Quick Start with DeepSeek Harness: Mastering the Three Launch Modes

Launch Modes Overview

DeepSeek Harness provides three ways to start the tool, each suited to different scenarios:

Web UI – visual, browser‑based interface; ideal for daily use, visual debugging, and collaboration with non‑technical users.

CLI – pure command‑line interaction; best for rapid testing, remote servers, and script integration.

API – RESTful service exposing HTTP endpoints; the most flexible option for application integration, batch processing, and building an Agent‑as‑a‑Service platform.

Web UI Mode

What it is

The Web UI starts a local web server and opens a browser window. It offers a top bar (model selection, settings, theme), a conversation area showing message bubbles, and a side panel with tools, file browser, and session management.

Starting the UI

# Basic start
dsh web
# Specify a custom port (default 3000)
dsh web --port 8080
# Use a custom configuration file
dsh web --config ~/.dsh/production.json

Key UI Areas

Top Bar – model selection, settings, theme switch.

Conversation Area – displays chat history as message bubbles.

Input Area – type messages and send.

Side Bar – tool panel, file explorer, session manager.

Tool Panel

Click the 🧰 Tools button to reveal built‑in utilities:

read_file   write_file   list_dir   create_dir
exec        run_script   fetch_url   search_web
code_review write_tests

Session Management

Use the 📊 Sessions view to create, search, and organize sessions by day.

CLI Mode

What it is

The CLI provides a text‑based interactive session, useful for developers who need fast testing, remote access, or script integration.

Starting the CLI

# Basic start
dsh chat
# Choose a model
dsh chat --model deepseek-chat
# Quiet mode (less output)
dsh chat --quiet

Basic Interaction

After the you > prompt, type a message. The assistant replies with formatted output, e.g. file trees or code snippets.

you > 帮我读取当前目录下的所有文件

assistant > 正在读取当前目录的文件：
📁 project
├── README.md
├── package.json
├── src/
│   ├── index.js
│   └── utils.js
└── tests/
    └── index.test.js

你想让我对哪个文件进行操作？

CLI Shortcuts

/help

– show help /exit – quit CLI /clear – clear conversation /model [name] – switch model /mode [name] – switch mode /session – show session info /history – show chat history /save [name] – save session /load [name] – load session

Advanced Usage

File input: dsh chat --file src/index.js or multiple files with dsh chat --file src/*.js.

Pipe input: cat src/index.js | dsh chat --stdin.

Script mode: dsh chat --script questions.txt where questions.txt contains a list of questions.

API Mode

What it is

The API mode launches a RESTful server, exposing HTTP endpoints for programmatic interaction.

Starting the API Service

# Basic start (default port 8080)
dsh api
# Custom port
dsh api --port 9000
# Specify host
dsh api --host 0.0.0.0
# Enable CORS
dsh api --cors

Health Check

curl http://localhost:8080/health

Response:

{
  "status": "ok",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "timestamp": "2026-08-15T10:30:00Z"
}

Endpoints Overview

POST /api/chat

– send a chat request. POST /api/chat/stream – stream responses (Server‑Sent Events). GET /api/sessions – list sessions. GET /api/session/:id – get session details. DELETE /api/session/:id – delete a session. GET /api/tools – list available tools. GET /api/models – list available models.

Sending a Chat Request

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/chat \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "model": "deepseek-chat",
    "message": "帮我写一个 Hello World 程序",
    "session_id": "optional-session-id"
  }'

Typical response includes the assistant's reply, any tool calls (e.g., write_file), token usage, and a session ID.

Streaming Responses (SSE)

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/chat/stream \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "model": "deepseek-chat",
    "message": "解释什么是闭包"
  }'

The server streams JSON chunks with type and content fields.

Authentication

Bearer token: Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY X‑API‑Key header:

X-API-Key: YOUR_API_KEY

Mode Comparison

Feature Comparison

Visual Interface – ✅ Web UI, ❌ CLI, ❌ API

Interactive Dialogue – ✅ Web UI, ✅ CLI, ❌ API

Programming Interface – ❌ Web UI, ❌ CLI, ✅ API

Batch Processing – ❌ Web UI, ⚠️ CLI, ✅ API

Team Collaboration – ✅ Web UI, ❌ CLI, ⚠️ API

Automation Scripts – ❌ Web UI, ✅ CLI, ✅ API

Quick Testing – ✅ Web UI, ✅ CLI, ✅ API

Performance Comparison

Startup Speed – Slow (Web UI), Fast (CLI), Medium (API)

Resource Usage – High (Web UI), Low (CLI), Medium (API)

Response Latency – Medium (Web UI), Low (CLI), Low (API)

Concurrency – Low (Web UI), Low (CLI), High (API)

Selection Guide

If you need a visual UI and debugging → Web UI
Else if you need programmatic integration or batch processing → API
Else if you need efficiency or remote operation → CLI

Configuration Management

Configuration File Layout

~/.dsh/
├── config.json        # main config
├── config.dev.json    # development env
├── config.prod.json   # production env
├── plugins/           # plugins directory
├── sessions/          # session data
└── logs/              # logs

Main Config Example

{
  "api_key": "sk-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
  "model": "deepseek-chat",
  "base_url": "https://api.deepseek.com",
  "temperature": 0.7,
  "max_tokens": 4096,
  "mode": "standard",
  "plugins": [],
  "storage": {"type": "file", "path": "~/.dsh/sessions"},
  "web": {"port": 3000, "theme": "light"},
  "api": {"port": 8080, "cors": true}
}

Managing Config via CLI

# List current config
dsh config list
# Set values
dsh config set api_key YOUR_KEY
dsh config set model deepseek-chat
dsh config set temperature 0.5
# Get a single value
dsh config get api_key
# Unset a value
dsh config unset temperature
# Export / Import
 dsh config export > my-config.json
 dsh config import my-config.json

Multi‑Environment Config

# Use a specific config file
 dsh web --config ~/.dsh/config.dev.json
 dsh api --config ~/.dsh/config.prod.json
# Or set environment variable
 export DSH_CONFIG_PATH=~/.dsh/config.prod.json
 dsh web

Hands‑On Exercises

Exercise 1 – Code Review with Web UI

Start the UI: dsh web In the chat box type: "帮我审查 src/index.js 文件".

Observe the tool reading the file and returning review suggestions.

Exercise 2 – Rename a File via CLI

Start CLI: dsh chat Enter: "把 old-name.js 重命名为 new-name.js".

Watch the rename_file tool being invoked and verify the rename.

Exercise 3 – Generate Documentation via API

# Start API service
 dsh api --port 8080
# Call the API to generate a README
 curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/chat \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"message":"为这个项目生成 README.md"}'

Chapter Summary

The three launch modes cover visual interaction, fast command‑line workflows, and full programmatic access. Choose the mode that matches your workflow:

Daily use → Web UI

Development & debugging → CLI

Application integration or batch jobs → API

Command Quick Reference

dsh web

– start Web UI (default port 3000) dsh web --port 8080 – start Web UI on a custom port dsh chat – start CLI interactive mode dsh chat --model claude – specify model for CLI dsh api – start API service (default port 8080) dsh api --cors – enable CORS on API server dsh config list – show current configuration dsh config set key value – set a configuration item