dsh-anchored-subagent

Say the secret handshake first. Every DSH subagent starts in Minimal mode to coax out DeepSeek's full RL-trained strength, then gets the whole toolbox.

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A DeepSeek Harness (DSH) plugin that makes subagents start like the official Minimal preset — two tools (bash + str_replace_editor), the one-line Minimal persona, and no auto-injected workspace/skill context — then restores the full tool catalog after the subagent's first durable tool/call or assistant/message.

Think of it as an 暗号 / secret handshake: the subagent's first request uses the exact Minimal condition DeepSeek was RL-trained on, so the model starts in its strongest We need... trajectory — then we hand it the full tool catalog.

This is the DSH companion to pi-dsv4-booster, ported to DSH's native subagent seam.

Why

DeepSeek V4 models strongly condition their first-request trajectory on the API-visible tool catalog and system prompt. DSH's own Minimal preset produces the We need... trajectory (Project2 99/96), while a fat Standard catalog tends to produce Let me... tool-churn (91/92).

DSH already has subagents built in (ctx.subagents + spawn/fork providers). This plugin fills a gap: by default, DSH's dsh-anchored-standard base mode treats subagents as always promoted. This plugin gives subagents their own Minimal bootstrap phase without touching the main agent.

How it works

For every subagent (delegationDepth > 0):

subagent's first model request
        │
        ▼
┌ bootstrap phase ────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ tools   : bash + str_replace_editor                         │
│ persona : Minimal persona                                   │
│           "You are a helpful software engineer assistant."  │
│           (prepended to the subagent's custom role prompt)  │
│ context : AGENTS.md digest + skill-catalog reminder stripped│
│ budget  : bootstrapMaxTokens (optional)                    │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
        │ first durable tool/call OR assistant/message
        ▼
┌ promoted phase ─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ tools   : full tool catalog restored                        │
│ persona : Minimal persona prefix stays (session mode)       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Main agents (delegationDepth == 0) are never modified.

Custom subagent roles are preserved

When preserveCustomPrompt is true (default), the plugin prepends the Minimal persona to the subagent's existing system prompt instead of replacing it. Specialized agents such as a read-only Reviewer keep their role instructions while still receiving the Minimal trajectory anchor.

Installation

dsh plugin add github:GY-Bai/dsh-anchored-subagent

Restart DSH (or reload the profile), then spawn a subagent as usual.

Configuration

The plugin is configured through the row config in cordis.patch.yml (or by overriding the row in a later patch layer).

Key	Default	Meaning
bootstrapTools	["bash","str_replace_editor"]	Tools visible on the subagent's first request.
promoteOn	"either"	Promotion trigger: either, tool-call, or assistant-message.
suppressedContextSources	["agent-instructions","skill-catalog"]	Auto-injected context stripped during bootstrap; [] disables.
bootstrapMaxTokens	null	Optional first-request output cap.
bootstrapPersona	"You are a helpful software engineer assistant."	Minimal persona (DSH original text). null disables persona rewriting.
preserveCustomPrompt	true	Keep the subagent's custom prompt and prepend the Minimal persona instead of replacing it.
personaMode	"session"	session keeps the persona prefix for the whole subagent lifetime; bootstrap-only would restore the original prompt after promotion (currently session is the implemented default).

Example cordis.patch.yml row:

- insert:
    - id: dsh-anchored-subagent
      name: 'dsh-anchored-subagent'
      config:
        bootstrapTools:
          - bash
          - str_replace_editor
        promoteOn: either
        suppressedContextSources:
          - agent-instructions
          - skill-catalog
        bootstrapMaxTokens: null
        bootstrapPersona: You are a helpful software engineer assistant.
        preserveCustomPrompt: true
        personaMode: session

Development

npm test

The test suite uses zero dependencies (node --test) and covers:

• main agent untouched;
• subagent bootstrap tool filtering;
• Minimal persona prepend/replace;
• promotion via tool/call and assistant/message;
• promoteOn: tool-call behavior;
• context stripping;
• fail-safe when a bootstrap tool is missing;
• optional bootstrapMaxTokens cap and release;
• resume with history starts promoted.

Relationship to existing projects

• Concept: pi-dsv4-booster (MIT)
• DSH preset/hook patterns: xiaobright/dsh-anchored-standard (MIT)
• DSH subagent seam: @deepseek-ai/dsh-subagent

License

MIT. See LICENSE and NOTICE.

This project is a community plugin. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by DeepSeek.