10 Plugins That Turn DeepSeek Harness from Bare Shell into a Full Workbench

Foreword

DeepSeek Harness has been incredibly popular over the past few days.

On the night of its release, the GitHub repository was made public and gained over 10,000 stars in less than two hours, surpassing 50,000 stars within 12 hours.

But after installing Harness, many people discovered a problem — the interface is too bare-bones.

The default dsh web is just a plain chat box, with no file tree, no terminal, no Git panel, no task board.

To put it bluntly, it's an unfinished shell.

However, Harness's design philosophy is "Everything is a plugin" — models, tools, skills, sessions, sandboxes, storage, loops, scheduling, UI, all Agent capabilities are assembled from plugins.

The official team has already built in over a hundred plugins, and the community ecosystem is exploding.

As of August 15, 2026, the Oh-My-DSH directory has collected 1,117 curated plugins, monitors 1,521 ecosystem repositories, and has accumulated 301,295 stars.

In this article, I've selected 10 of the most worthwhile plugins from the many available, hoping they will be helpful to you.

For more project practices, visit the Java Assault Team website: susan.net.cn/project

1. First, Understand How to Install Harness Plugins

Before discussing specific plugins, let's take 2 minutes to understand how to install them.

There is only one command for installing Harness plugins:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:owner/repo#ref"

For example, to install a vision plugin:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:liustack/modlens#main"

This command pulls the plugin code from GitHub and automatically enables it via the dsh.bundle declaration. After installation, restart the dsh web service and refresh the page, and the plugin will take effect.

An important pitfall: When starting the Web UI, you must add the --patch parameter, otherwise many plugins and skills will not take effect. The full command:

npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web --patch

Additionally, the official recommendation is to tag plugin repositories with #dsh so the community directory can automatically index them. To find more plugins,

you can directly search for the dsh-plugin topic on GitHub.

Now let's begin the formal recommendations.

2. Plugin 1: ModLens

It gives a text-only model a pair of eyes.

Repository: liustack/modlens | Stars: 905+

DeepSeek itself is a text-only model, and its biggest weakness is that it cannot see images. If you paste a screenshot of an error or drop in a UI design draft, it can only stare blankly at the text.

ModLens's README starts with "Give a text-only model sight".

Once installed, images can be pasted directly into the chat box. It uses a native modlens_read_image tool to convert the image into structured textual evidence, which is then fed to DeepSeek for answering.

The core idea is: DeepSeek remains a text-only model, but it suddenly gains a pair of eyes.

A vision model "translates" the image content into text, and the text-only model then processes it — like having a friend who can see images read them aloud to you.

Installation command (note: you must lock the version number, do not use @latest):

dsh plugin --profile web add "@liustack/[email protected]"

Scenarios: Pasting error screenshots for AI analysis, dropping UI design drafts for AI to reproduce, recognizing text information in flowcharts.

3. Plugin 2: dsh-web-ui

It transforms from bare shell to fully furnished, a one-stop family package.

Repository: zhu1090093659/dsh-web-ui | Stars: 1013+

If I could only install one plugin, I would choose dsh-web-ui.

The default dsh web interface is just a plain chat box, and after using it for a while, you'll feel it's "too bare-bones".

After installing this plugin suite, it directly becomes a fully furnished home — task board, Git graph, right-side panel, mobile UI, pet, real-time token statistics, theme center, all provided in one package.

What surprised me the most is the task board (dsh-task-board): a five-column board — To Plan / To Do / In Progress / Completed / Failed. Cards can be directly handed over to real DSH sessions for execution, automatically updating their status upon completion, and it also supports cron scheduled tasks.

Installation command:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:zhu1090093659/dsh-web-ui#main"

After installation, the left sidebar gains panels like the task board, Git graph, and token statistics, transforming the entire interface from "bare shell" to "fully furnished".

Scenarios: All scenarios. This is an "infrastructure-level" plugin for Harness, you won't regret installing it.

4. Plugin 3: dsh-better-sidebar

It turns the WebUI into a Codex-style workstation.

Repository: omdsh-dev/DSH-better-sidebar | Stars: 684+

If you are accustomed to the interface style of Codex or Claude Code, dsh-better-sidebar is for you.

This plugin adds a sidebar workstation to Harness's WebUI, supporting file viewing/editing, terminal, Git, sub-agents, and extensible tabs.

