Preface¶

DeepSeek Harness (dsh) splits the agent runtime into pluggable extensions. The default Web GUI remains a chat interface: sessions on the left, message stream in the center, and an input box at the bottom. For users accustomed to spreadsheets, having sessions, tool outputs, and runtime options scattered across chat bubbles clashes with the “one sheet, one cell” workflow.

There are already many theme and appearance plugins in the community, most of which only change colors, wallpapers, or character skins. dsh-deepcel takes a different approach: instead of just changing colors, it rearranges the existing UI entry points into an interactive worksheet.

This article is organized after cross-checking against the plugin directory page, GitHub repository README, skin package files package.json / skin.json / cordis.patch.yml, and the official DeepSeek Harness repository.

What is this¶

dsh-deepcel is an independently distributed repository for the Deepcel Workbook skin for DeepSeek Harness Web GUI, maintained by Small-tailqwq, and categorized as “Themes & Appearance” in the community plugin directory. The repository’s description is “An Excel-style dsh skin”. As of querying the repository API on 2026-08-18, it has approximately 10 stars on GitHub.

The installable skin package is in the deepcel/ subdirectory of the repository, with the package name @dsh-external/dsh-client-ui-skin-deepcel, current version 0.0.1, and license BSD-3-Clause. The display name in skin.json is “Deepcel 工作簿” (Deepcel Workbook), with the tagline “Cellular Interface · Combined Input Area · Workbook Ribbon”. The plugin’s wiring id is ui-skin-deepcel, and the client platform is declared as web.

It solves UI layout issues, not spreadsheet file reading and writing. After installation, sessions, tools, settings, and navigation will become interactive worksheet cells; after uninstallation, the interface will revert to its original state. It does not provide the ability to create or edit .xlsx files.

The official DeepSeek Harness repository positions itself as “Everything is a Plugin”. The community plugin directory deepseek-harness-plugin.com is an independent site and has no official affiliation with DeepSeek / Horizon Robotics, and should not be treated as an official app store.

Core Features¶

The following capabilities are derived from the repository README, skin.json, and client-side testing, rather than usage experience descriptions.

Worksheet Mimicry, Not Just Color Changes¶

Deepcel reinterprets the existing UI as a spreadsheet:
- The ribbon manages files, sessions, and runtime options
- Messages, tools, traces, and input areas are placed under unified cell coordinates
- Worksheet tabs handle multi-session switching

The description in skin.json reads: Panes, messages, tools, and settings become interactive cells, the large input area becomes a merged region, and worksheet tabs handle multi-session navigation. The accent color is #217346. The repository provides light and dark preview images, located at deepcel/preview/light.webp and deepcel/preview/dark.webp respectively.

Grid, Selection, and Status Bar¶

The interface elements listed in the README include: full row numbers, column headers, background grid, active cell, and workbook status bar. The client-side source code changes the document title to Workbook Grid · DeepSeek Harness, and sets data-dsh-deepcel on document.body as the skin scope. The repository tests cover these behaviors:
- Column headers A, B, C… and row numbers 1 appear after loading
- Clicking the worksheet displays the active cell address
- Clears selection when switching sessions
- Reverts all skin nodes and removes data-dsh-deepcel when uninstalled

Conversation Content Mapped to Cells¶

The README’s conventions for the content area are:
- Conversation body is mapped to merged cells by semantic blocks, with user messages using review comment styling
- Input content is edited via the formula bar, and automatically expands with multi-line content
- Workspaces and sessions use worksheet outline levels, and the entire worksheet moves synchronously when the sidebar is expanded
- Bash, Pwsh, output rows, message actions, and trace tables use worksheet record layout
- Long session scrolling synchronizes row numbers, background grid, and selection

Testing also confirms that: Paragraphs, list items, and code blocks in the assistant’s Markdown fall into different cell ranges; product files and message action buttons are placed on consecutive rows; trace and timeline views will collapse the chat worksheet grid.

Native Capabilities Use Original Entry Points¶

The README states: Permissions, models, thinking, Agent presets, and workspace selection reuse native behavioral entry points. The ribbon repositions these entry points instead of writing a new runtime. The comments in cordis.patch.yml also note that skin mutual exclusion is still handled by the profile’s skin manager. The apply() function in the host-side src/index.ts is empty, and the skin logic is located in the browser client.

Installation and Activation¶

First, you need a working DeepSeek Harness. The startup method given by the official repository is:

npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web

The default address is http://127.0.0.1:3080. DeepSeek Harness is currently in developer preview, and its APIs may change in non-backward-compatible ways.

