DeepSeek Harness Plugin

Install @busabase/dsh-plugin in DeepSeek Harness Desktop to connect it to Busabase Cloud or to Busabase on your computer.

1. Install the Plugin in Desktop

1. Open DeepSeek Harness Desktop.
2. Copy the plugin name: @busabase/dsh-plugin.
3. Open Add plugin, paste the name, and select Official npm registry.
4. Click Install.

Installed plugins do not update automatically. To update later, uninstall the plugin in Desktop and install @busabase/dsh-plugin again.

2. Choose a Server Mode

Managed Local: let the plugin manage Busabase

Choose Managed Local when you want an account-free setup and on-device data. No configuration is required: the plugin defaults to http://localhost:15419 and starts Busabase when needed, or reuses a healthy server already on that address.

Existing server: connect without managing the process

Choose Existing server when Busabase Desktop or another application already embeds or runs Busabase. Set the plugin's baseUrl to a loopback address and server.mode to external in its active profile. The file path and examples below are for the CLI web profile only; do not assume Desktop uses that profile or path. Start that server first — the plugin only probes the configured address and never starts or stops it. Keep baseUrl on localhost, 127.0.0.1, or ::1; a non-loopback address selects remote OAuth mode instead.

Cloud: hosted and shared workspaces

Choose Cloud when you already have a Busabase account, collaborate in a team workspace, or use more than one device. Set baseUrl to https://busabase.com, restart DeepSeek Harness, and approve the browser OAuth prompt once. DeepSeek Harness stores the resulting grant in its credential store and reuses it on later starts. Review proposed changes in Busabase Cloud using the canonical link each change request includes.

3. Restart DeepSeek Harness

Restart DeepSeek Harness Desktop after installing the plugin or changing its configuration — plugin and configuration changes do not apply to an already-running session.

What happens next depends on the selected connection:

• Managed Local: Busabase stays stopped until the first busabase_start call.
• Existing server: start Busabase first. busabase_start verifies the server and reconnects MCP tools, but never starts it. If the server is unavailable, the call reports that address instead of launching a replacement.
• Cloud: your default browser opens for Busabase sign-in and consent. After approval, the Cloud MCP tools are registered automatically; there is no busabase_start tool in Cloud mode.

4. Verify the Selected Connection

In the Desktop plugin list, confirm @busabase/dsh-plugin shows as installed and active.

For either local mode, try:

Call busabase_start, then list my Busabase Bases and summarize what each one contains.

For Cloud, complete browser authorization and try:

Call auth_verify, then list the top level of my Busabase workspace.

In every mode, the Agent can read approved data and submit proposed writes as Change Requests. Both local modes support review and previews inside the Harness session. In Cloud mode, follow the canonical Busabase link in the change request to review and merge in Busabase Cloud.

The Agent connection is capped at changeRequest; the Agent cannot approve or merge its own proposals.

Using the CLI Instead

DeepSeek Harness also ships a CLI (dsh), which some setups run instead of or alongside Desktop. The following commands are CLI-only — they do not describe anything in the Desktop UI.

Prerequisites

• Node.js >=24.18.0
• pnpm available on PATH

Install, Update, or Remove

# Install
npx @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web add @busabase/dsh-plugin

# Update
npx @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web update @busabase/dsh-plugin

# Remove
npx @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web remove @busabase/dsh-plugin

These commands target the web profile. Restart the profile after any of them — adding, updating, or removing a plugin does not change an already-running profile.

Configure the Existing-Server or Cloud Connection

Create or edit $DSH_HOME/profiles/web/cordis.patch.yml (~/.dsh/profiles/web/cordis.patch.yml when DSH_HOME is not set).

For an existing server:

- id: busabase
  config:
    baseUrl: http://127.0.0.1:15419
    serverName: busabase
    server:
      mode: external

For Cloud:

- id: busabase
  config:
    baseUrl: https://busabase.com
    serverName: busabase

If the file already contains other entries, append this item instead of replacing the file. A profile override replaces the matched plugin's complete config, so keep any other non-default Busabase settings you need in the same block. Do not put a password or token in this file.

Start and Verify from the CLI

npx @deepseek-ai/dsh --profile web

If the browser does not open automatically, visit http://127.0.0.1:3080.

npx @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web list --depth=0
npx @deepseek-ai/dsh --profile web --dump-config

The first command should include @busabase/dsh-plugin. In the busabase row, --dump-config should show the selected baseUrl; existing-server mode must also show mode: external under server.

Recover an Older CLI Installation

Older releases required build approval for a preinstall script. If installation fails with ERR_PNPM_IGNORED_BUILDS, update to the current release and run add again; the current package needs no build approval. Restart and repeat both verification commands.

npx @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web update @busabase/dsh-plugin
npx @deepseek-ai/dsh plugin --profile web add @busabase/dsh-plugin

Switch the CLI Back to Managed Local

Remove the Busabase override or replace it with the following configuration, without server.mode: external, then restart the profile.

- id: busabase
  config:
    baseUrl: http://localhost:15419
    serverName: busabase

Existing Cloud credentials remain in the DSH credential store and are not copied into the local workspace.

If Installation Fails

If Cloud sign-in does not open, check the terminal (CLI) or the Desktop plugin logs for the authorization URL. The first OAuth callback must reach the same computer that runs DeepSeek Harness; remote or headless setups may require loopback port forwarding.

If existing-server mode reports that Busabase is unavailable, verify the configured host and port, start the owning application, and call busabase_start again. The plugin intentionally does not fall back to a managed process in external mode.

Busabase DeepSeek Harness plugin source