Preface¶

Running media tasks in DSH (DeepSeek Harness) often presents a common issue: stage runaway. If you instruct the model to rough-cut a travel film, it might process analysis, editing, grading, and the final output all in one go, with no intermediate nodes to pause for your confirmation. Relying on a prompt instruction like “ask me before every step” is unreliable in long, multi-stage workflows.

dsh-cinematic-workflow targets exactly this issue. It transforms a film-grade travel film director workflow into a DSH plugin, embedding human gating directly into the code: the sole entry point for stage progression is a human. Below, we introduce its positioning, workflow structure, and usage.

What Is It¶

dsh-cinematic-workflow is a local-first, human-gated, author-style film workflow plugin for DeepSeek Harness. It is maintained by luoyuejun9, MIT licensed, and currently at version 0.1.0.

It covers a complete film production pipeline: media manifest, creative direction, rough cut deliverables, FCPXML ready for import, Resolve handoff, restrained copy/subtitles, and QC and delivery records.

First, let’s clarify the boundaries: it is explicitly not a mouse macro for Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve. It manages the workflow, deliverables, and review nodes; it does not operate the software for you.

Gating Mechanism: Rules Written in Code¶

The plugin’s core rules are enforced by code: a stage only advances when a human runs /cinema continue <project-id> and the current stage possesses the required deliverables. The model cannot approve, skip, merge, or pre-run subsequent stages.

Coupled with this, /cinema run only queues the current stage and cannot advance the project. In other words, the model can generate analysis and produce EDLs, but the decision to “enter the next stage” remains with a human.

For multi-stage media production, this is far more reliable than constraining a model with “please wait for confirmation” in a prompt. Gating is not a convention; it is an execution path.

Workflow Stages and Deliverables¶

The process is divided into six stages, each requiring a batch of deliverables reviewed by humans:

There are several clear boundaries regarding integration with external software:

1. The basic media manifest is auto-generated metadata collection; the plugin does not claim to have viewed all footage; judgment at the footage level still requires human intervention.

2. cinema_build_fcpxml can generate FCPXML 1.14 from reviewed EDLs, but is not responsible for importing it into Final Cut Pro.

3. The Resolve Handoff (v0.1) only generates a handoff brief; you complete the import/export in Resolve and then use /cinema attach to attach the return files.

Additionally, if external contact sheets or QC assistance is needed, you can install FFmpeg/FFprobe yourself; without this dependency, the plugin remains functional.

Installation and Activation¶

Installation command:

dsh profile install npm:dsh-cinematic-workflow

After installation, you need to restart or reload the DSH profile for it to take effect.

Version and Environment: The package targets DSH 0.1.0-rc.6, while Harness is currently in developer preview. It is recommended to lock to compatible versions during upgrades; the runtime environment requires Node >=22.19.

Typical Usage¶

First, use /cinema doctor to check if the environment is ready:

/cinema doctor

Start a project from the footage directory, specifying a title and preset:

/cinema start "/path/to/footage" --title "My film" --preset travel-authorial

Run the current stage:

/cinema run <project-id>

After reviewing the output, you can record creative decisions without advancing, such as defining the theme and narrative arc:

/cinema choose <project-id> theme "freedom"
/cinema choose <project-id> arc "arrival → release → quiet afterglow"

Once you confirm the current stage’s deliverables are complete, advance manually:

/cinema continue <project-id>

/cinema status, /cinema validate, /cinema revise, and /cinema attach are available at any time.

Built-in Presets and Creative Priorities¶

The plugin includes a built-in travel-authorial preset, favoring first-person observation, negative space, ambient sound, and restrained copy.

Its creative priority is: Creator Expression > Story > Audience Emotion > Cinematography > Sound > Color > Editing Technique > Software Operation. Software operation is placed last, aligning with its positioning as “not a mouse macro.”

Media Safety and Source Traceability¶

Several design choices directly related to data security:

• Source media will never be moved, renamed, transcoded, overwritten, or uploaded.
• Project records are located in <workspace>/.dsh/cinematic/; it is recommended to add this to .gitignore.
• Artifacts are labeled as automatic, model-inference, human-confirmed, or unresolved, allowing traceability of the source for each piece of information.
• Do not publish project folders containing private absolute paths, GPS data, face metrics, or personal media.

Use Cases and Precautions¶

It is suitable for two groups: creators who want to solidify the travel film creation process into a reproducible workflow; and AI developer agents who want to study how “model participation with human review” is implemented in DSH—the gating implementation of this plugin itself serves as a reference sample.

Precautions before use:

1. The plugin runs with the permissions of the current DSH process; check the source code and license before installing. The project is MIT licensed; see README.zh.md for Chinese documentation.

2. The package targets DSH 0.1.0-rc.6, and Harness is in developer preview; lock to compatible versions during upgrades.

3. It does not replace your actual operations in Final Cut Pro or DaVinci Resolve; the final import, export, and completion decisions are still made by you.

Summary¶

The value of dsh-cinematic-workflow lies not in “automated editing,” but in turning human-in-the-loop into code enforcement: a stage does not advance if deliverables are incomplete or a human has not confirmed. For developers who want the model to deeply participate in media creation without surrendering review rights, this design approach is worth looking into.

• Community Directory: https://www.skillhub.cn/plugins/luoyuejun9/dsh-cinematic-workflow
• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/luoyuejun9/dsh-cinematic-workflow