When debugging or developing with DeepSeek Harness (DSH), the default Web UI conversation column width is fixed at 748px (--dsh-chat-content-width). If a conversation contains long text, tables, or complex code blocks generated by large models, the narrow width can cause layout compression. If you do not want to modify DSH source code, you can widen it by overriding this CSS variable through a plugin.

What It Is

dsh-chat-widener is a lightweight plugin maintained by garrisonz. It overrides the conversation content width variable in the DSH Web UI by injecting pure CSS. By default, the plugin sets the width to 1200px, supports customization through a configuration file, and remains effective after DSH upgrades.

Core Features

  • Overrides CSS variable: directly modifies the --dsh-chat-content-width variable.
  • Adjusts width: widens the conversation content area, and messages, tables, and the input box become wider accordingly.
  • Configurable: defaults to 1200px and supports customization through a configuration file.
  • Pure CSS injection: no host logic, no patching of vendor files.
  • Upgrade-compatible: does not rely on host logic and remains available after DSH upgrades.

Install and Enable

Run the following command in the terminal to install the plugin. This command installs dsh-chat-widener from npm.

dsh plugin --profile web add dsh-chat-widener

After installation, restart the dsh web process to apply the changes.

Typical Usage

Edit the DSH configuration file ~/.dsh/profiles/web/cordis.patch.yml, and add a custom width to the plugin entry.

- id: chat-width
  name: 'dsh-chat-widener'
  config:
    width: 1400

Save the file and restart the service. The conversation content area will become 1400px.

Use Cases and Notes

  • Use cases: developers who need a wider layout for viewing complex tables or long code blocks.
  • Runtime permissions: the plugin runs with the permissions of the current DSH process.
  • Boundary handling: the plugin applies a range limit to the input width value ([748, 2400]). Values outside this range automatically fall back to the default value of 1200.
  • Functional scope: this plugin only handles width adjustment; it does not include buttons, persistent storage, or other UI elements.
  • Security recommendation: before installing, review the source code and license (MIT) to ensure it fits your usage environment.

Short Conclusion

dsh-chat-widener provides a way to adjust UI layout without modifying host code. If you need a wider conversation display area, you can enable it quickly using the steps above. For more details and source code, see the GitHub repository.