English | 中文
A practical guide for complete beginners
Read online (English): https://leether.github.io/dsh-book/en/
Chinese edition: https://leether.github.io/dsh-book/
Unofficial guide: not affiliated with DeepSeek. DSH / DeepSeek names and trademarks belong to their owners.
Version: 2026-10
Reference environment: DeepSeek Harness Desktop 0.2.1-rc.2
Full text: English edition · Chinese edition · Site builder: scripts/build-site.py
Cognition article: From CLI to DSH Plugin
Case-study plugin: GetNote Toolbox
Cover artwork: generated with Dreamina (即梦), stored locally in docs/cover.webp.
- People meeting AI Agents for the first time who want to know how a model differs from a harness;
- People who have used chatbots but have never let an AI read files, run commands, or work on a project;
- People who want to install skills and plugins in DSH but feel blocked by Profile, Bundle, and Preset;
- People who want to build a small plugin in Creator mode but do not know where to start.
The first seven chapters assume no programming background. Chapter 8 introduces plugins; Chapter 9 moves into building one, but still focuses on describing goals and reviewing results.
- Install DeepSeek Harness Desktop;
- Have a model service ready (DeepSeek's official API or another compatible provider);
- Create a dedicated folder for the Agent; do not point it at your entire disk on day one;
- Remember: Agents make mistakes. Back up important files and confirm destructive actions.
- Agent = Model + Harness
- What DSH is and is not
- Five core terms: Agent, Session, Workspace, Tool, Skill
- Why a harness is necessary
- Desktop, Web, and Headless entry points
- Open Desktop
- Connect a model and API key
- Choose a workspace
- Choose Standard mode
- A map of the interface
- First conversation: read-only and observable
- Four elements: goal, input, constraints, acceptance
- Plan before you execute
- Watch tool calls and file changes
- Iterate and verify
- Deliver files with
present
- What a workspace really is
- What the Agent can read and write
workspace-writevs.danger-full-access- Destructive actions and backups
- Secrets, passwords, and screenshots
AGENTS.md: project rules
- What a Session is
- Why the Context Window fills up
- DSH does not automatically remember everything
- New Session vs. continuing
- Files,
AGENTS.md, and Skills as long-term memory - Context hygiene
- Tool categories: read, write, execute, search, deliver
- Tool cards and approvals
- Plans, todos, subagents, workflows
- What a Skill is, and how it differs from a Tool or Plugin
- Choosing and using Skills
- What
presentmeans
- A Preset is a capability composition, not a model
- Standard mode
- Creator mode
- PTC mode
- Minimal mode
- How to choose
- The right way to customize a Preset
- A Plugin is a runtime capability
- A Bundle is an installer package
- A Profile is an installation environment
- How all three relate to Presets
- Installing, enabling, and removing with Plugin Manager
- The trust boundary of third-party plugins
- Common failures
- What Creator mode is
- What it adds
- When to use it, and when not to
- A complete plugin-building loop
- Safety: code runs in the Host process
- How non-programmers can participate
- Case study: turning the GetNote CLI into a public DSH plugin
- A table of common problems
- Reading diagnostics
- Safety checklist
- Cost and usage
- A practice path
- One-page cheat sheet
- Glossary
- Ten reusable prompt templates
- Before-you-start checklist
- Task-completion checklist
- One-page cheat sheet
- From CLI to DSH Plugin: A Decision Guide for Better Agent Work
- Read: cognition.html
| You are | Read |
|---|---|
| An everyday user | Chapters 1–7 |
| Installing plugins and skills | Chapters 1–8 |
| Building a plugin | Chapters 1–9 |
| Troubleshooting | Chapter 10, then the relevant chapter |
| Better Agent decisions | Cognition |
- English site: https://leether.github.io/dsh-book/en/
- Chinese site: https://leether.github.io/dsh-book/
- Cognition article: https://leether.github.io/dsh-book/en/cognition.html
- Repository: https://github.com/leether/dsh-book
- Issues: https://github.com/leether/dsh-book/issues
The site is split into per-chapter pages:
/ cover + contents
/cognition.html
/ch01.html … /ch10.html
/appendix.html
/en/ English cover + contents
/en/cognition.html
/en/ch01.html … /en/ch10.html
/en/appendix.html
GitHub Pages serves main / docs as static HTML. There is no build service.
