> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://dshtauri.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Desktop client comparison

> Compare four DeepSeek Harness desktop projects by positioning, platforms, runtime, plugins, and recovery.

DeepSeek Harness has more than one desktop client. They all reduce the setup required to run
Harness locally, but make different choices about desktop technology, platform coverage,
plugin strategy, and extensions.

<Note>
  This comparison uses public READMEs, repository manifests, and latest releases as of
  2026-08-28. “Not confirmed” means the public material makes no clear promise; it does not
  prove that a feature is absent. Check the relevant repository before choosing.
</Note>

## Project positioning

### DeepSeek Harness Desktop (this project)

A ready-to-use desktop client that runs DeepSeek Harness with no environment setup, focused
on a lightweight native experience, no commercial bundling, and a restrained codebase. It
uses Tauri 2 and React; the desktop manages runtimes and plugin health while models, sessions,
and Agent workflows track the latest Harness core directly. It covers Windows, macOS, and
Linux, prioritizes reliable first-party capabilities, and treats Codex-level feature
completeness as an explicit goal.

### anywhere-labs/dsh-desktop

[anywhere-labs/dsh-desktop](https://github.com/anywhere-labs/dsh-desktop) implements the
desktop shell itself as a DSH/Cordis plugin so desktop capabilities and Harness plugins use
the same composition model. It uses Electron, pins an upstream version, includes a community
plugin market, and provides a per-profile setup wizard, window materials, browser opening,
and optional LAN access. Current releases target Windows x64 and macOS Universal.

### dataelement/dsh-desktop

[dataelement/dsh-desktop](https://github.com/dataelement/dsh-desktop) is a local-first
Electron client for macOS and Windows with portable Agent presets, model providers, plugin
diagnostics, and non-destructive Safe Mode. Phone access uses a separately paired bridge
that requires desktop approval and can continue sessions over a LAN or optional temporary
tunnel. Current releases cover Windows x64 and both macOS architectures, not Linux.

### Deepseek Harness EAC

[Deepseek Harness EAC](https://github.com/zouyuxuan122/Deepseek-Harness-EAC) is positioned as
an integrated, ready-to-use enhanced distribution. Its current main line uses Tauri 2 and
bundles themes, a file tree, file changes, terminals, a plugin market, automatic compaction,
and plugin protection. It ships Windows installer and portable packages, macOS Apple Silicon
packages, and maintains Linux x64 through an older separate release line.

## Feature matrix

**Legend:** ✅ documented support; ◐ partial, plugin-provided, or a separate release line;
— explicitly unsupported; “Not confirmed” means no clear statement was found.

### Platforms and installation

| Feature                            | This project     | anywhere-labs   | dataelement | EAC                   |
| ---------------------------------- | ---------------- | --------------- | ----------- | --------------------- |
| Desktop stack                      | Tauri 2          | Electron 43     | Electron 43 | Tauri 2               |
| Windows x64                        | ✅ EXE / MSI      | ✅ NSIS          | ✅ NSIS      | ✅ Setup               |
| Portable Windows package           | —                | —               | —           | ✅ ZIP                 |
| macOS Apple Silicon                | ✅ DMG            | ✅ Universal DMG | ✅ DMG / ZIP | ✅ DMG / app ZIP       |
| macOS Intel                        | ✅ DMG            | ✅ Universal DMG | ✅ DMG / ZIP | — in current v5.1.0   |
| Linux x64                          | ✅ DEB / AppImage | —               | —           | ◐ older separate line |
| No user-installed Node.js required | ✅                | ✅               | ✅           | ✅                     |
| Homebrew installation              | ✅                | —               | —           | —                     |

### Harness and desktop management

| Feature                              | This project   | anywhere-labs   | dataelement              | EAC                                 |
| ------------------------------------ | -------------- | --------------- | ------------------------ | ----------------------------------- |
| Profile creation and switching       | ✅ native panel | ✅ wizard/config | ◐ preserves profile data | ◐ separate desktop profile          |
| Download and switch multiple cores   | ✅              | —               | —                        | ◐ independent update/rollback       |
| Reuse an existing user `dsh`         | ✅              | —               | —                        | ◐ shared CLI data, isolated plugins |
| Register the `dsh` CLI automatically | ✅              | —               | —                        | —                                   |
| Separate desktop/core updates        | ✅              | —               | —                        | ✅                                   |
| Separate release/debug data          | ✅              | Not confirmed   | Not confirmed            | Not confirmed                       |

### Workspaces, sessions, and development

| Feature                                    | This project                                | anywhere-labs     | dataelement          | EAC                           |
| ------------------------------------------ | ------------------------------------------- | ----------------- | -------------------- | ----------------------------- |
| Workspaces                                 | ✅ core capability                           | ✅ core capability | ✅ core capability    | ✅ core capability             |
| Per-session Git worktree                   | ✅ bundled `dsh-tauri-worktree`              | Not confirmed     | Not confirmed        | Not confirmed                 |
| Check worktree back to local branch        | ✅ explicit approval required                | Not confirmed     | Not confirmed        | Not confirmed                 |
| File changes and diff                      | ✅ Harness capability                        | ✅ Harness/plugin  | ✅ Harness            | ✅ bundled line diff/restore   |
| Session terminal                           | ✅ Harness capability                        | ✅ Harness/plugin  | ✅ Harness            | ✅ bundled persistent terminal |
| Preserve official workspace/settings slots | ✅ `sidebar.workspaces` / `sidebar.settings` | Not confirmed     | Not confirmed        | Not confirmed                 |
| Native navigation bridge                   | ✅ sidebar, back, forward                    | ✅ desktop plugin  | ✅ native menu/window | ✅ enhanced bridge             |

