DSH-CLI (dcli) — a simple CLI for the DeepSeek Harness
DSH-CLI是一款简洁的命令行工具，可在终端内与 DeepSeek Harness 对话：一条命令即可启动，无需部署服务、无需占用端口。支持流式输出、工具调用、按目录独立恢复会话，同时支持 API Key 与模型参数配置。
dcli is a simple command-line tool for chatting with the DeepSeek Harness in
your terminal: one command to start, no server, no port, done when you are.
Supports streaming replies, tool calls, per-directory session resume, and
API key / model configuration.
It is a thin launcher around the Harness's own profile system: it maintains a
cli profile (bundles dsh-base + dsh-headless) under $DSH_HOME/profiles
and injects a small interactive runner plugin (runner/runner.js) that drives
one Agent across many turns, so conversation state, tool results, and the
model's request prefix stay warm between messages.
Features
- Interactive REPL — one live agent per process; streaming replies, real
multi-turn continuity (tool state and the model's KV cache stay warm).
- Streaming output with a live view of what the agent is doing — thinking
(dim), tool calls (
⚙ write …), tool results (✔), turn status.
- Markdown beautification — tables render as aligned bordered grids
(CJK-aware),
**bold** / *italic* / `code` / ~~strike~~ /
[links](url) get ANSI styling, headings are bold, bullets and task lists
get pretty markers, blockquotes are dimmed, code fences pass through
verbatim. Disable with DCLI_FORMAT=0; force on when piped with
DCLI_FORMAT=1.
- Blue ASCII whale banner with an animated water spout on TTYs.
- Per-directory session resume —
dcli -r / -c / --resume <id> reopen
the last conversation in the current directory with full context; dcli --list shows recent sessions; a fresh dcli offers to resume.
- One-shot scripting —
dcli "task" answers and exits (exit code reflects
the turn outcome); dcli -c "task" continues the latest session.
- Interactive permissions — tool calls that need approval ask
Allow <tool>? [y/N] right in the terminal.
- Interrupt handling — Ctrl+C cancels a live turn, twice force-quits;
Ctrl+C/D at the prompt exits cleanly; piped EOF exits cleanly.
- Full harness toolset — file read/write/edit/search, PowerShell, bash,
subagents, skills, web search, goals, plan mode, … exactly like the web GUI.
- No extra dependencies — only Node built-ins + the existing
@deepseek-ai/dsh install; zero npm packages to fetch.
Requirements
- Node.js >= 20
- The DeepSeek API key (via
dcli config set-api-key <key>, or
DEEPSEEK_API_KEY env, or $DSH_HOME/.credentials.yaml).
@deepseek-ai/dsh — auto-installed as a dependency of dcli; it can also
be installed already (global or in the current directory's node_modules)
and dcli will find it.
Install
# Option 1: npm (recommended — one command installs dcli + the dsh runtime)
npm install -g @harmattan666/dcli
# Option 2: from source
git clone https://github.com/SKzrui/DSH-CLI.git
cd DSH-CLI
npm install # pulls @deepseek-ai/dsh automatically
npm link # puts the `dcli` command on PATH
# Configure your API key and go
dcli config set-api-key sk-...
dcli
No other setup is needed: the launcher self-heals the profile on every run
(copies the runner, writes missing manifest/patch files). Machines that
already have dsh (global or local) just work too — the launcher searches the
global prefix, ~/node_modules, the current directory's node_modules, and
every ancestor, in that order.
Usage
dcli # interactive session (offers to resume the last
# conversation in this directory)
dcli -r, --resume # resume the most recent session in this directory
dcli -r <id>, --resume <id> # resume a specific session
dcli -c, --continue # continue the most recent session, no prompting
dcli --list # list recent sessions in this directory
dcli "fix the failing test" # one-shot: answer and exit (scriptable)
dcli -c "continue the work" # one-shot: run the task in the latest session
Configuration — dcli config writes the same files the web GUI's Models
page uses ($DSH_HOME/.credentials.yaml + settings.yaml):
dcli config # show provider/model/api-key/endpoint
dcli config set-api-key <key> # store the DeepSeek API key
dcli config unset-api-key # remove the stored key
dcli config set-base-url <url> # custom API endpoint (intranet proxy etc.)
dcli config unset-base-url # reset endpoint to the default
dcli config set-model <id> [--provider <p>] [--reasoning off|high|max]
dcli config list-models # available models (deepseek-v4-flash/pro)
Intranet / custom endpoint: if the machine cannot reach
api.deepseek.com (e.g. behind an intranet that only allows an internal
relay), point dcli at the internal proxy — either persist it
dcli config set-base-url http://10.0.0.5:8080/deepseek
or set it once per session with /base-url <url> inside the REPL. The
endpoint is read per request, so it applies to the very next message. The
DEEPSEEK_BASE_URL environment variable works too (lower priority than the
stored value).
Sessions persist per directory under $DSH_HOME/sessions, so dcli -c /
dcli -r inside a project picks up exactly that project's conversations —
exit any time and continue later, context intact.
Interactive commands:
| command | meaning |
|---|
/help | show this list |
/sessions | list recent sessions in this directory |
/resume <id> | switch to another session |
/new | start a fresh session |
/apikey <key> | save the DeepSeek API key immediately |
/model | show available models + current selection |
/model pro | switch model live (fuzzy match; no restart, context kept) |
/reasoning <off|high|max> | set reasoning effort live |
/session | print the session id (for --resume) |
/clear | clear the screen |
/quit | leave (also Ctrl+C at an empty prompt) |
The prompt supports shell-style editing: ↑/↓ browse command history,
←/→ move the caret, Home/End, Backspace/Delete. History is
per-session and capped at 200 entries.
While an agent turn is running, Ctrl+C interrupts it; a second Ctrl+C
force-quits. When a tool call needs permission, dcli asks Allow <tool>? [y/N]
right in the terminal.
How it works
bin/dcli.js resolves the dsh launcher and ensures the cli profile
exists under $DSH_HOME/profiles/cli (manifest, patch layer, runner copy).- It spawns
dsh --profile cli <args…>.
- The profile boots
dsh-base (agent, session, tools, sandbox, approvals,
persistence, …) plus the dsh-headless coding bundle (persona, tool mode,
code runtime), with the one-shot headless-runner disabled.
runner/runner.js creates one Agent (ctx.agents.create), then loops:
read a line → agent.followup(userMessage) → agent.whenIdle() →
sessions.flush(). Live session/event appends render streaming
assistant/chunks, tool/calls and tool/results; the runner also answers
approval/request waterfalls with interactive y/N prompts.
Layout
bin/dcli.js launcher (resolve dsh → self-heal profile → spawn)
runner/runner.js interactive runner plugin (copied into the profile dir)
install.ps1 convenience installer (npm link)
Notes / limitations
- Sessions persist under
$DSH_HOME/sessions, grouped per project directory;
dcli -c / -r / --resume <id> reopen them with full context.
- One-shot mode prints only the final answer (no streaming UI), so it pipes
cleanly:
dcli "list the files" | Out-String.
- ANSI colors are used only on a TTY (disable with
NO_COLOR=1).
DSH_HOME overrides where the profile and sessions live.- If your PowerShell blocks npm's
.ps1 shims (execution policy), call
dcli.cmd instead — identical behavior, no policy change needed.
- The first run self-initializes
$DSH_HOME/profiles/cli (manifest, patch
layer, runner copy) — nothing else to configure.