To update the site:
cat 00-front.md part1.md part2.md part3.md part4.md > dsh-book.md
cat en/00-front.md en/part1.md en/part2.md en/part3.md en/part4.md > en/dsh-book.md
python3 -m pip install -r requirements.txt
python3 scripts/build-site.py
git add dsh-book.md en/dsh-book.md docs
git commit -m "docs: refresh site"
git pushPages updates within a minute or two.
- Cognition article: a standalone decision guide for Agent work;
- Per-chapter pages: shorter pages, clearer navigation, and a chapter-specific URL;
- Bilingual switch:
English / 中文in the top-right corner; the current chapter is preserved; - Cover page: hero, book cover, chapter cards, and reading paths;
- Desktop sidebar: chapter navigation stays visible and highlights the current chapter;
- Mobile single column: contents, article, and chapter navigation stack;
- Reading rhythm: minutes, word count, and section count per chapter;
- Chapter navigation: previous/next at the end of every chapter;
- CSS-only reading progress: shown in browsers that support scroll-driven animations;
- Light/dark theme: follows
prefers-color-scheme; - Print styles: hide navigation and paginate by chapter.
No JavaScript, cookies, analytics, external fonts, or third-party asset requests are used.
.
├── README.md # this English README (default)
├── README.zh.md # Chinese README
├── AGENTS.md # Agent working rules
├── dsh-book.md # Chinese full text
├── cognition.zh.md # Chinese cognition article source
├── 00-front.md # Chinese title page
├── part1.md … part4.md # Chinese chapter sources
├── en/
│ ├── 00-front.md # English title page
│ ├── cognition.en.md # English cognition article source
│ ├── part1.md … part4.md
│ └── dsh-book.md # English full text
├── scripts/build-site.py # Markdown → bilingual static site
├── docs/ # GitHub Pages (main /docs)
│ ├── index.html # Chinese cover
│ ├── cognition.html # Chinese cognition article
│ ├── ch01.html … ch10.html
│ ├── appendix.html
│ ├── en/index.html # English cover
│ ├── en/cognition.html # English cognition article
│ ├── en/ch01.html … en/appendix.html
│ ├── style.css
│ ├── favicon.svg
│ └── .nojekyll
├── PUBLISHING.md # release / Pages notes (Chinese)
├── CONTRIBUTING.md # contribution notes (Chinese)
├── requirements.txt
├── NOTICE.md # copyright and license scope
├── LICENSE # CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (book text)
└── LICENSE-CODE # MIT (code examples)
dsh-book.md is 00-front.md + part1.md … part4.md.
The English edition is the same combination under en/.
The English text was edited for natural English usage rather than translated word-for-word; native-speaker corrections are welcome.
This repository is public:
- It contains no real API keys, passwords, tokens, private files, personal notes, or local absolute paths;
- Project names, file names, and conversation examples in the book are fictional;
- Both the Chinese and English sites are static HTML: no JavaScript, cookies, analytics, external fonts, or CDN requests;
- Pages link only to the GitHub repository and to Pages itself;
- This is an unofficial learning resource, not DeepSeek documentation or a product promise;
- DSH / DeepSeek names and trademarks belong to their owners;
- UI labels and version behavior may change; use the actual product as the source of truth.
If you quote this book, keep the source and license. If you find an error, open an issue.
Corrections, clearer examples, and English-language improvements are welcome.
- Open an issue with the chapter, your DSH version and platform, the observed behavior, and the expected correction;
- Do not paste API keys, tokens, passwords, private files, customer data, or local absolute paths;
- For source edits, change
part*.mdoren/part*.md, rebuild both books, then runscripts/build-site.py; - Do not hand-edit
docs/*.html; they are generated; - Do not copy unlicensed images, fonts, or long copyrighted excerpts;
- Keep the "unofficial" framing.
See CONTRIBUTING.md for the full notes (Chinese).
Book text: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0
Code examples: MIT
Scope and commercial licensing: NOTICE.md
You may read, share, and redistribute the book text verbatim for noncommercial purposes with attribution. You may not use the text commercially, and you may not publish modified, abridged, or translated versions without written permission. Commercial publication rights are reserved by the copyright holder; for a commercial license, open an issue.
The DSH / DeepSeek names and trademarks are not granted by these licenses.