DeepSeek Harness Portable

Run DeepSeek Harness on Windows from one ZIP — no Node.js, installer, or administrator access required.

Download the latest release · 中文说明 · DeepSeek Harness

[!NOTE] This is a community-maintained packaging project. DeepSeek Harness is developed by DeepSeek AI and remains the source of the application itself.

Get started in three steps

1. Download DeepSeek-Harness-win64-v<version>.zip from the latest release (about 255 MiB).
2. Extract the ZIP to a short path such as C:\Tools\DeepSeek-Harness.
3. Double-click DeepSeek-Harness.exe, accept the preview notice, add a DeepSeek API key when prompted, choose a workspace, and start a session.

No API key is bundled. Windows SmartScreen may show an unrecognized-app warning because the community-built desktop shell is not code-signed; verify the Release checksum before choosing More info → Run anyway.

Why use the portable build?

	What it gives you
Zero setup	The official Node.js runtime and production dependencies are already included. No Node.js, npm, WebView2, registry changes, or administrator access.
A real desktop app	The Electron shell opens DeepSeek Harness in its own native window and stops the local server when the window closes.
Portable by design	Settings, sessions, plugins, and logs stay under dsh-home beside the app. Move or back up the folder as one unit.
Verifiable releases	Node.js downloads are checked against official SHA256 files; each package records exact component versions and ships with Release checksums.
Clean-machine tested	Every push builds and boots on fresh Windows Server 2022 and 2025 GitHub runners before artifacts are published.

Portable ZIP or the official npm install?

	Portable ZIP	Official npm package
Best for	Trying the app, non-technical users, removable drives	Developers and managed Node.js environments
Setup	Extract and double-click	Install Node.js 22.19+ and npm package
Updates	Download a new ZIP and carry over dsh-home	Update through npm
Runtime	Bundled and pinned	Uses the machine's Node.js installation

Compatibility and trust

• System: Windows 10 21H2 or newer, Windows 11, x64 architecture.
• Permissions: no administrator access; the UI and its server stay on the local machine.
• Package contents: official Node.js runtime, the published @deepseek-ai/dsh package, production dependencies, and the Electron desktop shell.
• Verification: compare the downloaded ZIP with SHA256SUMS.txt, then run verify-package.ps1 for a real boot and UI-render probe.
• Current maturity: DeepSeek Harness 0.1 is a preview for Harness developers; the UI, plugins, and APIs are still evolving quickly.

See Building and verification for the complete build pipeline, version pins, verification matrix, and release process.

Build it yourself

# Windows 10+, PowerShell 5.1 or 7, and access to the npm registry
.\build-portable.ps1

The command produces dist\DeepSeek-Harness-win64-v<dsh-version>.zip and dist\SHA256SUMS.txt. Every downloaded Node.js runtime is verified before it enters the package.

FAQ

Where is my data?

The dsh-home folder beside the executable contains settings, sessions, plugins, and logs. Copy that folder to back up or migrate your data. Workspaces stay wherever you selected them.

How do I uninstall it?

Close the app and delete its folder. The portable build creates no installer or registry entry. To remove Electron's browser cache as well, delete %APPDATA%\DeepSeek Harness if it exists.

Can I use the command line?

Yes. Run dsh.cmd web for the Web UI or dsh.cmd --profile headless "task" for a headless task.

Why can the first launch take longer?

The first run initializes the profile and Windows antivirus software may scan the full portable package. Later launches are usually faster.

Contributing and support

Found a packaging bug or compatibility problem? Open an issue with your Windows version, package filename, reproduction steps, and sanitized logs. See CONTRIBUTING.md before sending a pull request and SECURITY.md for private vulnerability reporting.

Problems in DeepSeek Harness itself belong in the upstream issue tracker.

License and attribution

The packaging tools in this repository are available under the MIT License. Built ZIPs are assembled from DeepSeek Harness (MIT, © DeepSeek AI), Node.js, Electron, and npm dependencies under their respective licenses. Exact versions are recorded in each package's manifest.json.