Introduction

The design philosophy of DeepSeek Harness (DSH) is “everything is a plugin.” A common development scenario is establishing a connection between local coding and remote server management. The dsh-ssh-files-sidebar plugin provides DSH with a complete Remote SSH workspace, integrating file management, terminal operations, remote editing, and zero-to-one deployment closed-loop capabilities.

Core Features

This plugin is maintained by qigelunbiya and belongs to the “Workflow” category. It is a Remote SSH workspace & deployment Agent, supporting SSH Files, Terminal, remote editing, and automated deployment and rollback based on DEPLOYMENT.md.

  1. Remote SSH Workspace
    The plugin internally integrates the file sidebar, terminal, and remote editing features. SSH hosts and credentials are maintained in a single source of truth, stored in ~/.dsh/dsh-ssh.json. One Conversation is bound to only one SSH target, preventing the Agent from enumerating or switching hosts.

  2. SSH Files / SFTP / Terminal
    It supports remote directory tree browsing, editing (based on CodeMirror), uploading and downloading, multi-selection, archive browsing (TAR/TGZ/ZIP, etc.), image preview (PNG/JPG/GIF, etc.), and remote Terminal operations.

  3. Local Source Code + Linked SSH
    The recommended daily development mode is: write code in the local Workspace, bind the session to a unique SSH target, and use it for starting services, viewing logs, and checking ports.

  4. Remote Vision / OCR
    The Agent can directly read images on the current SSH session for visual analysis or invoke system OCR, without first copying screenshots to the local Workspace.

  5. Zero-to-One Bootstrap
    For unfamiliar projects, the plugin does not blindly generate DEPLOYMENT.md. It first performs read-only checks on the local project (tech stack, runtime, entry point) and the remote server (OS, architecture, permissions, ports), generates a Bootstrap Plan, and verifies it step by step. Only after it becomes truly stable for the first time are the actual successful steps solidified into DEPLOYMENT.md.

  6. Runbook and Automation Boundaries
    The plugin solidifies the deployment process into DEPLOYMENT.md. Before generating scripts, it confirms actual usage habits with the user using markers such as AUTOMATE / KEEP MANUAL. The final scripts automate only the parts the user truly wants to delegate to the machine.

  7. Agent-Autonomous Release and Closed Loop
    After validation, the Agent’s role evolves from “providing commands” to “executing releases.” It can autonomously run validated automations, self-check processes/ports/logs, summarize the change set, and perform diagnosis, fixes, or rollback after user acceptance.

Installation and Enablement

It is recommended to use the pre-built GitHub Release package, without building it yourself.

dsh plugin --profile web add https://github.com/qigelunbiya/dsh-ssh-files-sidebar/releases/latest/download/dsh-ssh-files-sidebar.tgz

After installation, start the Web Profile:

dsh web

Typical Usage

  1. Connection and File Operations: Connect to a Linux server, and browse, edit, upload, or download remote files through the sidebar.
  2. Local Development + Remote Services: Write code in the local Workspace, and use Linked SSH to start services, view logs, or check ports on the server.
  3. Unfamiliar Project Deployment: Take over a project that only has source code and a target server. The Agent can analyze the environment through Zero-to-One Bootstrap, attempt deployment, and generate a Runbook.
  4. Process Solidification: Write the working deployment steps into DEPLOYMENT.md and convert them into automation scripts after user confirmation.

Notes

  • Session Locking: One Conversation operates on only one SSH target.
  • Permission Control: High-risk actions still go through Harness’s native approval process. During Zero-to-One Bootstrap for unfamiliar projects, it will not modify the global Runtime, firewall, reverse proxy, or database by default just to “make it run.”
  • Rollback Strategy: Unless the user has explicitly approved automatic rollback conditions, production anomalies will not trigger silent automatic rollback.

Summary

By integrating the SSH workspace with a deployment Agent, this plugin helps developers move from manual operations to automated closed-loop workflows. For more information or source code, visit its GitHub repository.