npm uninstall dsh: remove DeepSeek Harness globally

Uninstalling dsh from npm is one line — npm uninstall -g @deepseek-ai/dsh (the argument is the package name, not the command name). The work is in what follows: handling EACCES permission errors, finding out why the command still runs, and deciding what to do with the npx temp directory and the ~/.dsh data folder. DSH plugins and every DeepSeek Harness plugin live inside a profile rather than the global directory, so they survive the program's removal. This guide walks five steps: identify the install → uninstall → troubleshoot → clean leftovers → verify.

DSH plugin removal step 1: identify how dsh was installed

What you run depends on how dsh was installed, so identify that first — it saves half the trouble, and one command shows it. Four install styles and their removal actions:

The full comparison of all three install styles lives in How to uninstall DeepSeek Harness; this guide takes the npm / pnpm path deep enough to troubleshoot. Steps:

1. Stop the running dsh (close its terminal window or press Ctrl+C) and confirm the port is free: lsof -i :3080 prints nothing (Windows: netstat -ano | findstr 3080);
2. List global npm packages: npm ls -g --depth=0. Expected: @deepseek-ai/dsh@<version> appears, which means a global npm install;
3. Check where that global directory is: npm prefix -g. Expected: something like /usr/local, /opt/homebrew or ~/.nvm/versions/node/<version> — an nvm path means the global directory follows the Node version;
4. Check for other entry points too: which -a dsh (Windows: where dsh). Expected: exactly one path, under that prefix's bin. Several paths means two or more installs, and removing one leaves the other.

On nvm / fnm: each Node version has its own global packages. If step 2 shows the package but the command survives the uninstall, you probably switched versions — nvm use <the version you installed under> and remove it there.

DSH plugin removal step 2: npm and pnpm variants

Once you know it is a global install, removing DeepSeek Harness takes one command; for pnpm use its own subcommand. Steps:

1. For a global npm install:

npm uninstall -g @deepseek-ai/dsh

2. Expected: the terminal reports removed ... packages (or up to date) with no errors, and the global list no longer contains the entry;

3. For a global pnpm install:

pnpm remove -g @deepseek-ai/dsh

4. Expected: pnpm reports the package removed; if you once ran pnpm setup, confirm the dsh link is gone from the bin directory next to pnpm root -g;

5. If it says the package does not exist (other than an unrelated npm ERR! code E404), it was already removed — skip ahead to verification.

The argument is always the package name @deepseek-ai/dsh. Writing dsh fails with E404 because no package has that name, and that is the most common reason an uninstall command "does nothing".

npm uninstall DeepSeek Harness: fixing EACCES / EPERM permission errors

EACCES has a single root cause: the current user cannot write to the npm global directory where DeepSeek Harness was installed — usually because it was installed with sudo, or Node came from a system package manager. Do not reach for sudo by reflex; pick the path that matches the install:

1. Installed with sudo npm install -g: match it, and uninstall with sudo npm uninstall -g @deepseek-ai/dsh. Expected: the uninstall succeeds; the downside is the global directory still belongs to root, so the next global install hits the same wall;
2. Node managed by nvm / fnm: no sudo needed at all — run nvm use <that version> (or fnm use) and then the plain uninstall command. Expected: it just works, because the global directory lives in your home directory;
3. System Node (Homebrew, apt, the official pkg) with a root-owned global directory: the uninstall still needs sudo (or path 1), but move future global packages into your home directory while you are here:

npm config set prefix ~/.npm-global

Expected: npm prefix -g then prints ~/.npm-global; remember to add ~/.npm-global/bin to PATH or newly installed global commands will not be found. Note this only affects packages installed afterwards — the copy already sitting in the system directory does not move, so it still needs sudo to remove; 4. Never use sudo inside an nvm setup just to get past the error: sudo npm resolves to a different Node and a different global directory as root, which can install packages into root's home and manufacture a second install that is harder to remove.

