deepseek-harness-desktop

DeepSeek Harness Desktop is a community-maintained desktop distribution designed to package the official open-source DeepSeek Harness Web experience (agent runtime, Web UI, and plugin system) into self-contained desktop applications for macOS, Linux, and Windows. The project explicitly states that it is not an official DeepSeek product and is not endorsed by or affiliated with DeepSeek AI. The desktop-specific code is located in the apps/desktop directory of the repository and is distributed under the MIT license. The project emphasizes a positioning of zero-configuration runtime environment, out-of-the-box usability, and zero development barriers. The installation package includes Electron, Node.js, production plugin graphs, and Web resources; therefore, users do not need to pre-install Node.js, pnpm, or Electron, execute terminal commands, or manually launch a browser. The desktop launcher automatically starts and stops the local Harness service, with the full Harness interface displayed directly in the desktop window. When calling models, users can enter the required provider credentials within the application. Regarding acquisition and installation, installation packages can be obtained from the official website's download page or GitHub Releases. Covered platforms and formats include: macOS Apple Silicon (DMG or ZIP), macOS Intel (DMG or ZIP), Windows x64 (NSIS installer or ZIP), and Linux x64 (AppImage or DEB). The release pipeline automatically signs, notarizes, and verifies macOS applications when Apple Developer credentials are available; otherwise, unsigned packages are released with the status noted in the Release notes, and Windows SmartScreen may display an unknown publisher warning. The README provides first-launch steps for unsigned macOS versions: after dragging the app into the "Applications" folder, users should right-click (Control-click) the app and select "Open" instead of double-clicking, then confirm again in the confirmation window. If the system blocks the launch due to an unverifiable developer, users can find the blocked app in "System Settings → Privacy & Security" and select "Open Anyway." The README notes these steps are usually only required once and advises against globally disabling Gatekeeper. Remote access is a key feature of the project. Upon first launch or before account authorization, the client prompts for login or registration, explaining that after logging in, the computer can be accessed remotely from a mobile phone or other devices. Users may also choose to skip login and continue using the local machine. Once authorized, "Remote Control" can be enabled (disabled by default) via "Settings → General Settings → Remote Control"; non-logged-in users will see the login prompt again when attempting to enable it. After logging into the official website's "Device Center," users can select an online computer under their account and click "Connect" to continue conversations, view tasks, and use the workspace on that computer in a new browser tab. Regarding version updates, the desktop client checks for new versions from the official website's version center immediately upon startup and every 10 minutes thereafter. When a new version is found, an update indicator appears in the bottom-left corner. Clicking it allows the client to download the installation package from the official site, with real-time download and verification progress shown in the bottom-right corner; downloads can be canceled at any time. The installation package is handed over to the system for opening only after file size and SHA-256 integrity checks are passed. The project is currently in the desktop Beta stage, providing installation packages for macOS Apple Silicon, macOS Intel, Linux x64, and Windows x64, including the desktop runtime environment, account authorization, remote access, mobile adaptation, and official website version update capabilities. The README warns that DeepSeek Harness itself is under rapid development, and configurations, plugins, and persistent data may change before a stable desktop version is released. Application data is located in the runtime subdirectory of the standard Electron per-user application data directory. Uninstalling the application does not automatically delete this data; if saved sessions are important, it is recommended to back them up before migrating between Beta versions. Building from source requires Git, Node.js 24, and pnpm 11. After cloning the repository, execute pnpm install and pnpm run desktop:dist to write the installation package for the current platform to dist/desktop. Since native dependencies are selected by platform during installation, each target should be packaged on its corresponding operating system using commands such as desktop:dist:mac, desktop:dist:linux, or desktop:dist:windows. The desktop installation workflow in the repository uses GitHub native runners to build macOS arm64, macOS x64, Linux x64, and Windows x64; after pushing a v* tag, the workflow attaches the packages to the corresponding GitHub Release. macOS packaging always enables Hardened Runtime and the entitlements required by Electron. Maintainers can configure full Apple Developer credentials for automatic signing and Apple notarization; configuring only partial credentials will stop the build to prevent unsigned artifacts from being mistaken for signed versions. Development and verification commands include desktop:dev, running tests for apps/desktop, verify-desktop-runtime-closure, and build.