DSH Mini TUI — Minimal Terminal Plugin for DeepSeek Harness

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A minimalist terminal UI plugin for DeepSeek Harness (DSH). It keeps the complete agent and tool workflow while moving routine execution activity out of the way, leaving the terminal focused on your input and the model's final answer.

The interface, npm package, and GitHub repository share the name DSH Mini TUI / dsh-mini-tui: Mini describes less interface noise, not fewer Harness capabilities. Its playful Chinese nickname can continue as “单身汉 Mini TUI”, based on the sound of the DSH initials.

![DSH Mini TUI — Welcome to DeepSeek](assets/dsh-mini-tui-welcome.png)

![New DeepSeek Harness TUI startup screen](assets/tui-startup-dashboard.png)

How DSH and Mini TUI fit together

DSH Mini TUI is the terminal presentation plugin for DeepSeek Harness, not a standalone agent framework. It controls how users enter messages, follow activity, and read answers in the terminal. DSH still owns how models and agents run.

DSH Mini TUI and dsh-TUI are independent plugin implementations in the community terminal-interface ecosystem for DeepSeek Harness.

dsh --profile tui
       │
       ▼
DeepSeek Harness (runtime and plugin system)
       │
       ├── model routing and credentials
       ├── standard Agent preset
       ├── tool execution and approvals
       ├── Sessions, logs, and persistence
       └── dsh-mini-tui (terminal presentation)
              ├── input and streamed answers
              ├── answer-first tool output
              ├── activity and failure states
              └── redraws, titles, and terminal interaction

DeepSeek Harness owns	DSH Mini TUI owns
Model selection, routing, and calls	Startup screen, input, and answer rendering
Agent lifecycle and the `standard` preset	Answer-first conversation layout and activity states
Scoped tools, approvals, and cancellation	Terminal commands such as `/verbose` and `/tool N`
Session logs and the complete execution record	Resize redraws, window titles, and the Windows terminal experience
The DSH plugin ecosystem and capability composition	A restrained TUI surface for those capabilities

Installing or removing Mini TUI therefore changes the interface to DSH. It does not replace DSH with another agent or reduce DSH's model, tool, or Session capabilities.

What Mini means: less process, more answer

The design principle is simple: tools should keep working without taking over the screen. Less routine status output means clearer context, less scrolling, and a conversation that is easier to read from beginning to end.

Gradient identity — the DEEPSEEK wordmark uses a true-color cyan-to-deep-blue gradient for a distinct, consistent terminal identity.
Compact runtime context — only the active model, working directory, and /help hint remain below the wordmark; Session ID, platform version, permission mode, and the shortcut panel no longer crowd the dashboard.
Deep-sea palette — input borders, status labels, paths, and the thinking indicator share a restrained ocean palette designed for extended terminal use.
Stable path colors — file and directory references receive deterministic colors, making targets easier to find in logs and retained tool details.
Answer-first conversation flow — successful tool calls stay hidden by default, so the terminal primarily shows user input and model responses; failures still surface as one compact line instead of disappearing silently.
Details on demand — minimal does not mean lost information. /verbose reveals subsequent tool output, /tool N opens retained call details, and the complete record remains durable in the DSH Session log.
Private thinking state — a concise [thinking] indicator appears during model reasoning without printing internal reasoning content.

This is a deliberate tradeoff: the interface is Mini; the capability is not. DSH continues to own model routing, tool execution, approvals, the agent lifecycle, and Session persistence.

Why this plugin

Lightweight — one focused terminal presentation layer with no Web application runtime.
Fast workflow — responsive multi-line input, direct keyboard controls, and tool activity that stays out of the conversation by default.
Deep-sea visual language — the startup dashboard, status labels, path references, and thinking state share one restrained ocean palette.
Native DSH integration — uses DSH's scoped tools, approvals, agent lifecycle, and durable Session log directly.

Quick install

Install the latest DSH Mini TUI package from npm into the DSH tui profile:

dsh plugin --profile tui add dsh-mini-tui@latest
dsh --profile tui

> Note: the deepseek-harness-tui package on npm belongs to a different project. The correct package name for this project is dsh-mini-tui.

Launch from Windows Explorer

DSH Mini TUI includes a current-user context-menu installer. After installation, launch it from a directory background, a directory itself, or a drive:

Open DSH TUI here — opens the selected directory with the standard permission mode.
Open DSH TUI full access — opens it with danger-full-access; this mode is enabled only when that explicit menu item is selected.

After installing the npm package into the default tui profile, run:

& "$HOME\.dsh\profiles\tui\node_modules\dsh-mini-tui\scripts\install-dsh-tui-context-menu.cmd"

When developing from this checkout, run:

.\scripts\install-dsh-tui-context-menu.cmd

To remove both entries:

.\scripts\uninstall-dsh-tui-context-menu.cmd

Installation and removal modify only HKEY_CURRENT_USER and do not require administrator rights. The menu ultimately runs dsh --profile tui, so DSH still provides the model, agent, and tool runtime.

Requirements

Node.js 22.19 or later, or Node.js 24+
pnpm 11+
An existing DeepSeek Harness 0.1.0-rc.6 installation
A model credential already configured in DSH, either through its credentials service or the launching environment

Develop from this checkout

pnpm install
pnpm run build
pnpm test
dsh plugin --profile tui add .
dsh --profile tui

The dsh plugin --profile tui add . command installs the current source checkout; regular users should prefer the npm quick-install command above. The package consumes published @deepseek-ai/* packages at 0.1.0-rc.6; it has no monorepo-relative or workspace:^ dependency.

Input and commands

Enter sends the current message.
Shift+Enter or Ctrl+J inserts a newline.
Ctrl+V accepts bracketed multi-line paste; /paste reads the Windows clipboard directly.
/cancel or Ctrl+C cancels the active task.
/verbose toggles bounded tool output for subsequent calls.
/tool N prints the retained input and result for call number N.
/help lists commands; /exit or /quit closes the session.

Tool calls are quiet by default; failed calls print only one compact line. /verbose shows numbered summaries and bounded details for subsequent calls, and /tool N can inspect recently retained inputs and results. toolDetailMaxLines and toolDetailMaxCharacters default to 80 lines and 8,000 characters. toolDetailHistoryLimit keeps the latest 200 calls available to /tool N; older details leave process memory while complete values remain in the DSH Session log.

Scope

This repository owns only the terminal presentation plugin. DSH owns model routing, tools, permissions, persistence, and agent execution. The TUI is line-oriented and does not provide the Web client's graphical cards, session navigation, or full-screen scrollback.

License

[MIT](LICENSE)

Source facts

Install

Check the source files