DeepSeek desktop pet: install and fix not showing

There is not one deepseek desktop pet, but three forms: an in-page whale, a standalone window showing agent state, and a mood widget. Choose the form before installation; the wrong form produces "installed but invisible."

Three forms

They differ in placement and capability.

The in-page pet follows the page and is the lightest. It appears only inside DeepSeek Harness, can be dragged, breathes and blinks, and remembers position and toggle state (source).

The standalone window spans apps. It opens its own window to show agent state, useful when working in another application; multiple sessions require a priority rule (source).

The widget is status-focused. It shows mood or state in the corner and records a timeline per turn, without a separate window (source).

They can combine but do not have to. The in-page pet and widget share the lower-right corner and may overlap; install one, observe placement, then decide.

Choosing by platform and need

Three criteria: platform, cross-app visibility, status history.

1. Web UI only: choose the in-page pet; it follows the page without an extra window.
2. Need cross-app state: choose the standalone window, after confirming platform support.
3. Want mood and timeline: choose the widget; per-turn records with small UI cost.
4. Multiple pets: check placement conflicts first, then performance.

Check platform support. Standalone window plugins depend on a desktop environment and usually cannot display on web or servers; in-page pets are more compatible.

A pet is not a capability plugin. It changes the interface and emotional feedback, not agent ability; choose a tool plugin when you need capability.

Install and enable

Installation is the normal flow; enabling is usually in the UI.

1. Open Settings, Plugin Market, search the plugin, verify owner and source, then install; or use dsh plugin --profile web add.
2. Restart so the plugin registers during startup.
3. Open plugin settings or the UI toggle and enable it; some default to off.
4. Confirm the pet appears in the corner or a standalone window.
5. Drag it to a suitable position and confirm the position survives a restart.

Wrong profile remains the most common reason for no display. You look in the desktop app but installed into web; install into the matching profile.

Default off is by design. Pets consume UI and animation resources, so plugins usually require an explicit enable; find the toggle before suspecting installation.

Position, size, and remembered state

Position and toggle state usually live in local configuration.

1. Position memory: dragging writes to local configuration; a smaller window can put the pet outside the viewport.
2. Toggle memory: a disabled pet stays disabled after restart; check the toggle first.
3. Scale and zoom: system scaling changes can distort the pet; test at 100 percent.
4. Multiple monitors: standalone pets may appear on another display; check the system window list.

"Invisible" does not mean "not running." Check toggle and position before logs; reversing the order leads to reinstalling.

State does not move across machines. Copy the configuration directory when migrating; reinstalling or clearing resets position.

Not showing: five causes

Five causes cover most cases, ordered by frequency.

1. Toggle off. The plugin is installed but disabled; enable it in settings.
2. Wrong profile. You look in another environment; use list to see where it landed.
3. Position outside the viewport. Smaller windows, scaling, or multiple monitors; reset position.
4. Covered by another widget. Several corner components overlap; disable the others first.
5. Load failure. System logs show a load or script error; read the first failure.

The order is toggle, profile, position, overlap, logs. The first three need no logs and solve most cases.

The first log error is the useful one. Later errors are often cascading.

Performance and distraction

A pet is an always-on UI component; cost depends on animation and window form.

1. In-page pets cost least. They animate inside the page; disable animation first when it feels slow.
2. Standalone windows cost more. An extra window and renderer; watch memory during long use.
3. Frequent animation is heavier. Breathing, blinking, and state changes trigger repaints; reduce frequency.
4. Plugin stacking compounds. Pet plus widget plus theme increases repaint work; reduce to the minimum, then add back one at a time.

Use "typing is smooth and startup is not slower" as the standard. Beyond that, turn it off or reduce frequency.

Uninstall and cleanup

Position and toggle configuration may remain after uninstall.

1. Plugin directory: remove with dsh plugin --profile web remove, restart, confirm the list is clean.
2. Configuration: check the profile for pet-related sections; leftovers affect the next install.
3. Local state: position, toggle, and mood history are local data; export before clearing.

Restart once before judging cleanliness. Some UI components cache at runtime and only disappear after a restart.

Mood and timeline data need separate handling. It is content data, not just UI configuration; confirm whether to keep it before clearing.

Next steps

Choose a form, install one, then diagnose five causes. For the full comparison, read What desktop pet plugins exist. For balance whale widgets, read What balance plugins exist. For theme plugins, read How to change DeepSeek Harness themes.

Sources: dsh-pet-indesktop plugin page, dsh-dafeiyu plugin page, dsh-feiyu-mood plugin page