Preface

DeepSeek Harness (DSH) relies on plugins to extend its capabilities, but its native functionality lacks a way to capture the current window and inject its context through a global hotkey. This often forces developers to take manual screenshots, switch windows, and copy-paste, adding friction to the workflow.

dsh-plugin-appshot is a plugin designed for this purpose. It provides global hotkey screenshots on macOS and Windows, captures the current window using native capabilities, and automatically attaches it as image context in DSH’s Composer. This enables a zero-friction handoff from “triggering a screenshot” to “the Agent receiving context.”

Installation and Enabling

Run the following command in a terminal to install the plugin:

dsh plugin --profile web add dsh-plugin-appshot

After installation, restart DSH. The startup log shows [dsh-plugin-appshot] plugin applied successfully and native agent ready, indicating successful loading.

macOS permission setup: When a screenshot is triggered for the first time, the system displays an authorization prompt. You must grant “Screen Recording” and “Accessibility” permissions for the plugin to work correctly.

Core Features

General Capabilities

  • Single-window precise screenshot: Captures only the current foreground window, excluding other windows, desktop, menu bar, and Dock.
  • Composer draft attachment: The screenshot automatically enters the input draft area of the current session. Consecutive triggers can append multiple screenshots.
  • No residue: Temporary Staging files are managed under a single-owner rule and are automatically deleted after successful attachment or failed cleanup, leaving no file residue.

macOS Platform

  • Hotkey: Uses left and right Command (⌘+⌘) by default. You can switch to double-tap Command and other modes in the settings panel.
  • Technical implementation: Based on the system’s ScreenCaptureKit, supports Retina high resolution, and automatically filters transparent layers, shadows, and Tooltips.
  • Capture first, then activate: Strictly follows the flow of “take the screenshot first, then launch DSH.” After the screenshot is saved, the Native Agent wakes up and brings the DSH window to the front, preventing accidental capture of DSH itself.
  • Permission feedback: When permissions are missing, it displays a system authorization prompt and notifies the reason for failure via system notifications.

Windows Platform

  • Hotkey: Uses left and right Ctrl (Ctrl+Ctrl) by default. You can customize the modifier key combination in the DSH settings panel, and the configuration persists across restarts.
  • Silent delivery: The screenshot process does not activate or focus the DSH window. The image is silently attached to the Composer through Node memory and HTTP long polling, without interrupting the current workflow.
  • Two-stage screenshot: Uses a “bring-to-front + fallback” strategy. It first backs up the window content; if bringing the window to the front fails, it falls back to the backup to ensure the captured content matches what the user sees.
  • Non-intrusive feedback: Provides a shutter sound, border flash, and thumbnail fly-in animation (can be disabled in settings). All failure prompts are lightweight overlays that do not steal focus.

Usage

  1. Trigger a screenshot: Press the global hotkey in any application.
    • macOS: Press left ⌘ and right ⌘ simultaneously.
    • Windows: Press left Ctrl and right Ctrl simultaneously.
  2. View the result:
    • macOS: After the screenshot completes, the DSH window automatically launches and becomes focused.
    • Windows: The screenshot silently enters the input box of the current session, while DSH remains in its original state.
  3. Submit: Enter a description in the Composer (e.g., “analyze this error”) and click send. The screenshot is submitted along with the text.

Limitations and Notes

  • Platform requirement: Only macOS 14+ (Apple Silicon / arm64) and Windows 10 19041+ (x64) are supported. WebUI is not currently supported (browser sandboxes cannot access global hotkeys).
  • Missing features: Region selection, full-screen screenshot, image annotation, OCR, and history gallery management are not included.
  • Dependency constraints: Depends on @deepseek-ai/cordis (^4.0.1) and @deepseek-ai/dsh-tools (exact 0.1.0-rc.6). On Windows, peer dependencies may fail to install due to permission issues. We recommend installing with developer mode enabled.

Summary

dsh-plugin-appshot seamlessly integrates screenshot capability into the DSH workflow through global hotkeys. Whether it is macOS’s automatic activation or Windows’s silent attachment, it aims to reduce the steps for context preparation, allowing the Agent to obtain visual information from the current window more directly.

  • Project homepage: https://github.com/TaurusWood/dsh-plugin-appshot
  • Directory page: https://www.skillhub.cn/plugins/TaurusWood/dsh-plugin-appshot