Best Plugins for DeepSeek Harness Every Developer Should Use in 2026
Posted on October 9, 2026
References: GitHub dsh-plugin topic · Composio guide
DeepSeek opened DeepSeek Harness v0.1 in developer preview in August 2026 — and the community exploded. Within days the repo passed 100k+ stars, and the dsh-plugin topic on GitHub grew to thousands of repositories.
Why? DSH is plugin-first by design. Models, tools, skills, sessions, storage, sandboxes, scheduling — even the UI — can all be composed as plugins via the Cordis kernel. That means community plugins don't just change a theme; they change what the agent can do.
I went through the community plugin topic, individual repos, install docs, and the projects getting real traction — heavily guided by Composio's hands-on roundup — and narrowed it down to the 11 plugins worth trying first, based on what they add, how easy they are to install, and where they fit in a real developer workflow. For broader AI tooling context, see our free AI websites guide and AI agents strategy guide.
TL;DR — the 11 picks
- Composio — connect DSH to 1,500+ apps with managed auth.
- dsh-web-ui — full UI workbench bundle (tasks, Git, mobile, skins).
- DSH-better-sidebar — files, terminal, Git, browser beside chat.
- ModLens — vision for text-only DeepSeek models.
- dsh-vision-toolkit — advanced OCR, grounding, UI rebuild.
- dsh-TUI — keyboard-first terminal interface.
- dsh-at-file — Codex-style @file mentions.
- dsh-market — in-app visual plugin marketplace.
- dsh-find-plugin — agent searches GitHub for plugins.
- dsh-genui — interactive components inside answers.
- dsh-mnemon — persistent cross-session memory.
What is DeepSeek Harness?
DeepSeek Harness (dsh) is an open-source agent harness from DeepSeek. It wraps the model and gives the agent access to its environment, tools, sessions, files, workflows, and runtime capabilities — with an append-only session log of prompts, reasoning, tool calls, results, and subagent scheduling that you can resume, fork, search, or replay.
Because plugins live inside profiles, installing them is straightforward — but DSH is still in preview, so expect breaking changes and review third-party code before installing.
How to install plugins in DeepSeek Harness
Most plugins in this guide target the web profile:
# Install a plugin dsh plugin --profile web add <package-or-source> # Optional: verify it was added dsh --profile web --dump-config # Restart the Web UI when the plugin requires it dsh web
DSH also supports packages installed directly from GitHub. Review third-party sources before allowing build scripts, and pin versions or commits where possible — Git installs can execute package code on your machine.
Best plugins for DeepSeek Harness
1. Composio: connect DSH to 1,500+ apps
Best for: going beyond the codebase — GitHub, Slack, Gmail, Linear, Calendar with managed OAuth, scopes, and token refresh.
Composio is the top pick because DSH already has shell execution — so the simplest setup is just the Composio CLI, no separate MCP server needed. The agent can then search integrations, connect accounts, and run tools through its normal shell workflow.
curl -fsSL https://composio.dev/install | bash composio login
Use it when: you want DSH working across external SaaS, don't want to maintain auth flows, or want one integration layer instead of a plugin per tool.
2. dsh-web-ui: turn the Web UI into a complete workbench
Best for: developers who opened the default Web UI and immediately wanted more. Repo: zhu1090093659/dsh-web-ui.
- Task board, Git graph, token info, skins, image + SSH tools, desktop pet, right-side workbench
- Install the full collection or pick individual packages later
- Note: full bundle already integrates better-sidebar
dsh plugin --profile web add @linxin666/dsh-web-ui-all@latest dsh web
3. DSH-better-sidebar: files, terminal, Git beside chat
Best for: a VS Code-like workbench without the full bundle. Repo: omdsh-dev/DSH-better-sidebar (~2.2k stars).
- File explorer + editor, real terminal, Git diff/history, browser tabs, subagent views
- API lets other plugins register their own tabs
- Client-side changes usually just need a hard refresh (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + R)
dsh plugin --profile web add dsh-better-sidebar@latest
4. ModLens: give text-only DeepSeek models vision
Best for: screenshots, design mocks, error dialogs when your model route is text-only. Repo: liustack/modlens (~3.2k stars).
Returns structured evidence — OCR, layout, entities, relationships — instead of a vague image caption.
npx -y @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web add @liustack/modlens@3.21.1
Pin the version — pnpm 11 can hold back freshly published packages.
5. dsh-vision-toolkit: advanced visual workflows
Best for: when vision is the workflow, not a one-off. Repo: Anionex/dsh-vision-toolkit (~728 stars).
- Long-screenshot OCR, visual grounding, cropping, tracing
- UI reconstruction + pixel comparison, bundled agent skill
- Can install into headless profile too
dsh plugin --profile web add @anionex/dsh-vision-toolkit
Rule of thumb: start with ModLens for normal screenshots, move here when visual tasks become central.
6. dsh-TUI: use DSH like a terminal coding agent
Best for: staying in the terminal. Repo: ccch1mneyyy/dsh-TUI.
