npm update dsh: npm update -g vs install @latest vs npx

There are three npm routes to update dsh, and they behave differently: npm update -g only takes the highest version inside the recorded range, npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh@latest crosses majors, and npx users need an explicit @latest while watching for a stale cache. A DeepSeek Harness plugin is a separate case: DSH plugins are updated through the dsh plugin channel rather than npm, which the last section separates. This article covers when each route applies, how to run it, and how to verify afterwards.

Three npm routes to update DeepSeek Harness: update -g, @latest, and npx

The division of labor is: routine patch upgrades go through npm update -g, crossing a major goes through npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh@latest, and npx users have no installed version to update and must resolve @latest every run (source). Compare them:

Find out which group you are in first: run npm ls -g @deepseek-ai/dsh. Expect: output means a global install; if it prints (empty) while you normally start with npx @deepseek-ai/dsh, you are in the third group.

Updating DeepSeek Harness with npm update -g: when it is enough and when it is not

npm update -g means "take the highest version inside the recorded range", so minor and patch releases move while majors do not, which is where people most often misjudge it (source). Four steps to run it and check:

1. See what is installed — run npm ls -g @deepseek-ai/dsh. Expect: one line with the version currently installed globally.
2. See what can move — run npm outdated -g --depth=0. Expect: if the package is listed, the Current and Latest columns show the gap between what you have and what is available.
3. Update — run npm update -g @deepseek-ai/dsh. Expect: it finishes without errors; if the version does not move while Latest is clearly higher, the semver range is holding it back, so use the next section.
4. Check the running command — run dsh --version. Expect: the new version. If it still reports the old one, do not update again yet; run the checks in the fifth section first.

Note: npm update -g without a package name updates every global package, so avoid it when you are unsure how other packages depend on each other.

Forcing the newest DeepSeek Harness: npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh@latest

To cross a major or be certain of the newest stable release, use @latest so npm re-resolves against the latest tag and overwrites the install; this is the essential difference from update -g (source). Three steps:

1. Confirm what the newest is — run npm view @deepseek-ai/dsh version. Expect: the newest stable version on the registry; note it down to compare later.
2. Force-install the newest — run npm install -g @deepseek-ai/dsh@latest. Expect: it downloads and overwrites, and the version it reports matches step 1.
3. Verify it took effect — run dsh --version. Expect: the same version you noted in step 1, proving the major upgrade landed.

A useful side effect: replacing @latest with an exact version such as @deepseek-ai/[email protected] pins the install, which also lets you go back to a known-good release. See Which DeepSeek Harness version to choose.

Updating DSH plugins you run through npx: @latest and the cache

npx has no resident installation, so it re-resolves the package on every run, but it may reuse an older copy from its local cache; writing @latest explicitly is the most direct way to make npx resolve the newest tag (source). Three steps:

1. Start with an explicit latest tag — run npx -y @deepseek-ai/dsh@latest web. Expect: npx resolves against latest and runs; -y skips the install confirmation prompt.
2. Clear the cache if you suspect a stale copy — run npm cache clean --force and repeat the previous step. Expect: it re-downloads and runs the newest version; npx keeps its temporary installs under ~/.npm/_npx.
3. Confirm the version — in another terminal run dsh --version, or read the version line in the startup log. Expect: it matches npm view @deepseek-ai/dsh version.

The most common confusion: npx and a global install are two independent setups, and updating one does nothing to the other. If you have both a global dsh and occasional npx runs, they will keep running different versions; see How to update dsh: npx and git pull for the core.

Confirming the DeepSeek Harness version really changed after updating

Three version numbers must be kept apart: what is installed globally, what the command actually runs, and what the registry considers newest; when they disagree the problem is usually PATH or the npm source, not the update command. Four checks:

1. Installed version — run npm ls -g @deepseek-ai/dsh. Expect: the version npm records in the global directory.
2. Running version — run dsh --version (on Windows, also run where dsh to see the path). Expect: it matches the previous step; a mismatch means PATH resolves to a different install.
3. Registry version — run npm view @deepseek-ai/dsh version. Expect: the newest stable release on the source, which tells you whether anything else is available.
4. npm source — run npm config get registry. Expect: if it points at a mirror while step 3 looks too old, mirror sync is lagging; add --registry https://registry.npmjs.org to query the official source directly.

For the complete list of update commands for both the core and plugins, see dsh update command cheat sheet.

Five reminders apply throughout:

1. Updating the core is not updating plugins: plugins are managed by the dsh plugin channel through pnpm, a separate maintenance path; see How to upgrade dsh to the latest version.
2. npm update -g without a package name updates everything: it can bump unrelated global packages and introduce incompatibilities, so update only the package you mean to.
3. Source clones ignore npm updates: those installs need git pull and a rebuild, and npm update -g has no effect on them.
4. Switching Node versions can bring the old version back: the global directory moves with the Node version, so after an nvm switch dsh --version may report a different install; use npm root -g to confirm which global directory is in play.
5. Fix the network first when it hangs or crawls: it is usually a slow source or a proxy issue; see DeepSeek Harness update stuck or slow.

Use DSH Plugin Hub to see plugin state after updating DeepSeek Harness

npm updates the dsh core, while plugin versions and update availability belong to DSH Plugin Hub, the official plugin market built into DeepSeek Harness, whose installed list marks which plugins have updates. After updating the core and restarting dsh, open the Installed page: update the plugins carrying the update badge one by one, so "the core did not update" and "the plugin did not update" do not get tangled into one problem.

Sources: npm Docs - npm update, npm Docs - npm install, npm Docs - npx, deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness GitHub repository