In daily use of DeepSeek Harness (DSH), agents typically run in a single stream. When you need to analyze a specific hypothesis in detail, or test different model and tool combinations without interfering with the main flow, a single conversation stream can limit flexibility. You need an isolated analysis space while maintaining a connection to the current context.

dsh-sidechat is a plugin that provides an independent sidebar for the DSH Web client. This sidebar runs a separate DSH agent session, inheriting the toolset, model, permissions, and working directory of the main session, but exists as a hidden, independent session.

Core Features

  • Independent side chat: The right-side panel provides an isolated DSH agent session, separated from the main session.
  • Context inheritance: Inherits the toolset, model, permissions, and working directory from the main session, with each chat adjustable.
  • Manual trigger: Select text in the main conversation and choose “Ask in side chat” to place it in the input box; it is not sent automatically by default.
  • One-click new chat: The “+” button in the panel header instantly creates a new blank side chat.
  • Return to main session: After a reply, you can use “Insert directly” or “Summarize & insert” to put the content back into the main editor draft or a collapsed context line.
  • Problem analysis: When the main agent raises a question, you can bring the question and options into the side chat for analysis, then bring the answer back.
  • Interface features: The panel width is adjustable (280–720 px), collapsible, and supports multilingual interfaces.

Installation and Enablement

Install from GitHub:

dsh plugin --profile web add github:realpkuasule/dsh-sidechat

After installation, restart dsh web and force-refresh the page.

If using pnpm ≥ 10, you may encounter an “Ignored build scripts” message during installation. In this case, add the plugin name to the configuration file:

onlyBuiltDependencies:
  - dsh-sidechat

Typical Usage

  1. Select text in the main conversation and click “Ask in side chat”; the text will appear in the sidebar input box.
  2. Adjust the model or permission settings in the side chat and perform independent analysis.
  3. After getting a satisfactory result, click “Insert directly” or “Summarize & insert” to insert the reply into the main editor.
  4. When the main agent encounters a question dialog, analyze the options in the side chat, then bring the answer back.

Applicable Scenarios and Cautions

This plugin is forked from heartmove/dsh-side-chat (MIT license). It creates and manages agent sessions through the /sidechat/api endpoint and inherits the configuration of the starting session.

Notes:
* onlyBuiltDependencies must be configured when using pnpm ≥ 10.
* You must restart the DSH Web service and force-refresh the page.
* The plugin currently seems unable to effectively read the main session content, so context must be imported by manually selecting text.

Brief Conclusion

dsh-sidechat provides a way to perform isolated agent testing in DSH. By inheriting context and bringing results back, it maintains workflow continuity. Plugin directory: SkillHub, source code: GitHub.