### Built-in UI plugins and extension protocol

| Feature                           | This project                         | anywhere-labs | dataelement   | EAC                |
| --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ------------- | ------------- | ------------------ |
| Extensible sidebar panel protocol | ✅ `sidebar.panel.action`             | —             | —             | —                  |
| Skills management panel           | ✅ list, search, filter, enable, edit | —             | —             | ◐ bundled plugin   |
| Skill repository import           | ✅ GitHub repositories                | —             | Not confirmed | ◐ migration/plugin |
| MCP management panel              | ✅ CRUD, enable, JSON/form editor     | —             | —             | ✅ visual MCP       |
| External MCP import               | ✅ Claude/Codex                       | Not confirmed | Not confirmed | ✅ config migration |

### Plugins, recovery, and distribution

| Feature                           | This project                | anywhere-labs                     | dataelement                          | EAC                                 |
| --------------------------------- | --------------------------- | --------------------------------- | ------------------------------------ | ----------------------------------- |
| Bundling strategy                 | First-party desktop plugins | Desktop as plugin/built-in market | Pinned Harness + desktop integration | Many bundled community enhancements |
| Plugin market                     | ◐ preset plugin             | ✅ built-in community market       | ◐ market installer                   | ✅ unified market                    |
| Guided startup recovery           | ✅ identify/remove plugin    | ✅ recovery assistant              | ✅ diagnostics/Safe Mode              | ✅ snapshots/checks/rollback         |
| Multi-device session continuation | ◐ Roadmap                   | ◐ marked forthcoming              | ✅                                    | —                                   |

## This project's roadmap

The following comes from the public [dsh-tauri-desk Roadmap](https://github.com/orgs/dsh-tauri-desk/projects/3/views/2).
It is strictly separate from shipped capabilities: **Planned does not mean available and
does not guarantee a release date.**

| Planned capability        | Status      | Priority / timing | Relationship to current capabilities                  |
| ------------------------- | ----------- | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------------------- |
| Remote connection plugin  | Planned     | P2 · 2026-Q4      | Explore optional access beyond loopback               |
| Scheduled task plugin     | Planned     | P2 · 2026-Q4      | Add scheduling to the plugin model                    |
| Pull Request support      | Planned     | P2                | Connect worktrees, branch handback, and collaboration |
| Plugin/UI UX improvements | Planned     | P2 · 2026-Q4      | Improve `dsh-tauri-plugins` and `dsh-tauri-ui`        |
| v1.0 release              | Planned     | P1 · 2026-Q4      | Feature freeze, alpha, beta, then stable              |
| Mint bilingual docs       | In Progress | P1 · 2026-Q4      | Documentation work, not runtime functionality         |

The roadmap also includes **Idea**-stage candidates such as plugin signature verification,
more update delivery, more preset plugins, a website redesign, and low-priority built-in
plugin management. Idea means research direction; this page does not call them “coming soon.”

<Warning>
  Roadmaps change. Use the latest Status, Priority, and Quarter in GitHub Projects. Anything
  not marked Shipped must not appear as an available capability.
</Warning>

## Understanding the differences

### Close to upstream does not mean featureless

This project preserves Harness workspaces, file tree, file changes, diff, and terminal while
adding a small first-party desktop set. `dsh-tauri-worktree` provides per-session Git
isolation; `dsh-tauri-panel` provides a stable sidebar/panel protocol; and
`dsh-tauri-panel-extension` provides Skills, skill repositories, and MCP management.

The difference is explicit boundaries, protocols, and maintenance ownership rather than
installing many unrelated community plugins for every user. EAC favors a broad bundled
enhancement suite; this project favors a smaller, verifiable default set.

### Why the panel protocol matters

`sidebar.panel.action` lets plugins register entries in one sidebar area, while
`panel.protocol` standardizes opening, replacing, and closing panel content. Extensions do
not need to copy the whole sidebar or depend on unstable DOM/CSS details. The Skills/MCP
panel is both a user feature and the first complete consumer of this protocol.

### Tauri or Electron

Tauri uses the system WebView and a Rust native layer, which can keep the shell smaller.
Electron ships a consistent Chromium/Node environment. Total package size and memory also
depend on Harness, Node, and plugins, so the framework name alone is not a benchmark.

### Loopback or remote access

This project binds to `127.0.0.1` by default. dataelement uses a separate phone bridge with
desktop approval. anywhere-labs offers optional LAN exposure and warns that it has no
authentication. These designs have different trust boundaries.

### Recovery strategy

This project identifies a plugin implicated in startup failure and guides removal.
dataelement provides Safe Mode; EAC emphasizes snapshots, checks, repair, and rollback.
Users who experiment with community plugins should compare recovery, not only plugin counts.

## Sources

* [This project](https://github.com/dsh-tauri-desk/deepseek-harness-desktop) and [releases](https://github.com/dsh-tauri-desk/deepseek-harness-desktop/releases)
* [anywhere-labs/dsh-desktop](https://github.com/anywhere-labs/dsh-desktop) and [v2.0.3](https://github.com/anywhere-labs/dsh-desktop/releases/tag/v2.0.3)
* [dataelement/dsh-desktop](https://github.com/dataelement/dsh-desktop) and [v0.6.3](https://github.com/dataelement/dsh-desktop/releases/tag/v0.6.3)
* [Deepseek Harness EAC](https://github.com/zouyuxuan122/Deepseek-Harness-EAC) and [v5.1.0](https://github.com/zouyuxuan122/Deepseek-Harness-EAC/releases/tag/v5.1.0)

<Warning>
  All four projects run Harness and plugins that can execute local code. Verify installers,
  review plugins, understand network exposure and data paths, and use OS-level isolation for
  untrusted work regardless of the client.
</Warning>