The installation command given on the community directory page is:

dsh plugin add github:Small-tailqwq/dsh-deepcel

For reproducible installations, the directory page recommends pinning a commit. The latest commit on the current main branch as of 2026-08-13 is d2af0efa1c1c8d68ee1cd5d99ac776426f9fb142:

dsh plugin add github:Small-tailqwq/dsh-deepcel#d2af0efa1c1c8d68ee1cd5d99ac776426f9fb142

The actual installable package in the repository is in the deepcel/ subdirectory, and there is no package.json in the root directory. The local installation method recommended by the README is as follows, using the currently publicly accessible repository clone URL:

git clone https://github.com/Small-tailqwq/dsh-deepcel
cd <harness>
dsh plugin --profile web add ../dsh-deepcel/deepcel

Please note the following points during installation:
1. The original README still uses git clone https://github.com/dsh-external/dsh-deepcel and states that the repository is in internal beta and privately visible. As of 2026-08-18, querying dsh-external/dsh-deepcel returns a 404; the public repository is Small-tailqwq/dsh-deepcel, which is publicly visible.
2. This is a Web GUI skin, with "platform": "web" declared in package.json, and should be installed into the web profile.
3. "private": true is set in package.json, and it is not published on npm. Pointing to the deepcel/ local path better matches the repository structure.
4. The plugin runs with the permissions of the current dsh process, and may execute code during installation. Please inspect the source code repository and license before installing.

The README states that Deepcel takes effect immediately upon loading and reverts to its original state upon uninstallation. Testing confirms that uninstalling will remove data-dsh-deepcel and delete the ribbon, row numbers, and status bar nodes. The community theme guide for general skins states: After installation, select the skin in the Web UI’s theme/settings area, and most take effect immediately or after a refresh.

Typical Usage¶

The operable steps that can be verified against the README and testing are roughly as follows:
1. Launch the Web UI and confirm the skin is loaded. The page title will change to Workbook Grid · DeepSeek Harness, and column headers and row numbers will appear in the interface.
2. The ribbon defaults to the File tab. Home corresponds to sessions/conversations, and Manage corresponds to workspaces and Agent presets. Settings, new sessions, and adding workspaces still use the native buttons, but are projected onto the ribbon and status bar.
3. Click on a blank area of the worksheet, and the name box will display the active cell address. In tests, a single click results in B3.
4. Input uses the formula bar. In the source code, the single-line height of the formula bar is 28px, and it expands at 18px line height for multi-line content, with a maximum of 6 lines (FORMULA_MAX_LINES = 6).
5. The bottom worksheet tabs correspond to sessions; clicking + Workbook will trigger the native “New Session” function. The selection is cleared when switching sessions.
6. The entire worksheet moves synchronously when the sidebar is expanded. The status bar projects native session statistics, and the interface text switches between Chinese and English according to the locale.
7. View the light/dark mode effects against the repository’s preview images. Dark mode follows the data-ds-dark-theme attribute on the body.

Applicable Scenarios and Notes¶

Suitable for:¶

Users already using DeepSeek Harness Web GUI who want the interface to be closer to a spreadsheet rather than chat bubbles
Users who need to view sessions, tool outputs, and product files as “cells on a single sheet”
Users who accept that the skin only changes the Web UI appearance without altering the agent’s core capabilities

Not suitable for:¶

Users only using TUI or headless profiles: this package declares the platform as web
Users wanting to read and write real Excel files naturally: this is a skin, not a spreadsheet manipulation tool
Users needing a stable production theme: the current version is 0.0.1, and the README still retains internal beta wording

Additional notes:
- The plugin runs with the permissions of the current dsh process, please inspect the source code and BSD-3-Clause license before installing.
- Deepcel is an independent community project and has no affiliation, sponsorship, or endorsement relationship with Microsoft. Microsoft Excel is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation; the repository does not contain Microsoft’s code, icons, brand assets, or product resources, see deepcel/NOTICE for details.
- The skin engineering scaffold comes from dsh-external/dsh-web-ui. This repository only distributes installable skin packages, source code, tests, and previews, and does not include the complete skin center scaffold.
- DeepSeek Harness is in developer preview. If the DOM structure of the Web GUI changes, the skin’s selectors may fail.

Summary¶

dsh-deepcel rearranges DeepSeek Harness’s web chat interface into a worksheet with a ribbon, formula bar, and worksheet tabs. It does not add model capabilities, only modifies the Web GUI’s interactive skeleton; it takes effect immediately upon loading and reverts to its original state upon uninstallation.

Directory page: https://deepseek-harness-plugin.com/plugins/dsh-deepcel/

GitHub: https://github.com/Small-tailqwq/dsh-deepcel

Rearrange the DeepSeek Harness web interface into a workbook using dsh-deepcel