DeepSeek Harness balance plugins: DSH plugin cost meters

The money-watching DSH plugins in DeepSeek Harness fall into three kinds: balance display (the whale widgets), cost meters such as dsh-cost-meter, and usage statistics panels such as dsh-usage-stats (source). They answer different questions — "how much is left", "what did this turn cost", "how was this month spent" — so decide which reading you want first. To browse the category side by side, filter the market on DSH Plugin Hub by balance, usage and cost keywords.

The three kinds of money-watching DSH plugin

They differ not in how many features they carry but in what they read: a balance is money left, a cost meter is money spent, a usage panel is the shape of consumption (source). One by one:

1. Balance display. Answers only "how much is left". The representative is the balance whale widget (dsh-whale-widget), resident in a corner, refreshing on a timer and refreshable by hand; it reads from the DeepSeek Harness credential or the account login state.
2. Cost meter. Turns the spend of a session into money. The representative is dsh-cost-meter, tracking session and daily cost plus budget and balance, with Coding Plan quota lookups, peak and off-peak pricing reminders and token usage heatmaps.
3. Usage statistics panel. Turns consumption into a dashboard you can revisit. Entries such as dsh-usage-stats break token usage down by day and by model, which is for reviewing data rather than watching a balance live.

What the three share is that they are read-only: they read the balance, the bill and session usage to display it, and never call a model on your behalf or change session content.

What each kind answers: a question-to-category map

Instead of comparing feature lists, start from the sentence you would say out loud; it maps to exactly one kind (source).

The table has five rows but only three destinations, which is the point: overlap is real, and picking by question keeps you from installing two plugins that report the same thing.

How to choose a DSH plugin: balance, cost, or a panel

Which kind to pick depends on the number you want to see the moment you open the interface (source). Match it to the need:

1. Watch the balance only: choose a balance display, and one resident widget is enough — the account remainder is visible in a corner without opening a statistics page.
2. Cost per session: choose a cost meter, which shows what this turn or today cost along with budget, peak pricing and quota reminders.
3. Review usage: choose a usage statistics panel for daily and per-model token structure and trends.

One practical note: the three overlap, so one is usually enough. A balance widget plus a cost meter crowds the interface and muddles the readings; settle the need first, then install one.

Combining them: three things to watch

If you do install more than one, three specific collisions are worth avoiding (source).

1. Placement clash. Resident widgets compete for the same corner — the balance whale and a desktop pet both take the lower-right; hide or move one.
2. Do not mix readings. "Money left" and "money spent" move in opposite directions: a top-up raises the balance, which is not negative spend. Comparing a balance panel against a cost meter without labelling them reads as a contradiction.
3. Do not mix sources. The npm name and the github: form of the same plugin are one package; installing both leaves duplicates and confusing readings.

Where to manage and update these DSH plugins afterwards

These balance and usage plugins all install with the standard dsh plugin --profile web add <package>, and are then managed from the market in DSH Plugin Hub. Keep the two entry points apart:

1. Install and update by CLI: install with dsh plugin --profile web add <package> and remove with dsh plugin --profile web remove <package>; npm names and github: installs are two separate sources, so do not install the same plugin through both.
2. Browse and verify in the market: the DSH Plugin Hub market groups entries by purpose and shows each one's source repo and compatibility state, which is how you compare implementations and confirm something is still maintained.

Verifying the DSH plugin you chose actually landed

Check the listing and the loaded bundles before deciding a plugin does not work.

# 1) Which of the three kinds did you actually install?
dsh plugin --profile web list
# expect the balance / cost / usage plugin you chose, each listed once

# 2) Is each of them loaded as a bundle in the web profile?
grep -A5 "bundles" "$DSH_HOME/profiles/web/package.json"
# each installed plugin should appear among the loaded bundles

Expected: every plugin you chose appears once in the listing and once among the bundles. A plugin that is listed but not loaded will not show up in the interface — restart the profile's process. A duplicate in the listing means you installed the same plugin through two sources.

Notes on DSH plugin balance and usage

Keep the three readings apart and you will not end up with several installed and a muddled picture.

1. Separate the readings first: balance is money left, cost is money spent, usage is the shape of consumption.
2. Install one as needed: the features overlap, so more only crowds the interface.
3. Do not mix sources: npm names and github: are separate sources that conflict when combined.
4. Mind the profile: use --profile web for the Web interface; the desktop app uses its own Plugins page.
5. Roundups are a different article: the full plugin ranking and scenario picks are elsewhere; this piece covers only the balance and usage niche.
6. The single-plugin guide is in balance whale widget install.
7. Find similar plugins on DSH Plugin Hub by keyword.

Common misconceptions about DSH plugin balance and usage plugins

Five beliefs that lead to the wrong install:

1. "A balance panel and a cost meter show the same number." No — one is money left, the other money spent, and they move in opposite directions.
2. "More of these plugins means better monitoring." Usually not — the features overlap and the extra panels crowd the interface.
3. "A balance that went up means I spent less." No — a balance increase is usually a top-up or credit, not negative consumption.
4. "Installing it is enough; nothing else to check." No — confirm it is loaded as a bundle, or it will not appear after a restart.
5. "npm name and github: are two different plugins." No — they are the same package through two sources, and installing both creates a duplicate.

Source: DeepSeek Harness CLI README, Community plugin repo - DeepSeek Balance Whale Widget, Community plugin repo - dsh-cost-meter.