How to enable scheduled tasks in DeepSeek Harness

DeepSeek Harness scheduled tasks are an experimental feature: first enable automated tasks on the plugin management page (the experimental bundle @deepseek-ai/dsh-experimental-schedule-bundle), then use schedule_create, schedule_list, schedule_update and schedule_delete to manage them. The released web profile does not include Schedule by default.

How to enable DeepSeek Harness scheduled tasks: the experimental bundle

DeepSeek Harness scheduled tasks require enabling the experimental bundle @deepseek-ai/dsh-experimental-schedule-bundle, and the schedule tools appear only after automated tasks are switched on in the plugin management page (source). The enable steps:

1. Confirm you are on a supported profile — the released web profile does not include Schedule by default. Expected: use a profile that contains the bundle, or add it from the plugin management page.
2. Open the plugin management page — find the automated tasks item. Expected: it is experimental and usually off by default.
3. Recheck the tool list after enabling — confirm tools such as schedule_create appear. Expected: if they do not, the bundle did not really load.
4. Add config as needed — delivery history retention is controlled by deliveryHistoryDays and deliveryHistoryRecords. Expected: without config, the defaults apply.

The DeepSeek Harness schedule tools: create, list, update, delete

Once enabled, DeepSeek Harness exposes four tools: schedule_create makes a task, schedule_list reads tasks, schedule_update changes one and schedule_delete removes one (source). Follow a typical flow:

1. Call schedule_list first — see which tasks already exist and avoid duplicates. Expected: you get each task's identity and time.
2. Then schedule_create — add a task with its trigger time and the work to do. Expected: the task appears in the list.
3. Adjust with schedule_update — change the time or the content. Expected: you target the specific task by its identity before editing.
4. Clean up with schedule_delete — remove tasks you no longer need. Expected: a deleted task no longer triggers.
5. Operate from the conversation — these are model-callable tools, so describe your need in natural language. Expected: the model picks the tool by meaning, with no config file to hand-write.

To have a scheduled task invoke DSH plugins when it fires, install the matching plugin from the DSH Plugin Hub first.

DeepSeek Harness delivery history and version boundaries

Delivery history for scheduled tasks is bounded by deliveryHistoryDays and deliveryHistoryRecords, the first by days and the second by count; the released web profile does not include Schedule (source). Understand it like this:

1. deliveryHistoryDays — keep the last N days of delivery records. Expected: the larger the number, the more space used.
2. deliveryHistoryRecords — keep the last N records. Expected: combined with the day policy, whichever limit is reached first applies.
3. No Schedule in the release — the official web profile does not ship it by default. Expected: when the entry point is missing, check whether the profile contains the bundle.
4. Experimental features change — it is marked experimental, so fields and behavior may shift between versions. Expected: recheck the tool list and fields after an upgrade.

Caveats and limits of DeepSeek Harness scheduled task configuration

1. Off by default: without enabling automated tasks there are no schedule tools, the most common reason for a missing feature.
2. Not in the release: the web profile has no Schedule by default, so do not assume a broken install.
3. Experimental capability: fields and behavior may change between versions, so verify before production use.
4. History takes space: tighten deliveryHistoryDays and deliveryHistoryRecords as needed.
5. Not the same as starting on boot: a task cannot fire while the process is down; for staying resident see How to start dsh on boot.

Sources: Scheduled tasks (official docs), dsh CLI README (official repository)