The dsh command still runs after uninstalling DeepSeek Harness

"Uninstall succeeded but the DeepSeek Harness command works" almost always means one of three things: another install, a shell hash cache, or npx all along. Rule them out one by one:

1. List every entry point: which -a dsh (Windows: where dsh). Expected: if a path is still printed, note the directory — /opt/homebrew/bin, /usr/local/bin, ~/.nvm/versions/node/*/bin or $PNPM_HOME — and remove that copy through its own package manager (see the table in step 1);
2. Recheck after switching Node versions: run nvm ls, then for each version nvm use followed by npm ls -g --depth=0, uninstalling wherever @deepseek-ai/dsh shows up;
3. Clear the shell command cache: run hash -r (or rehash in zsh), then dsh --version. Expected: if the cache was the culprit, it now reports command not found;
4. Confirm it is not npx: if it was never installed globally, the dsh you run can only come from npx's temporary environment. Run ls ~/.npm/_npx and clear it if non-empty (next section). Expected: no runnable dsh remains.

Version symptoms (updated but the version did not change) are a separate trail, covered in dsh updated but version unchanged.

DSH plugin leftovers and the ~/.dsh data folder

Uninstalling DeepSeek Harness removes the program, never your data; leftovers split into npm caches and user data, decided separately. Handle them in order:

1. npx temporary environment (only if you used npx):

rm -rf ~/.npm/_npx

Expected: the directory is gone; the next npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web downloads again and no data is lost;

2. npm download cache (only to reclaim disk; not needed for correctness):

npm cache clean --force

Expected: ~/.npm/_cacache is emptied and the next install downloads again. Note it does not touch ~/.npm/_npx — the two are different locations;

3. The ~/.dsh data directory: it holds settings.yaml, .credentials.yaml, profiles/ (with installed plugins) and session logs under sessions/. Keep it if you only wanted the program gone — a reinstall brings configuration, plugins and sessions back, which is what "uninstalling does not touch data" means;

4. Delete the data directory only when you are finished with dsh:

cp -r ~/.dsh ~/.dsh.bak && rm -rf ~/.dsh

Expected: the data directory is gone, backed up first and restorable from .dsh.bak. For the layered approach that clears chat history while keeping config and plugins, see How to delete a session and How to reset dsh;

5. Plugins outlive the program: they are independent dependencies inside a profile, so they stay on disk. To clear them too, delete ~/.dsh/profiles/<name> — details in Cleaning up DSH plugin leftovers.

DSH plugin removal verification and things to watch out for

Verify three places: the global package list, the command entries, and whether the command runs — clean on all three means it is gone. Steps:

1. npm ls -g --depth=0. Expected: @deepseek-ai/dsh no longer appears;
2. which -a dsh (Windows: where dsh). Expected: no output at all;
3. In a fresh terminal, dsh --version. Expected: command not found.

Things to watch out for:

• Stop the process before uninstalling: a running dsh holds files open; closing the service first is the safest order.
• Pass the package name: npm uninstall -g @deepseek-ai/dsh, never dsh.
• Be sparing with sudo: use it only when the original install used sudo or the global directory genuinely belongs to root; in an nvm setup it creates a second install instead of removing one.
• ~/.dsh is data, not the program: uninstalling never deletes it, and deleting it without a backup throws away settings, credentials, plugins and sessions.
• nvm users check every version: each Node version has its own global packages, so recheck after switching.
• Uninstall and update are different channels: to change versions, do not uninstall and reinstall — see the three routes in npm update dsh.

Removing the program only handles the CLI, so check the DeepSeek Harness plugin side with a visual list. The installed list in DSH Plugin Hub shows each plugin's source (marketplace or manual), version and update state, so you can see before uninstalling which ones came from the catalog and which you added by hand — and clean up without deleting too much or too little. To remove a single plugin through the UI, follow Uninstalling plugins with DSH Plugin Hub.

Sources: npm Docs - npm uninstall, deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness, official Quickstart.