Preface¶

In the DSH plugin ecosystem, models can invoke local tools or load Agent Skills. For local video projects, the risk often lies not in “whether an edit instruction can be generated,” but in whether the instruction, once applied to files, can be checked, rolled back, and confined to a specific directory. The dsh-timeline-studio-plugin described below provides this kind of bridging: it connects DeepSeek Harness with Timeline Studio’s deterministic .timeline command layer and bundles the edit-timeline-studio Agent Skill.

What This Is¶

dsh-timeline-studio-plugin is maintained by MartinDelophy and is licensed under MIT.

It is not a new video editing interface. Instead, it allows DeepSeek Harness to inspect .timeline projects, preview modifications, apply modifications, and output MP4s directly within a conversation. It relies on Timeline Studio’s .timeline commands and rendering capabilities rather than replacing the editor runtime.

Core Features¶

• Connects DeepSeek Harness with Timeline Studio’s deterministic .timeline command layer.
• Bundles the edit-timeline-studio Agent Skill.
• Provides seven model-facing tools covering project, track, clip, and transcript inspection, semantic diff, transactional apply, and verified MP4 rendering.
• Reduces the risk of project changes through revision checks and idempotent operation IDs.
• Establishes filesystem boundaries via allowedRoots, with symlink-escape protection for both inputs and outputs.
• Harness cancellation is propagated to the Timeline Studio subprocess.

Installation and Enablement¶

First, ensure the environment meets the following requirements:

• DeepSeek Harness 0.1.0-rc.6 Developer Preview
• Node.js 22.20+ or 24+
• A local Timeline Studio checkout
• FFmpeg/ffprobe

Install the plugin:

dsh plugin --profile web add "github:MartinDelophy/dsh-timeline-studio-plugin#main"

This command installs the repository as a bundle into the web profile.

When enabling, you need to set TIMELINE_STUDIO_ROOT to point to your local Timeline Studio checkout. When TIMELINE_STUDIO_ROOT is not set, the bundle remains disabled, so an unconfigured installation will not break existing Harness profiles. After setting it, restart DSH according to your current startup method.

Typical Usage¶

1. Add a local folder containing .timeline projects to the Harness workspace, then describe the desired changes in chat.

2. Start with read-only inspections, for example:

Check the Timeline Studio projects in the current workspace and tell me their durations, aspect ratios, tracks, and media. Do not modify any files yet.

3. Then make previewable changes, for example:

Change the project to 9:16. Give me an edit preview first; if valid, save it as a new project and render an MP4. Do not overwrite the source file.

4. The agent workflow is typically: load edit-timeline-studio, inspect the project, write a versioned edit plan under the allowed root, and call diff; only call apply after diff succeeds, then inspect the output project and optionally render.

Use Cases¶

• Suitable for DSH users who already have a local Timeline Studio checkout and want to place .timeline modifications within an inspectable tool workflow.
• Suitable for local workflows that require project inspection, edit preview, applying modifications, and MP4 output directly within Harness conversations.

Notes¶

• allowedRoots is a mandatory security boundary, not a prompt suggestion. Every project, plan, imported asset, and output must resolve within the allowed directories.
• The plugin accesses local files and executes media operations with the permissions of the current dsh process. Review the source code and the MIT license before installation, and only place trusted projects inside the allowed directories.
• DeepSeek Harness is still a Developer Preview and may introduce breaking changes.
• Browser-only WebGPU generation and rich browser rendering remain in the Timeline Studio editor; operations not supported by the plugin are reported as tool errors.
• Responsible use: only use facial and identity media that you own or are explicitly authorized to use; do not create illegal, infringing, fake, misleading, or identity-abusing content; users are responsible for their own actions and consequences.

Conclusion¶

The value of dsh-timeline-studio-plugin lies in consolidating Timeline Studio’s local editing capabilities into a tool workflow within DSH that is inspectable and confined to directory boundaries.

You can search for MartinDelophy/dsh-timeline-studio-plugin in the plugin directory; the GitHub repository address is:

• https://github.com/MartinDelophy/dsh-timeline-studio-plugin