python SDK and agent examples: a Python SDK plus ACP / headless / jsonrpc agent examples in the repository

Requirements

All installers bundle their own Node.js runtime — nothing else to install. Only a Chromium-based browser is optional (falls back to the system default browser).

Installation

Download the package for your platform from the Releases page.

Windows

Download deepseek-harness_*_windows-setup.exe, double-click to install. Launch "DeepSeek Harness Desktop" from the desktop shortcut or the Start menu.

macOS

Download deepseek-harness_*_macos-arm64.zip (Apple Silicon) or deepseek-harness_*_macos-x64.zip (Intel), unzip, and double-click dsh-desktop.command. If macOS shows a security warning, allow it in System Settings → Privacy & Security.

Linux (Debian / Ubuntu)

sudo dpkg -i deepseek-harness_*_amd64.deb

After installation:

• App menu: find and click "DeepSeek Harness Desktop" in your system app menu
• Terminal: run dsh-desktop

Run via npm

Install Node.js, then run:

npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web

This starts the Web UI, served at http://127.0.0.1:3080 by default.

Usage

Launch the desktop app

On launch, the desktop app starts a local service and opens the app window. The service defaults to http://127.0.0.1:3080; you can also open that address directly in a browser to use the web UI.

Supported environment variables:

Variable	Default	Description
DSH_DESKTOP_PORT	3080	Local service port
DSH_DESKTOP_URL	http://127.0.0.1:3080	Connect to an existing service instead of starting one locally
DSH_DESKTOP_BROWSER	auto-detected	Browser to use, e.g. google-chrome, chromium

Log files:

• Service log: $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/dsh-desktop.log (falls back to /tmp/dsh-desktop.log)
• Browser log: $XDG_RUNTIME_DIR/dsh-desktop-browser.log (falls back to /tmp/dsh-desktop-browser.log)

Web UI quick start

1. Configure a model: open Settings → Models, enter an API key, and save it — it takes effect without a restart
2. Choose a workspace: click Choose workspace, add a project directory, and select it
3. Run a task: start a session and type your task. The agent can read and edit workspace files, run commands, delegate subtasks, and maintain a plan; operations requiring approval are confirmed with you first

See the Web UI guide and the model configuration guide for details.

Command line

The desktop package also ships the full dsh CLI:

dsh web                          # start the web UI without the desktop window
dsh --profile headless "task"    # run a task once and print the result
dsh plugin --profile web <pnpm args>  # manage profile plugins
dsh --help                       # show help

See the CLI documentation for details.

Build from source

git clone https://github.com/091022yyj/deepseek-harness-desktop.git
cd deepseek-harness-desktop
pnpm install
pnpm run build:lib
pnpm run build:web

Build the installers for each platform (the matching Node.js runtime is downloaded from nodejs.org on first run and cached in ~/.cache/dsh-build/):

bash apps/desktop/build-deb.sh      # Linux deb
bash apps/desktop/build-windows.sh  # Windows installer (requires makensis)
bash apps/desktop/build-macos.sh    # macOS zip (x64 + arm64)

Build artifacts are written to the dist/ directory.

Repository layout

Directory	Description
apps/cli	The dsh command-line entry point
apps/web	The web UI
apps/desktop	Desktop launcher script and deb packaging
packages/	Framework and feature plugin packages
python/	Python SDK
examples/	Agent examples
docs/	Documentation

License

MIT

Third-party dependencies and their licenses are disclosed in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.