How to Install & Download DeepSeek Harness (DSH)

Downloading DeepSeek Harness: official channels

DSH has no standalone .exe / .dmg installer — any third-party "DSH installer download" is unofficial. There are exactly two official channels:

• npm release: package @deepseek-ai/dsh (currently 0.1.1-rc.2, developer preview). Install commands below; to grab the tarball directly: registry.npmjs.org/@deepseek-ai/dsh/-/dsh-0.1.1-rc.2.tgz (swap the version to pin another).
• GitHub source: github.com/deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness — Releases publish tagged archives (dsh-v… tags).

Version & SHA verification:

npm view @deepseek-ai/dsh dist.integrity   # sha512-… integrity value
npm view @deepseek-ai/dsh version          # latest release number

Packages pulled via npm install / npx are checksummed automatically by the npm client against the registry's SHA-512; manual sha512sum comparison is only needed for tarballs from other channels.

Before you start

• You need Node.js LTS (18+) — every script below checks for it first.
• DeepSeek Harness is in developer preview — iterating fast, breaking changes will come.
• Prefer an offline copy? Download the DeepSeek Harness guide PDF (install · plugins · troubleshooting · vs Claude Code).

Windows — one line (PowerShell)

Open PowerShell (right-click Start → Terminal) and paste:

if (-not (Get-Command node -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue)) { winget install OpenJS.NodeJS.LTS }
npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web

If winget isn't available, install Node.js manually from nodejs.org (LTS installer), then run npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web.

macOS — one line (Terminal)

command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1 || brew install node
npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web

If you don't have Homebrew, install it first, or grab Node.js from nodejs.org.

Linux — one line (bash)

Debian / Ubuntu (uses NodeSource):

command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1 || (curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash - && sudo apt-get install -y nodejs)
npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web

Other distros, or to avoid sudo, use nvm then npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web.

WSL (Ubuntu on WSL) — one line

Inside your WSL Ubuntu terminal:

command -v node >/dev/null 2>&1 || (curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | sudo -E bash - && sudo apt-get install -y nodejs)
npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web

Build from source (all platforms)

git clone https://github.com/deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness.git
cd deepseek-harness
pnpm install
pnpm run build
pnpm dsh web

Uses pnpm — install with npm install -g pnpm if you don't have it.

Verify it's running

Open http://127.0.0.1:3080 and enter your DeepSeek API key. To use a different port, pass it to the app:

npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web --port 8080

Install as a global command

npx re-resolves the package on every launch. For repeated use — especially CLI / headless sessions — install the dsh command once:

npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh
dsh --version   # e.g. 0.1.0-rc.6
dsh web

Make sure npm's global bin directory is on your PATH (find it with npm prefix -g). If you run a portable Node.js without a global install, point npm's prefix at a folder you control (npm config set prefix D:\dsh\npm-global) and add both the Node and global bin folders to your user PATH.

Configure the API key

The Web UI stores keys under Settings → Models. For CLI / headless use, put the key in $DSH_HOME/.credentials.yaml (default ~/.dsh/.credentials.yaml):

DEEPSEEK_API_KEY: sk-your-key-here

On macOS / Linux, set the file to chmod 600 — DSH refuses a credentials file other users can read. The DEEPSEEK_API_KEY environment variable also works and takes precedence.

Troubleshooting the install

• ERR_PNPM_FETCH_404 / package not found — your default npm registry mirror may lag behind the official one. Retry with --registry=https://registry.npmjs.org.
• 'pnpm' is not recognized — the plugin manager forwards to pnpm; install it with npm install -g pnpm.
• node: command not found — Node.js isn't on your PATH. Add your Node folder (and npm global bin) to PATH.
• Port 3080 already in use — start on another port: dsh web --port 8080.

What to do next

1. Follow the tutorial to configure a model and run your first task.
2. Add your DeepSeek API key under Settings → Models.
3. Build your own plugins with the plugin guide, or browse the full tested plugin directory.