Preface

The core design philosophy of DeepSeek Harness (DSH) is “everything is a plugin.” When carrying out complex multi-agent collaborative development, developers often face issues such as difficulty persisting state, lack of a unified protocol for task handoff, and unclear validation rules. The ttxl314/dsh-skill-lord-serf plugin aims to solve these problems. It introduces the file-based multi-agent orchestration protocol 0.5 into the DSH ecosystem and provides a deterministic workflow framework for distributed task execution.

Plugin Overview

This plugin is maintained by ttxl314 and is a DeepSeek Harness plugin. It provides two skills, lord (orchestrator) and serf (executor), allowing DSH to assume both roles within the same session. Its core value lies in transforming complex collaboration logic into a file-based protocol. With explicit schema validation and lifecycle management, it ensures that every step of a task—from planning to final delivery—is traceable and verifiable.

Core Features

Based on verified facts, the plugin includes the following capabilities:

  • Dual-role skills: Built-in Lord and Serf skills are responsible for global orchestration and bounded execution, respectively.
  • File-based orchestration: Uses the filesystem to store project state, requirements, and decisions (such as TASKS.md and the REVIEWS/ directory), rather than relying solely on conversational context.
  • Schema validation: Performs JSON Schema validation on task packages, microtasks, dispatch instructions, and submission reports (based on the 2020-12 draft).
  • Subagent fan-out: Supports dispatching subtasks within Serf’s execution boundary via the subagent tool.
  • Standard lifecycle: Defines the complete workflow from planning to decision-making: plan → package → dispatch → execute → submit → review → decide.
  • DSH binding: Maps protocol concepts to native DSH mechanisms, such as invoking Serf with the subagent tool and using the /lord and /serf skill gestures.

Installation and Configuration

Option 1: Install as a Bundle (Global)

The plugin provides precompiled ESM bundles, so no manual build is required. After installation, the Web service must be restarted.

dsh plugin --profile <name> add github:ttxl314/dsh-skill-lord-serf#<commit-sha>

After installation is complete, open the Settings page in the GUI to check whether the plugin is active. If you only need project-scoped usage and do not want to restart the service, you can use Option 2.

Option 2: Install as Filesystem Skills (Project-level)

Create Junction links to mount the skill directories under the project’s .dsh/skills. The filesystem watcher will automatically detect them without a restart.

New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .dsh\skills\lord -Target <checkout>\skills\lord
New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path .dsh\skills\serf -Target <checkout>\skills\serf

Typical Usage

Lord Session

In a Lord session, you can start it by entering /lord or by directly issuing instructions. Lord is responsible for planning, generating task packages, and dispatching tasks through the subagent tool. It maintains the authoritative source of task state and performs review and final decision-making after receiving reports.

Serf Session

Serf is responsible for executing specific task packages. You can start it by entering /serf or by directly providing the task package path. Serf loads the task package and, during execution, splits work into subtasks via subagent when necessary. Upon completion, Serf generates a submission report based on a template (status values include REVIEW, BLOCKED, or CHANGE_REQUEST).

Workflow Example

  1. Plan: Lord analyzes the requirements and creates a plan.
  2. Package: Lord generates task packages with schema validation.
  3. Dispatch: Lord sends the task package to Serf via the subagent tool.
  4. Execute: Serf executes the task and breaks it into substeps when necessary.
  5. Submit: Serf generates the report file.
  6. Review: Lord reads the report file and validates the actual output.
  7. Decide: Lord updates the state and decides the next action.

Technical Details and Dependencies

  • Dependencies:
    • @deepseek-ai/cordis ^4.0.1
    • @deepseek-ai/dsh-skill ^0.1.0-rc.6 (provided by the @deepseek-ai/dsh-base bundle)
  • Resource structure:
    • assets/schemas/: Contains schema definitions for task packages, dispatch instructions, reports, and so on.
    • assets/templates/: Contains template files for task packages, dispatch instructions, and reports.
  • Self-test:
    The plugin includes a self-test suite. The command to run it is as follows:
    node test\self-test.mjs

The suite checks 26 items, including Provider contracts, schema compilation, and template/schema consistency.

Notes

  • Permissions and restart: When installed as a bundle, the Web service must be restarted to load the plugin. When installed as filesystem skills, no restart is required.
  • License: The plugin is released under the MIT license.
  • Applicable scenarios: Suitable for scenarios that require strict state management, auditable workflows, and multi-agent collaboration.

Conclusion

By standardizing the protocol into file operations and schema validation, ttxl314/dsh-skill-lord-serf reduces the complexity of multi-agent collaboration. For developers who need to build long-running, state-sensitive development workflows, this is a reliable tool. For more details, see the GitHub repository.