DSH plugin categories: types & how to pick (DeepSeek Harness)

DSH plugins are grouped into 11 categories by capability: UI, sessions, memory, tools, agents, workflow, integration, models, dev, knowledge and entertainment — the plugin center and the site's plugin library both use this taxonomy. This guide explains what each category solves and names real representative plugins, then gives a four-step picking path: category → verification → activity → install.

Overview: where the 11 categories come from

Categories are decided by what problem a plugin solves: changing the UI, managing sessions, storing memory, adding capabilities, automating work — each plugin gets exactly one main category. The DeepSeek Harness plugin marketplace (dsh-plugin.org plugin center and the built-in market of DSH Plugin Hub) organizes all listed plugins into 11 categories (source): UI, sessions, memory, tools, agents, workflow, integration, models, dev, knowledge and entertainment. Once you know what each category is for, finding a plugin becomes a matter of browsing by need instead of guessing. The six core categories come first, then the five specialized ones.

DSH plugin 11 categories in detail

1. UI & Experience: make the Web UI better

UI plugins solve "uncomfortable to use": sidebars, terminal UIs, status widgets — they directly improve everyday operations. Representative plugins:

• dsh-better-sidebar (omdsh-dev/dsh-better-sidebar): a sidebar workbench with files, terminal, Git and side-chat pages that turns the Web UI into an all-in-one workspace; around 2,679 community stars.
• Other directions: terminal UIs (TUI), balance widgets, and more.

2. Sessions & Messages: manage every conversation

Session plugins manage the messages themselves: session lists, message editing, export, batch delete, conversation navigation — making chats manageable. Representative plugins:

• dsh-context (bowenliang123/dsh-context): context visualization and management with a Context panel, browser and /context command that surfaces what the model actually sees; around 917 stars — great for anyone who wonders "what did the model read".
• Other directions: session archive, export, batch delete, message editors, conversation navigation.

3. Memory & Context: let DSH remember you

Memory plugins solve "the model forgets once context runs long": cross-session persistent memory, knowledge-graph recall, memory-as-files — fewer repeated explanations. Representative plugins:

• mnemon (mnemon-dev/mnemon): LLM-supervised cross-session persistent memory with intent-aware recall and automatic deduplication based on a knowledge graph; around 507 stars.
• engramory (tinqiao-oss/engramory): a portable memory protocol using Markdown files as long-term memory with zero infrastructure; around 169 stars — ideal for users who like "memory as files".

4. Tools & Capabilities: give the model hands and eyes

Tool plugins give the plain-text model new abilities: vision, file access, external commands — one of the busiest directions in the community. Representative plugins:

• modlens (liustack/modlens): paste an image and get structured JSON evidence (OCR, layout, semantics), adding vision to plain-text models; around 3,615 stars — effectively a standard for vision tooling.

5. Skills & Agents: hand tasks to automation

Agent plugins drive automation: multi-agent teams, loop detection, auto-approval — let DSH do the work itself. Representative plugins:

• dsh-agent-teams (tkr520521/dsh-agent-teams): multi-agent team orchestration where several agents collaborate to finish complex tasks.
• Other directions: auto-approval, agent relay, loop detection, all grouped here.

6. Workflow & Automation: chain up repetitive actions

Workflow plugins orchestrate multiple steps into fixed flows: scheduled tasks, auto-retry, task boards, delayed tasks — built for repetitive work. Representative plugins:

• dsh-taskify (gearvoid/dsh-taskify): breaks tasks into trackable execution flows with a task board to follow progress.
• Other directions: cron scheduled tasks, auto-retry, task boards, long-task orchestration.

7. Models & Reasoning: connect more models, control cost

Model plugins manage model access and cost: subscriptions as providers, cost stats, balance checks, usage dashboards. Representative plugins:

• dsh-plugin-subscriptions (v1ki/dsh-plugin-subscriptions): uses ChatGPT, Claude and Grok subscriptions as LLM providers without API keys; around 245 stars.
• dsh-cost-meter (creakono/dsh-cost-meter): per-session cost stats with real-time spend, budgets, balances and usage heatmaps; around 162 stars.
• Other directions: balance widgets (e.g. dsh-deepseek-balance), usage dashboards.

8. Dev, Knowledge, Integration & Fun: specialized plugins

These four categories target specific scenarios: dev serves plugin developers, knowledge handles docs and retrieval, integration connects external services, fun is for entertainment. Representatives:

1. Development & Operations (dev): code review, error locating, skill management, Git workflows — e.g. dsh-error-lens visualizes error messages for fast diagnosis.
2. Data & Knowledge (knowledge): document retrieval, knowledge bases, literature management — e.g. dsh-zotero connects a Zotero library, and dsh-obsidian connects Obsidian notes.
3. Integrations & Connections (integration): connects external apps and services, fitting DSH into your toolchain.
4. Entertainment (fun): non-production fun plugins.

How to pick a plugin by category: four steps

Follow "category → verification → activity → install" — do not judge a plugin by its name alone. Steps:

1. Pick a category: define the problem first — want a better UI? Check UI. Want more models? Check Models. Want vision? Check Tools.
2. Check verification: verified means compatibility has been manually checked — prefer these; be more careful with unconfirmed.
3. Check activity: stars and recent update time reflect whether a plugin is maintained; be cautious with plugins that have not been touched for a long time.
4. Install: install DSH Plugin Hub from the CLI, then one-click from Settings → Plugin Center, or copy the install command from dsh-plugin.org:

# 1. Install the DSH Plugin Hub itself first
dsh plugin --profile web add dsh-plugin

# 2. Restart dsh web, open Settings → Plugin Center, and install by category

dsh-plugin-hub · Plugin Center

Notes on picking by category

In one sentence: the category is the entry point, not the verdict — verify status and activity before installing. Three reminders:

1. Categories follow the main capability: each plugin belongs to exactly one category, and plugins in the same category still differ — read descriptions once inside.
2. Install the Hub to see the full picture: with DSH Plugin Hub installed you can browse all 4,800+ listed plugins by category inside the app, smoother than the web page.
3. Categories evolve: as the plugin count grows, categories may be adjusted — follow what the plugin center shows today.

Sources: dsh-plugin.org Plugin Hub, dshplugin/dsh-plugin-hub, DeepSeek Harness Docs - Plugins Overview