- Claude Code-style full-screen TUI: streaming Markdown + reasoning, live status, TPS, context usage
- File refs, session resume/compaction/export, model switching, double-Esc rewind-and-fork
- Requires pnpm 10+
npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh @deepseek-harness-tui/dsh-tui dsh-tui
7. dsh-at-file: Codex-style @file references
Best for: eliminating manual path typing. Repo: omdsh-dev/dsh-at-file (~400 stars, v0.6.5).
Type @, search the workspace, pick a path — the plugin inserts a validated reference. Note: current versions pass the path; the agent's existing tools read the file.
dsh plugin --profile web add https://github.com/omdsh-dev/dsh-at-file/archive/refs/tags/v0.6.5.tar.gz
8. dsh-market: a plugin marketplace inside Harness
Best for: browsing/installing/updating without the terminal. Repo: dsh-market/dsh-market.
- Visual market in Settings → Plugin Market, curated catalogue refreshed regularly
- Requires dsh web 0.1.0-rc.6+
dsh plugin --profile web add dshmarket dsh web
9. dsh-find-plugin: let the agent search for plugins
Best for: "I need a Git diff viewer" without browsing GitHub. Repo: awesome-dsh-plugin/dsh-find-plugin (~59 stars).
Searches the live dsh-plugin topic, ranks by stars, returns descriptions + install commands. Small but essential while the ecosystem outgrows static lists.
dsh plugin --profile web add dsh-find-plugin
10. dsh-genui: render interactive UI inside answers
Best for: dashboards, charts, forms, quizzes instead of Markdown-only replies. Repo: omdsh-dev/dsh-genui.
- 30+ components: cards, tables, charts, tabs, file trees, timelines, Mermaid, 3D scenes
- Button events feed back to the model for continued interaction
dsh plugin --profile web add git+https://github.com/omdsh-dev/dsh-genui.git
11. dsh-mnemon: proper cross-session memory
Best for: persisting preferences, project docs, and decisions. Repo: omdsh-dev/dsh-mnemon (370+ commits).
- Three tiers: Runtime Memory, Documents, Memory Spaces (Mnemon-backed retrieval)
- Works across Web UI, conversation, and headless profiles; local-first
brew install --cask mnemon-dev/tap/mnemon dsh plugin --profile web add dsh-mnemon dsh --profile web
Quick comparison
| Plugin | Category | Install target | Start here if… |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composio | Integrations | CLI | Agent needs external apps |
| dsh-web-ui | UI bundle | web | Default UI feels bare |
| better-sidebar | Workbench | web | Want files + terminal + Git |
| ModLens | Vision | web | Text-only model + screenshots |
| vision-toolkit | Vision pro | web / headless | OCR / UI rebuild workflow |
| dsh-TUI | Terminal | dsh-tui | Prefer keyboard-first coding |
| dsh-at-file | UX | web | Reference files constantly |
| dsh-market | Discovery | web | Install plugins visually |
| find-plugin | Discovery | web | Ask agent to find plugins |
| dsh-genui | GenUI | web | Need interactive outputs |
| dsh-mnemon | Memory | web / headless | Persist prefs + decisions |
How to choose: pick by workflow, not hype
- Terminal-first coder: dsh-TUI + dsh-at-file + dsh-mnemon.
- Web UI power user: better-sidebar (or full dsh-web-ui) + dsh-market.
- Design / frontend work: ModLens → vision-toolkit + dsh-genui.
- Team / integrations: Composio + dsh-mnemon + find-plugin.
Don't install all 11 at once. DSH is in preview — start with two or three, verify with --dump-config, and review sources. Track the ecosystem via the awesome-dsh-plugin list and the dsh-plugin topic.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need Composio if DSH already has shell tools?
Shell execution covers local commands, but not SaaS auth. Composio handles OAuth, API keys, scopes, connected accounts, and token refresh across 1,500+ apps — so the agent can pull PRs, read email, or update Linear without you wiring auth per-tool.
dsh-web-ui vs better-sidebar — which one?
The full dsh-web-ui bundle already includes better-sidebar. If you only need the sidebar workbench (files, terminal, Git, browser), install better-sidebar alone — it's cleaner and lighter.
ModLens vs dsh-vision-toolkit?
ModLens is the focused starter for giving text-only models vision (OCR, layout, entities). Move to dsh-vision-toolkit when you need long-screenshot OCR, grounding, UI reconstruction, or pixel comparison as a repeatable workflow.
Conclusion
The DSH ecosystem is only weeks old and already surprisingly deep. Pick two or three plugins matching your actual workflow, review the source before installing, and add them to your DeepSeek Harness now. Revisit the dsh-plugin topic monthly — this list will be outdated fast.
More guides: AI Agents Strategy · Free AI Tools · Rank in AI Search · Technical SEO Audit
Sources & References
Plugin details, install commands, and star counts cross-checked against the references below in October 2026. Star counts change fast — check live repos.
- Composio — Best plugins for DeepSeek Harness every developer should use in 2026 — primary hands-on reference for all 11 plugins, install patterns, and use cases.
- GitHub — dsh-plugin topic — community ecosystem, trending repos, awesome-dsh-plugin list.
- DeepSeek Harness official page — plugin-first architecture and Cordis kernel background.
- Composio CLI docs — CLI install and integration workflow for DSH shell usage.
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