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DSH Brickbook

DeepSeek Harness · Source explained

Everything is a brick.

An architecture picture book simple enough for a five-year-old. The agent thinks, keeps a journal, and acts—and every ability is a plugin you can pull out and replace.

Read the storyExplore the mapFollow a turn

BRICK CITY · SECTION

Window

client ui-*

Mailbox

webserver

Reception

apiproxy

Skills

skill

Plan

plan

Helpers

subagent

To-do

todo

Paper

fs

Runner

spawn

Fence

box

Voice

shell

LSP

code map

Journal

session

Heartbeat

loop

Tools

tools

Brain

llm

Cordis baseplate · Context · Fiber · reversible effects

Current source snapshot

DeepSeek Harness 0.1.1-rc.2

227 package manifests at commit b150a55, updated from the official release published 2026-08-21.

Official release

  • Images are native input: the DeepSeek adapter uploads, reuses, and preprocesses them through the Files API.

  • Subagents can connect to Claude Code, Codex, and ACP, with control, reporting, and job-panel workflows.

  • Execution is safer and steadier, with a Bubblewrap escape fix plus persistent PowerShell, timeout, and file-observation policies.

  • Tools and UI are more composable: multiline questions, plugin inventory, image attachments, web search, and compaction live in focused packages.

The ten-layer brick city

Open the map

  1. 01

    Baseplate · Cordis

    Like a LEGO baseplate. Without it, the bricks fall apart.

  2. 02

    Assembly · Profile / Bundle

    Choose a toy box, then stack its bags in order.

  3. 03

    Core · Agent Loop

    The agent's heartbeat: listen, think, act, then think again.

  4. 04

    Brain · LLM

    The brick that speaks can be replaced with another brand.

  5. 05

    Hands · Execution world

    Hands, feet, and fences must live in the same room.

  6. 06

    Journal · Session

    Everything that happens goes in a notebook that can be reopened later.

  7. 07

    Abilities · Capability plugins

    Teach the agent new tricks: search the web, ask helpers, track work.

  8. 08

    Window · Host + Client

    A window lets you watch the agent working inside the house.

  9. 09

    Rules · Human collaboration

    People decide which bricks are safe and which need permission.

  10. 10

    Extras · Supporting pieces

    Glue, rulers, and test bricks keep the city steady.

Principles

Replaceable plugins, an honest journal

Everything is a plugin. Every run is traceable.

Open

Baseplate

Five rules hold the city together

Plugins, Context, inject, events, and reversible effects.

Open

Seams

Swap the hands; move the whole world

Definition, provider, consumer. fs and subprocess move as a pair.

Open

Reading order

  1. 01The brick storySimple enough for a five-year-old
  2. 02Two principlesPlugins and the journal
  3. 03Architecture mapThe whole brick city
  4. 04The Cordis baseplateHow the bricks connect
  5. 05How it bootsWhich layer comes first
  6. 06One conversation turnHow the agent thinks
  7. 07Replaceable seamsSwap out a hand
  8. 08Event busWho calls whom
  9. 09Module directoryEvery brick in the box
  10. 10GlossaryNames side by side

Frequently asked questions

All questions

Which DeepSeek Harness version does this Brickbook cover?

The content is aligned with the official dsh-v0.1.1-rc.2 release at commit b150a55, published on 2026-08-21. That source snapshot contains 227 packages/*/package.json manifests; the directory curates the core and representative plugins instead of flattening all 227 into one list.

What is DeepSeek Harness?

DeepSeek Harness (dsh) is an open-source agent runtime. It does not hard-code a model into its core: model adapters, tools, sessions, sandboxes, loops, and UI are all plugins. Its two central ideas are Everything is a plugin and Every run is traceable.

What does Cordis do in dsh?

Cordis is the baseplate. Plugins contribute Services, typed events, and reversible effects to a shared Context. Registrations are automatically undone when a fiber is disposed. There is no privileged kernel to patch; extend the system by mounting a plugin beside the others.

What does Everything is a plugin mean?

Every capability is a replaceable brick. Change the LLM adapter without changing the loop; replace the filesystem provider and Bash, PTY, and LSP can follow. Select, replace, and extend through configuration instead of editing dsh source.