Why disk stays used after uninstalling DeepSeek Harness

Disk space is not freed after uninstalling dsh because removing the program is not clearing the data: DeepSeek Harness usage spreads across five places — the global package directory, npx / npm caches, the pnpm store, profile node_modules and the $DSH_HOME data directory — and an uninstall clears only the executable part, leaving caches and shared data in place (source).

This guide covers three steps: the usage map, locating each directory's size, and what is safe to clear. Cleanup steps are in How to clean up after uninstalling DSH; this article focuses on locating and measuring the space that did not come back.

Where the space went after uninstalling dsh: a five-block usage map

DeepSeek Harness usage falls into at least five blocks: the global package directory, npx / npm caches, the pnpm store, profile node_modules, and the $DSH_HOME data directory; an uninstall touches only the executable part, so four blocks of cache and data remain (source).

Confirm each of the five blocks:

1. Global package — Installing via npm creates a global package directory. Expected: after uninstall this package directory is gone; if it remains, the uninstall did not go through the global package path.
2. npx cache — Running via npx leaves a cache (often under ~/.npm/_npx). Expected: uninstall does not clear it, so space stays.
3. npm cache — Downloaded package content lives here. Expected: unrelated to uninstall, kept until you clear it manually.
4. pnpm store — A content-addressed store that serves profile dependencies. Expected: uninstall does not clear it, and it may be shared with other projects.
5. $DSH_HOME and profile node_modules — Sessions, settings, plugins and dependencies live here. Expected: uninstall does not clear it; it is data to keep.

Key insight: only block 1 disappears with an uninstall (and only if you installed via a global package); the rest are cache or data that an uninstaller neither has to clear nor does clear. So "I uninstalled but space did not shrink" is normal, and reclaiming space means handling each block by hand.

Locating the DeepSeek Harness disk usage, directory by directory

The order is "ask each tool where its directory is, then measure sizes, then rank the biggest block": use npm config get cache for the npm cache, npm root -g and npm prefix -g for the global package directory, pnpm store path for the pnpm store, and ls "$DSH_HOME/profiles" for profiles (source).

Measure each block with commands instead of deleting by feel:

1. Find the npm cache — Run npm config get cache, then du -sh "$(npm config get cache)". Expected: the cache directory and its size, the most overlooked block.
2. Find the global package directory — Run npm root -g and npm prefix -g, then measure that directory. Expected: you confirm whether the global package was removed with the uninstall and whether other global packages share it.
3. Find the pnpm store — Run pnpm store path, then du -sh "$(pnpm store path)". Expected: the store directory and its size, usually larger than a single project because it is shared.
4. Find profiles and $DSH_HOME — Run ls "$DSH_HOME/profiles" and du -sh "$DSH_HOME". Expected: you see how much each profile's node_modules and the data directory take.
5. Rank the biggest blocks — Put the du -sh results side by side. Expected: you see whether space is dominated by cache or by data, which decides what to clear next.

Step 3 requires understanding pnpm: the store is content-addressed and shared across projects, so it may be referenced by other projects and a large size does not mean all of it can go — which directly decides how much the next section can clear.

What is safe to clear, what needs reinstalling, and how to confirm the space is freed

The rule is simple: anything that can be fetched again is safe, configuration and data are not. The npm and pnpm download caches can be cleared, pnpm store prune clears unreferenced content, while profile node_modules and the plugins in $DSH_HOME are data whose removal means reinstalling or reconfiguring (source).

Handle three tiers by clearability and re-measure after each:

1. Safe: npm / npx caches — Clear the download caches with the matching package manager's cache command. Expected: the cache directory shrinks; the next install re-downloads and installed content is unaffected.
2. Fairly safe: unreferenced pnpm store content — Run pnpm store prune. Expected: the store shrinks while referenced content stays, so nothing another project references is deleted.
3. Careful: profile node_modules and $DSH_HOME plugins — These are data in use. Expected: clearing them means reinstalling plugins or reconfiguring, so decide first.
4. Recheck after clearing — Rerun du -sh on each directory and compare with before. Expected: only an actual size drop proves space was freed; a successful command does not.

Tier 3 captures "removing the program is not clearing the data": $DSH_HOME holds sessions, settings, credentials and plugins with no backup. Go after it if you want every byte back, or exclude it if you want to keep your working state.

Notes on clearing DeepSeek Harness disk usage after uninstall

1. Measure before deleting: run du -sh on every block and decide with numbers, not by feel.
2. Cache is safe, data is not: npm / npx caches and unreferenced pnpm content are relatively safe; profile node_modules and $DSH_HOME are data.
3. The store is shared: pnpm store prune clears only unreferenced content and cannot delete what is still referenced.
4. Uninstall clears one block: only a global-package install disappears with the uninstall; other caches and data do not.
5. Recheck after clearing: rerun the size commands and confirm the space truly came back.

After clearing caches and reinstalling plugins as needed, use the DSH Plugin Hub installed list to install on demand instead of pulling package names one by one.

Sources: DeepSeek Harness CLI README (official repository), npm Docs: npm cache, pnpm Docs: pnpm store