How to Install DSH Plugins (Step-by-Step)
Install any DeepSeek Harness plugin in one command — plus how to verify it loaded, what to do when a README describes something other than an npm package, and how to stay safe.
1. Make sure DSH itself is installed
Plugins attach to DeepSeek Harness, so DSH has to be on the machine first:
npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dshThe plugin command needs pnpm on your PATH for many packages, since DSH installs plugin packages rather than vendoring them.
2. Install a plugin into a profile
DSH keeps separate profiles, so the same machine can run different plugin sets. The overwhelming majority of the plugins we publish use this form:
dsh plugin --profile web add <package-name>Pick the profile that matches how you use DSH. In the install commands across our directory, web is by far the most common profile (the browser/desktop surface), followed by tui, demo, headless and default. If a plugin's README names a profile, use that exact name — the command on every dshpacks plugin page is copied verbatim from the upstream README.
3. If it isn't on npm, install from GitHub
Not every plugin is published. Some maintainers only ship a repository, in which case the README-prescribed form is:
dsh plugin --profile web add github:<owner>/<repo>Some pins add a tag or commit — github:owner/repo#v0.3.0 — and some are monorepos where only a subdirectory is the plugin. When a README publishes only a manual copy into node_modules or a private source, the dshpacks page says install command not yet confirmed rather than printing a command we could not verify.
4. Activate and verify
Most plugins need DSH restarted, and browser-side plugins need a hard refresh, before their UI appears. Each plugin page carries the maintainer's own activation and verification note — for example, the GenUI plugin asks you to confirm the surface registers in the browser console. Use the plugin's own indicator; a successful add is not by itself proof that the plugin loaded.
5. Before you install anything
A DSH plugin runs as code inside your harness. Read Are DSH plugins safe? for how to check a plugin before you run it, and prefer reviewed entries: every plugin page on dshpacks shows the runtime-test verdict, the exact install command and where the command came from.
Where to go next
- Best DeepSeek Harness plugins — ranked picks by category
- The plugin directory — every reviewed plugin, searchable
- dsh Packs — curated shortlists of reviewed plugins by use case
Related: Curated plugin bundles (dsh Packs) · Best DSH plugins in 2026