Use DeepSeek Harness (DSH) inside VS Code: the full DSH web GUI embedded in the sidebar, with server lifecycle management (auto-start, start/stop/restart, status bar).
Installation
Launch VS Code Quick Open (Ctrl+P), paste the following command, and press enter.
Use DeepSeek Harness (DSH) inside
VS Code the way Codex / Claude Code extensions work: the extension manages a
local dsh web server and embeds the full DSH web GUI in a sidebar panel,
so every DSH capability — agent chat, tool execution, sessions, approval
prompts, and any plugins installed in your web profile (SSH, task board,
preview/SCM panels, …) — is available right inside the editor.
Features
Sidebar panel embedding the complete DSH web GUI (dsh web on 127.0.0.1).
Lifecycle management: auto-start on activation, Start / Stop / Restart
commands, status-bar indicator with the live port.
Workspace-aware: DSH launches with your first workspace folder as the
session working directory; switching workspaces restarts it in the new folder.
Verified fixed-port reuse: with dsh.port set (non-zero), the extension attaches only after the existing endpoint identifies itself as DSH.
Open in Browser, output-channel logging, and a start/error screen with
actionable hints when dsh is missing.
DSH binds to loopback only. When dsh.dshHome is empty, the DSH process uses its normal profile directory (typically ~/.dsh).
Requirements
VS Code >= 1.90 (desktop) with a trusted local workspace folder.
Node.js >= 18 on PATH.
A dsh installation, either:
global npm install: npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh (auto-detected), or
dsh.executablePath pointing at @deepseek-ai/dsh/lib/bin.js or a
dsh.cmd shim.
Install
From the packaged .vsix
Run npm run package (produces dsh-for-vscode-<version>.vsix), then in
VS Code: Extensions → … → Install from VSIX… and pick the file.
Open a workspace folder; DSH auto-starts in the sidebar (activity-bar icon).
From source (development)
npm install && npm run build.
Press F5 (Run Extension) in this folder.
npm test runs the unit tests; npm run smoke runs an end-to-end check
against your real dsh binary (discovery → spawn → port parse → health →
tree kill).
Start the server automatically when a workspace is open.
dsh.port
0
Web-server port; 0 = OS-assigned. Non-zero ports are probed for an existing instance first.
dsh.host
127.0.0.1
Loopback only: 127.0.0.1 or localhost.
dsh.extraArgs
[]
Machine-level extra args; cannot override profile, host, or port.
dsh.extraEnv
{}
Extra environment variables for the DSH process. Host-only variables (NODE_OPTIONS, VSCODE_*, ELECTRON_*) are always scrubbed — set them here deliberately if needed.
dsh.dshHome
""
Custom DSH_HOME. Empty inherits the default (~/.dsh).
dsh.startupTimeoutSeconds
30
Readiness timeout after spawn.
dsh.stopOnDeactivate
true
Kill the spawned server when VS Code exits/reloads.
dsh.autoRestart
false
Auto-restart (max 3 attempts) after an unexpected crash.
Commands
DSH: Open Panel — focus the sidebar; starts the server if needed.
DSH: Start Server / DSH: Stop Server / DSH: Restart Server
DSH: Open in Browser — open the GUI in your default browser.
DSH: Show Logs — the DSH output channel.
How it works
Discovery — dsh.executablePath, then the global npm
@deepseek-ai/dsh/lib/bin.js (spawned via node), then dsh on PATH.
Spawn — dsh --profile web --host 127.0.0.1 --port <port> with the
first workspace folder as cwd, and with the VS Code host's own
environment variables scrubbed (NODE_OPTIONS points at VS Code bootstrap
files and must never leak into the child).
Readiness — the dsh web: http://127.0.0.1:PORT line is parsed from
stdout and confirmed by HTTP health probes.
Embed — the sidebar webview loads that loopback URL in a sandboxed
iframe; a postMessage bridge relays start/stop/restart and state updates.
"Could not find the dsh executable" — run
npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh, or set dsh.executablePath.
Port in use / won't start — keep dsh.port at 0, or make sure the
fixed port really serves DSH (the extension attaches only after it verifies the endpoint is DSH).
Blank panel — check the DSH output channel (DSH: Show Logs) and the
status-bar tooltip; restart with DSH: Restart Server.
Sessions in the wrong folder — DSH uses the first workspace folder as
the working directory; open the project as the workspace root (the GUI's
directory picker can also switch).
Roadmap
File-path deep-links: click a path in the embedded GUI to open the file in
the VS Code editor.
Editor-selection → DSH ("Explain / Improve with DSH" context menu).
Headless task runner with a per-file git-diff accept/reject panel
(built on dsh --profile headless + DSH_TOOLS_MODE).
Native streaming chat client speaking the DSH host protocol.
