Introduction

The plugin ecosystem of DeepSeek Harness (DSH) allows extending its desktop capabilities. esroamer/codex-dsh-collab is designed to address the pain points of collaboration between Codex and a local desktop environment. Through a reusable skill, it allows Codex to delegate tasks to a desktop-visible DeepSeek Harness agent, and supports tracking execution, reading results, and continuing work.

Plugin Positioning

  • Name: esroamer/codex-dsh-collab
  • Maintainer: ESROAMER
  • Category: Workflow
  • Core value: Extends Codex’s task processing capabilities to the desktop environment, providing scoped credential management and persistent session support.

Core Capabilities

This plugin primarily implements the following features:

  1. Task delegation and execution tracking: Codex can initiate tasks, the DSH agent executes them on the desktop, and the plugin tracks the execution flow.
  2. Workspace-aware collaboration: Supports workspace-based contextual collaboration; Codex can read execution results and continue subsequent work.
  3. Client-agnostic protocol: Uses an underlying loopback-authenticated HTTP protocol and does not depend on a specific client implementation.
  4. Security and session management: Provides scoped credentials, supporting persistent sessions and reusable skills.

Installation and Configuration

Installation requires configuring both the DSH plugin environment and the Codex client.

  1. Add the plugin in DSH:
    Open Settings → Plugins → Add plugin, and enter one of the following addresses:

    • https://github.com/ESROAMER/codex-dsh-collab
    • @esroamer/codex-dsh-collab
    • A local repository path

      Note: All-workspace configuration and registration require version 0.2.0 or later.

  2. Run the configuration script:
    In the repository root directory, run the PowerShell command to authorize the workspace:

    powershell -NoProfile -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\install.ps1 -ConfigureOnly

The system prompts you to select the workspace to authorize. This step installs the `$deepseek-harness` Codex skill and creates a local token for the selected workspace.
  1. Check the connection status:
    After installation is complete, run the following in the repository root directory:
    .\install.ps1 -Check
  1. Use it in Codex:
    After restarting DSH (if needed), invoke $deepseek-harness in Codex and describe the task and target workspace.

Advanced Configuration

To configure for all current and future workspaces and allow Codex to create new workspaces:

.\install.ps1 -ConfigureOnly -AllWorkspaces -AllowWorkspaceCreate

Note: Codex registers an existing directory only when no workspace with the corresponding path already exists in DSH; otherwise, it reuses the existing workspace and does not create a new directory.

Runtime Environment and Security

  • System requirements: Supports the Windows platform only. DSH Desktop and the Codex client must be installed.
  • Development environment: Setup and the Codex client require Node.js 22+ and Python 3.10+.
  • Permission scope: Plugin access covers the selected workspace or an explicitly authorized all-workspace scope.
  • Permission separation: Workspace creation permission is separate from DSH tool approval; DSH tool approval remains in effect after plugin installation.

Notes

  1. Session wake-up mechanism: Codex is the initiator of interactions. DSH does not proactively wake an idle Codex session.
  2. Desktop installation patch: The bridge installer does not automatically patch the Windows shell launch configuration for desktop installations. If you encounter related launch issues, refer to the documentation and handle them manually.
  3. License: This project uses the MIT License.

Conclusion

This plugin provides a standardized entry point for collaborative work between Codex and a local DSH. Through scoped credentials and persistent session mechanisms, developers can enable agents to continuously perform complex tasks in the desktop environment without compromising security isolation.