After installation, the entire interface looks almost identical to Codex.

Installation command:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:omdsh-dev/DSH-better-sidebar#main"

dsh-better-sidebar vs dsh-web-ui: The former is more like a complete workstation layout, focusing on development tools like file tree, terminal, and Git; the latter is more like a feature collection package, focusing on enhancements like task boards, themes, and pets.

Both can be installed together without conflict — better-sidebar handles the layout, web-ui handles the features.

Scenarios: Developers accustomed to IDE-style interfaces who want a Codex-like experience in the browser.

5. Plugin 4: dsh-TUI

It brings Harness back to the terminal.

Repository: ccch1mneyyy/dsh-TUI | Stars: 793+

This is one of the most popular plugins in dsh.

The official team hasn't released any CLI or TUI form, so TUI can only be extended through plugins.

After installation, execute:

dsh --profile cc-tui

and you can enter the full-screen terminal interface of DeepSeek Harness. Most commonly used commands are covered.

dsh-TUI vs dsh-better-sidebar: better-sidebar supplements the WebUI with a workstation, while dsh-TUI moves the entire interaction back to the terminal.

If you usually prefer viewing file trees and previewing Markdown in the browser, install better-sidebar; if your daily workflow is already inseparable from Claude Code or Codex CLI styles, install dsh-TUI.

Installation command:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:ccch1mneyyy/dsh-TUI#main"

Scenarios: Terminal enthusiasts, developers accustomed to CLI workflows, scenarios where you want to run Harness on a remote server.

6. Plugin 5: deepseek-harness-desktop

It turns Harness into a desktop app.

Repository: anywhere-labs/deepseek-harness-desktop | Stars: 4745+

This is one of the hottest Harness plugins recently.

The official team doesn't provide a desktop client, and the community has filled this gap.

Core features: Packages DeepSeek Harness as an Electron desktop application, automatically starts and manages the local Harness service, integrates system tray + desktop window.

The best part: No need to install Node.js, no need to type commands. Just double-click the icon to run it.

Note: This is a community project, not an official DeepSeek desktop client. Currently, it mainly supports macOS and Windows. Capabilities like plugin marketplace and mobile remote access are still in the planning stage.

Installation method: Go directly to GitHub Releases, download the installation package for your platform, and double-click to install.

Scenarios: Developers who don't want to install Node.js or type commands, or users who want to launch Harness anytime from the system tray.

7. Plugin 6: dsh-at-file

It makes referencing files as smooth as Codex.

Repository: omdsh-dev/dsh-at-file

This is a feature I've seen in Codex — referencing files using the @ symbol.

After installation, typing @ in the chat input box will automatically pop up a list of workspace files for you to choose from. The content of the selected file will be automatically appended to the prompt.

No more manually copying and pasting file content.

Installation command:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:omdsh-dev/dsh-at-file#main"

Scenarios: Scenarios requiring frequent referencing of project files in conversations.

After installing this, Harness catches up to Codex in the file referencing experience.

8. Plugin 7: dsh-agent-teams

It enables multi-agent team collaboration.

Repository: NanmiCoder/dsh-agent-teams

After installing this plugin, any session can drive a multi-agent team to collaboratively complete a goal with just one natural language sentence (e.g., "Use AgentTeams to research XX"), and you can see the team activity panel in real-time at the top right of the Web GUI.

Workflow: Create a team (Captain = current session Agent) → Recruit members (resumable sub-agents) → Decompose tasks and declare dependencies → Members directly send and receive messages (direct mailbox delivery + wake-up, no captain relay).

Installation command:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:dsh-external/dsh-agent-teams#main"

Note: This repository is not public, github: installation depends on local git having read access to dsh-external/dsh-agent-teams.

Scenarios: Complex tasks requiring multi-agent collaboration, such as market research, technology selection analysis, multi-dimensional report generation.

9. Plugin 8: dsh-plan-execute

It enables dual-model routing, separating planning and execution.

Repository: dsh-external/dsh-plan-execute

The idea behind this plugin is very clever: Use a reasoning model for planning, and an economical model for execution.

For complex tasks, let the reasoning model do the planning and decomposition first, then hand the generated subtasks over to an economical model for execution.

High-quality thinking during the planning phase, low cost during the execution phase — separating the brain and the limbs.

Installation command:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:dsh-external/dsh-plan-execute#main"

After installation, the Web settings page will have additional configuration rows for "Planning/Execution Model".

