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

1. bin/dcli.js resolves the dsh launcher and ensures the cli profile exists under $DSH_HOME/profiles/cli (manifest, patch layer, runner copy).
2. It spawns dsh --profile cli <args…>.
3. 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.
4. 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.