DSH Desktop FAQ

The official distribution is a terminal WebUI (npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web). DSH Desktop is the community-maintained desktop client: the same WebUI plus a bundled Node.js runtime, tray-resident window, crash auto-recovery, a summon shortcut and updates — download and run.

No. It is an independently maintained community desktop shell with no affiliation, authorization, or partnership with DeepSeek AI. The upstream Harness package and trademarks remain subject to their own terms.

Release builds bundle Node.js and all required dependencies. End users do not need to install Node.js or run npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web first.

Not by default. The desktop uses ~/.dsh-desktop, while the CLI commonly uses ~/.dsh. Set DSH_HOME=~/.dsh only when you intentionally want to share data.

Current macOS builds may not be notarized. Verify the installer source and checksum, then right-click the app in Finder and choose Open. Do not run commands from an untrusted download page.

Current installers are not code-signed yet. Verify the source and checksum first; if you trust the build, choose More info → Run anyway.

No. The plugin market and all community plugins require an explicit manual install from Settings → Desktop settings. They are optional and do not block a first task. Verify the third-party source before continuing because installation may download community code and run install scripts.

Settings → Desktop settings reports the prepare, download, verification, and restart phases and distinguishes network, proxy, timeout, data-directory, install-script, and bundled-tool failures. Expand the sanitized technical detail or export diagnostics, fix the reported issue, and retry. Failed attempts are never shown as installed.

Open Settings → Desktop settings → Run health check. By default it checks the bundled runtime, data folders and disk, Harness loopback, profile, plugins, and versions locally and read-only. Proxy, registry, and update-source probes require a separate opt-in. Results are sanitized, never uploaded, and never repair user files automatically.

The error page offers Retry, Start in Safe Mode, Open logs, and Export diagnostics. When a suspect plugin is detected, each one is listed with Update (pull the latest version) and Disable (remove it from the boot list and restart) actions — disabling keeps the files and is reversible from Settings → Plugins. Safe Mode keeps official and bundled extensions and isolates user plugins as the fallback recovery path.

The current amd64 Debian package targets Debian, Ubuntu, UOS, Deepin, and Kylin-style desktop systems. Dependencies can vary by distribution.

Use the matching .sha256 file with shasum -a 256 -c filename.sha256 on macOS/Linux or CertUtil -hashfile filename SHA256 on Windows.

Use the GitCode mirror listed on the download page. Mirror availability follows release synchronization; fall back to GitHub if a file is missing.

Create one at the DeepSeek Open Platform, then paste it into the model/provider settings in dsh-desktop. API usage is metered.

Press Ctrl/Cmd + Shift + Space from any app to show and focus dsh-desktop. If another app owns it, use the system tray or the window context menu; a conflict never blocks Harness startup.

Yes. Open Settings → Desktop settings, choose Change shortcut, and press a combination with a modifier such as Ctrl + Alt + K. Conflicts are reported so you can choose another. Launch at login is off by default; Windows and macOS can also start hidden in the tray. Linux does not currently expose that switch.

No. Notices use only Harness public session and background-job state. They do not read screenshots, perform visual recognition, or upload data. They appear while the window is unfocused and can be disabled in Settings → Desktop settings.

Yes. The desktop trash keeps deleted sessions and presets recoverable from Harness Settings → Trash. Agent deletion commands are intercepted too: targets move into the trash first, and ambiguous deletions are blocked with an explanation. Entries are kept for 30 days, then cleaned up automatically.