Scenarios: Complex tasks requiring high-quality planning but without wanting to burn too many tokens during execution.

This is a classic plugin for "cost reduction and efficiency improvement".

10. Plugin 9: dsh-context-doctor

It lets you see the model's "context bill".

Repository: Zhenyu98/dsh-context-doctor

Many people don't know how much context a large model carries with each request — system prompts, skill directories, tool schemas all accumulate together, burning tokens every round.

dsh-context-doctor lets you see this bill clearly. It quantifies the token cost of instruction chains/skill directories/tool schemas item by item, automatically detects duplicates and conflicts, and provides actionable pruning suggestions.

The web interface provides a donut panel for visualization, and it also provides a context_audit tool for Agents to call. The entire process is read-only and does not affect any configuration.

Installation command:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:Zhenyu98/dsh-context-doctor#main"

Scenarios: Troubleshooting abnormal token consumption, Agent context optimization, fine-grained management for cost-sensitive projects.

11. Plugin 10: dsh-reverse-skill

It contains 85 security research skill packages.

Repository: dhicoc/dsh-reverse-skill

A skill routing package containing 85 SKILL.md files, covering areas such as reverse engineering, authorized penetration testing, and security research.

If you are doing security-related work, this plugin allows you to quickly acquire a complete set of methodologies and toolchains.

Installation command:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:dhicoc/dsh-reverse-skill#main"

Scenarios: Security research, code auditing, reverse engineering, penetration testing.

12. Pros and Cons

Pros

1. Extreme Customizability: From bare shell to fully furnished, you decide everything. Unlike other tools that are "what you see is what you get".

2. Explosive Ecosystem Growth: 1,117 plugins, 1,521 ecosystem repositories, 301,295 stars. The functionality you need likely already exists.

3. Extremely Simple Installation: One dsh plugin --profile web add command handles everything. No need for manual downloading, extracting, or configuring.

4. Friendly Open Source License: MIT license, free to use, modify, and commercialize.

Cons

1. High Version Volatility: Currently still in developer preview, plugins iterate quickly, remember to check the version before installing.

2. Some Plugins Require Additional Configuration: For example, ModLens requires locking the version number, dsh-agent-teams requires Git permissions.

3. Remember to Add --patch on Startup: Otherwise, skills and some plugins will not take effect.

Installation Recommendations

User Type	Recommended Plugin Combination
Just want to use Harness to get work done	dsh-web-ui + dsh-at-file
Want a Codex-style interface	dsh-better-sidebar + dsh-at-file
Pure terminal enthusiast	dsh-TUI
Don't want to install Node.js	deepseek-harness-desktop
Need to view images	Add ModLens
Complex tasks / Multi-Agent	Add dsh-agent-teams and dsh-plan-execute
Cost-sensitive	Add dsh-context-doctor

For more project practices, visit the Java Assault Team website: susan.net.cn/project

14. Final Words

Returning to the original question: What are the 10 must-install plugins for DeepSeek Harness?

I've divided them into three tiers:

Tier 1 (Core Experience Tier): dsh-web-ui and dsh-better-sidebar. These two are the "full furnishing" for Harness; after installing them, the interface experience goes directly from "bare shell" to "fully furnished".

Tier 2 (Interaction Method Tier): dsh-TUI (terminal), deepseek-harness-desktop (desktop app), dsh-at-file (@ file referencing). These three determine how you interact with Harness.

Tier 3 (Capability Extension Tier): ModLens (image viewing), dsh-agent-teams (multi-agent), dsh-plan-execute (dual-model), dsh-context-doctor (context auditing), dsh-reverse-skill (security skills). These are loaded on demand; install the plugin for whatever capability you need.

DeepSeek's slogan for Harness is "Everything is a plugin".

Judging by these over a thousand plugins, this is truly not just a slogan — models, tools, skills, sessions, sandboxes, storage, loops, scheduling, UI, all can be removed and replaced.

My suggestion is: First install the two most basic ones, dsh-web-ui and dsh-at-file, to transform Harness from "bare shell" to "livable".

Then, based on your usage habits, choose an interaction method (TUI or desktop app). Finally, when you encounter specific needs (like needing to view images or multi-agent collaboration), go to GitHub and search for the dsh-plugin topic to find the corresponding plugin to install.

With over a thousand plugins, there's bound to be one that suits you.