Profiles and cores

Separate Harness configuration with profiles and choose the active core.

Profiles isolate Harness configuration, plugins, patches, and behavior. Cores determine which installed Harness distribution the desktop service runs.

Profiles

The default desktop profile is web. Additional profiles live under $DSH_HOME/profiles/<id> and can carry different plugin and patch configuration. Changing the active profile restarts or reconfigures the service so desktop controls and plugin operations target the selected profile.

Core sources

Source	Meaning	When to use it
Automatic	Prefer a compatible local CLI core; otherwise use the app-managed core	Most users
Local	Use the Harness core already installed for the CLI	CLI-focused development
App	Use the prebuilt distribution downloaded by the desktop app	Reproducible desktop setup

The application can track and update its managed core independently from the desktop shell. If GitHub is unavailable, it keeps the existing local installation rather than removing a working core.

Profiles isolate Harness data from each other, but they do not create an operating system security boundary. A profile still runs with the permissions granted to the application and its tools.

Before switching

1. Finish or pause active tool runs.
2. Record uncommitted workspace changes.
3. Switch the profile or core in settings.
4. Confirm the service reconnects and the intended plugins are available.

Learn how plugins relate to profiles in Plugins.