GitHub DSH plugin: DeepSeek Harness topic, source, install

The most direct way to find a DSH plugin on GitHub is the dsh-plugin topic, which aggregates in one page the third-party repositories that extend DeepSeek Harness with host capabilities, agent tools, connectors and custom settings UIs (source). Once you have candidates, read the source to check whether each is worth a closer look, then decide whether to install it. This guide covers three things: how to use the topic, what to read in the source, and how to install what you find into DeepSeek Harness.

How to use the GitHub dsh-plugin topic to filter plugins

The dsh-plugin topic page is the set of all repositories carrying that tag, and toggling the sort between "by Stars" and "Recently updated" is the least effortful filter (source). Do it in order:

1. Open the topic page — visit https://github.com/topics/dsh-plugin. Expected: a row of repository cards tagged dsh-plugin, each with a description, update time and language.
2. Sort by Stars to see popular ones — use the sort dropdown in the top-right and switch to Most stars. Expected: plugins the community endorses, tested by time, rise to the top.
3. Sort by Recently updated to see what is alive — switch to Recently updated. Expected: still-maintained repos stand out, so you avoid one untouched for half a year.
4. Narrow with language and keyword filters — use GitHub search syntax, for example:
   topic:dsh-plugin language:javascript
   

   Expected: only the language and type you care about remain, shrinking the candidate list sharply.
5. Note the candidate repos — record the owner/repo you are interested in and move to reading the source. Expected: you hold a shortlist with repo addresses.

Combine the two sort strategies: sorting only by Stars misses good new plugins, while sorting only by update time can surface unproven new repos. Circle a range by Stars first, then drop the stale ones by update time, for the highest hit rate.

The topic page has limits too, so do not treat it as the only entry point. First, it is incomplete: if an author never adds the dsh-plugin topic to a repo, it will not appear here, so cross-check with GitHub keyword search and catalogued entries on DSH Plugin Hub. Second, quality is uneven: the topic only means "this tag was added", not an official endorsement or a quality guarantee, and same-named forks sit side by side. Expected: circle a range with the topic and fill gaps with the Hub and search — walk on both legs so you neither miss options nor get misled.

What to read in DSH plugin source: only what discovery needs

After clicking into a repo, the discovery and evaluation stage does not need the whole source: four things are enough — the manifest, dependencies, permission surface and update time (source). Check each:

1. Manifest — open package.json and check that the package name, version and dsh-related declarations are self-consistent. Expected: the README's install command lines up with the actual package name and version.
2. Dependency declaration — see which services it injects (such as tools or llm) to know which prerequisites it needs. Expected: you can judge its dependence on the host version and other plugins.
3. Permission surface — check whether it reads environment variables, needs the network or registers a large capability. Expected: the smaller the permission surface, the more worth trying first.
4. Update time and activity — check the last commit time and whether Issues get replies, to avoid a repo untouched for half a year. Expected: you filter out stale implementations before deciding whether to dig deeper.

Digging into "how it works inside" belongs elsewhere. For the apply(ctx) entry, the plugin lifecycle and context injection, see the DSH plugin anatomy guide; for the full trust criteria — license, commit frequency, Issue responsiveness and permission surface — see the DSH plugin trust signals guide. This article only covers using the discovery stage to decide, at the lowest cost, whether something is worth a closer look, leaving the deep dive to those two.

How to install a DSH plugin you found on GitHub

The next step after discovery is installing into the harness: either install in one click from a catalog entry on DSH Plugin Hub, or use a github: direct install (source). Two paths:

1. Search the Hub first — search the plugin name in the DSH Plugin Hub market. Expected: if it is catalogued, you see the name, description, Stars, last update time and install command.
2. Install with the catalog entry's standard command — for example:
   bash

   dsh plugin --profile web add <package-name>
   

   Expected: the terminal echoes that it joined the web profile, installing the stable package that matches the published version.
3. Use a github: direct install when there is no catalog entry — the fallback command:
   bash

   dsh plugin --profile web add github:<owner>/<repo>
   

   Expected: it installs the repo's current state; note it does not follow a published version, so stability and rollback are weaker than a catalogued release.
4. Restart and verify — restart dsh web and confirm in the Installed list that the plugin appears and loads. Expected: it shows up in the list and works as its README describes.
5. Install into the right profile — use --profile web for anything hooking the Web UI; a wrong profile means it will not appear in the interface. Expected: dsh plugin --profile web list shows the plugin.

Laying out the three stages — discover, evaluate, install — as one checklist keeps you from skipping a step:

One easy trap: a github: direct install follows the repo's current state and does not track a published version, so it is weaker on stability and rollback than a catalog entry; prefer a Hub catalog entry, and use a direct install only when the entry is missing and you really want the latest commit.

To be found rather than to search yourself: if you author plugins, adding the dsh-plugin topic to your repo after publishing gets it scanned and catalogued automatically; the full flow is in how to publish a DSH plugin to the Hub. If you have not written a plugin yet, start with how to develop a DSH plugin.

Notes and limits for finding DSH plugins on GitHub

Remember three things — the topic is only discovery, the source is the judgement, the catalog entry is easier — and hunting for plugins on GitHub stops being a maze.

1. The topic is not official: the dsh-plugin topic aggregates third-party repos with no affiliation to DeepSeek AI, and being listed is not an official endorsement.
2. Same name, different source is common: one plugin name may have several implementations, so go by Stars, update time and the Hub catalog entry, and do not install a stale fork.
3. A github: direct install follows the repo's current state: for a version you can control and roll back, prefer the standard command from a Hub catalog entry.
4. Check permissions before installing: for a plugin that reads keys, goes online or registers a large capability, try it in a temporary environment first, and confirm the behaviour before adopting it long term.
5. Confirm it loads after install: only when dsh plugin --profile web list shows the name and the interface really works is it properly installed; installed but missing from the load list is a different story.
6. Lean on the official docs: judge legitimacy by the official your first plugin page, where apply(ctx) is the hard gate.
7. Do not treat Stars as the only standard: a high Star count does not mean it fits your current DeepSeek Harness version, so check its dependency declaration and last commit time before deciding to try it.
8. Do discovery and evaluation in two passes: shortlist candidates on the topic page first, then check manifest and permission surface one by one; do not sink into source detail the moment you open a repo, since the deep dive belongs to the anatomy and trust-signal articles.

Rather than paging through GitHub one screen at a time, guessing which repo installs and later landing on a stale fork, circle the candidates with the dsh-plugin topic first, then go back to DSH Plugin Hub's notification center to watch installation progress and results, carrying one line from discovery to done. Its home page is https://dsh-plugin.org/.

Sources: GitHub Topic - dsh-plugin, DeepSeek Harness docs - your first plugin, dshplugin/dsh-plugin-hub.