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DeepSeek Harness: MIT Agent Runtime

MIT plugin-based agent harness from DeepSeek. Developer preview; breaking changes expected.

DeepSeek Harness web UI providers and models page from the official user guide
Official project image. Source · License: MIT.
License
MIT
Stars
260,528 (2026-10-25)
Platforms
Linux, macOS, Windows, Node.js, Web
First seen
2026-08-13

TL;DR. DeepSeek Harness is MIT plugin-based agent harness from DeepSeek. Developer preview; breaking changes expected. License: MIT (verified). Platforms: Linux, macOS, Windows, Node.js, Web. Price: free. Runs locally: yes. It is an alternative to Claude Code, Cursor.

NameDeepSeek Harness
LanguageTypeScript
LicenseMIT
Pricingfree
PlatformsLinux, macOS, Windows, Node.js, Web
Runs locallyYes
Stats260,528 stars · 31,468 forks (as of 2026-10-25)
First seen2026-08-13
Repositoryhttps://github.com/deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness

DeepSeek Harness (dsh) is an open-source agent harness from DeepSeek AI. Official hosts we opened on 2026-10-25: deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness (260,528 stars, 31,468 forks, created 2026-08-13T11:56:32Z, last push 2026-10-23T15:25:40Z, default branch master), LICENSE (MIT), SAFETY.md, tag dsh-v0.2.1-rc.3 (prerelease, 2026-10-23), deepseek.com/harness, and docs.

It hangs off Claude Code alternatives and Cursor alternatives as a runtime, not an IDE clone. Orca remains the fleet/worktree orchestrator on those hubs. That mapping is editorial. We have no sourced quality comparison against Claude Code or Cursor.

The README (opened 2026-10-25): “Everything is a Plugin,” built on Cordis. “Developer preview and iterating rapidly. THERE WILL BE COMPATIBILITY-BREAKING CHANGES.” SAFETY.md: experimental, no security audit, must not be treated as production-ready. Those sentences stay upstream.

Key facts (2026-10-25)

Field Value Source
Stars / forks 260,528 / 31,468 GitHub API
Created 2026-08-13T11:56:32Z same
Last push 2026-10-23T15:25:40Z same
Latest tag we opened dsh-v0.2.1-rc.3 (prerelease, 2026-10-23T15:26:39Z) GitHub Releases API
GitHub Releases “latest” None same
License MIT LICENSE + GitHub API
Language TypeScript GitHub API
Job Plugin-based agent harness + web UI README

License

LICENSE is MIT, copyright 2026 DeepSeek. GitHub license.spdx_id MIT. THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md lists direct dependencies. Not legal advice.

Install (docs, not tested)

README:

npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web

Default URL copied from the README: http://127.0.0.1:3080. From a checkout: pnpm install && pnpm run build && pnpm dsh web. Read SAFETY.md first. forkalt has not launched it.

Weights that people attach are a different artifact. This site’s DeepSeek model page is DeepSeek-V4.1-Flash; the official serving engine is DeepInfer.

FAQ

Is DeepSeek Harness open source?

Yes on the file we opened. LICENSE is MIT (copyright 2026 DeepSeek). GitHub license field MIT. 260,528 stars, last push 2026-10-23T15:25:40Z. Third-party packages keep their own licenses in THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md. Not legal advice.

What version did you check?

There is no GitHub Releases “latest” artifact. Newest tag we opened is dsh-v0.2.1-rc.3 (published 2026-10-23T15:26:39Z, prerelease). API 2026-10-25: 260,528 stars, 31,468 forks, created 2026-08-13. README calls it developer preview with compatibility-breaking changes.

Does it replace Claude Code or Cursor?

The README calls it an open-source agent harness with an everything-is-a-plugin architecture (`npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web`). That is vendor copy, not a forkalt bake-off. Orca is the fleet/worktree orchestrator already on those hubs.

How do I run it?

README (not run here): install Node.js, then `npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web` (default http://127.0.0.1:3080). From source: clone, `pnpm install`, `pnpm run build`, `pnpm dsh web`. Read SAFETY.md first. forkalt has not launched the UI.

Sources & verification

Last verified 2026-10-25 · Last updated 2026-10-25· Edited by forkalt editors · Editorial policy

License notes are not legal advice. Read the original LICENSE. Trademark & disclaimer.