Preface¶

The DSH web interface already offers native chat, but capabilities such as files, terminal, browser, documents, and knowledge base can be limiting for synchronized collaboration if they are scattered across different entry points. dsh-macos-desktop is a client plugin designed for DSH Web profiles, maintained by Taylor-Cat. It leverages DSH’s official shell.overlay slot to superimpose a macOS-style desktop on top of the official DSH chat, while retaining the native chat on the right side. Removing the plugin restores the official interface.

What This Is¶

dsh-macos-desktop aims to transform the DSH web interface into a macOS-style desktop while preserving the official native chat, and to provide desktop capabilities such as files, terminal, browser, documents, knowledge base, and AI image viewing and generation.

It is declared as a pure front-end, pure JavaScript implementation with no native modules, no build steps, and is compatible with Windows, macOS, and Linux. It is licensed under MIT.

Core Features¶

Desktop and Official Chat¶

• Overlays the interface on top of the official DSH chat, retaining and theming the native chat on the right side.
• Provides a macOS-style desktop: multiple windows, Dock, menu bar, Spotlight search, mini calendar, weather, and dark mode.
• Mounted via DSH’s official shell.overlay slot; removing it restores the official interface.

Files, Terminal, and Browser¶

• File management: isolated desktop/ directory, recycle bin, sticky notes, drag-and-drop upload.
• Terminal: Windows PowerShell/cmd and POSIX PTY.
• Multi-tab browser.

Documents, Knowledge Base, and Tools¶

• Document office suite: docx, pdf, pptx, and rich text.
• Knowledge base.
• Calculator, Pomodoro timer.

AI Capabilities¶

• AI image viewing: depends on modlens.
• Automatic screenshot analysis sent to AI.
• @knowledge base references.
• AI image generation: uses DashScope Tongyi Wanxiang.

Installation and Activation¶

Prerequisites¶

• Node.js ≥22.19.0
• npm ≥9
• peerDependencies requires @deepseek-ai/cordis ^4.0.1
• dsh plugin forwards to pnpm

Installation¶

Local link installation is suitable for linked debugging:

dsh plugin --profile web add link:../dsh-macos-desktop

The GitHub installation form provided in the verified sources is as follows:

dsh plugin --profile web add github:your-username/dsh-macos-desktop

Here, “your-username” is a placeholder. The verified sources do not include a directly usable Taylor-Cat/dsh-macos-desktop installation command; the command in the README is also used “after publishing to GitHub.”

After installation, you can view the plugin list:

dsh plugin --profile web list

Update and uninstall:

dsh plugin --profile web update dsh-macos-desktop
dsh plugin --profile web remove dsh-macos-desktop

Startup and Verification¶

Start the web interface:

dsh web

Open http://127.0.0.1:3080, and hard refresh with Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+R.

To start on a different port:

dsh web --port 8080

Confirm the plugin enters the configuration tree:

dsh --profile web --dump-config

The repository also includes two self-check commands:

node verify-structure.cjs .
node smoke-host.cjs

Typical Usage¶

Enabling AI Image Generation¶

AI image generation uses DashScope Tongyi Wanxiang and relies on the optional DASHSCOPE_API_KEY. You can configure an environment variable or use a secret file, for example:

$DSH_HOME\secrets\dashscope.key

The key is used for AI image generation and is not accessible to AI chat sessions.

Enabling AI Image Viewing¶

AI image viewing depends on the modlens CLI:

npm i -g @liustack/modlens

Check the modlens engine configuration:

npx @liustack/modlens doctor

If modlens is not installed, relevant features will display a prompt.

Using Native Chat¶

The official DSH chat capability is retained on the right side. DSH 0.1.x does not have a DSH_MODEL environment variable; the default model is set in settings, and the session model is selected in the interface.

Applicable Scenarios and Notes¶

• Suitable for users who want to consolidate files, terminal, browser, documents, and knowledge base into a single web desktop without replacing the official DSH chat.
• The plugin reuses DSH’s model and credential system; the plugin itself does not have its own keys.
• Files, terminal, and documents only operate within the authorized workspace.
• DASHSCOPE_API_KEY is optional and used for AI image generation.
• file: installation copies rather than links, so code changes won’t take effect; link: installation creates a symbolic link.
• The plugin ID must match the package name and the client bundle ID.
• The plugin runs with the current DSH process and reuses DSH’s model, credentials, and workspace authorization scope; review the source code and license before installation.

References¶

GitHub:

https://github.com/Taylor-Cat/dsh-macos-desktop

Directory page: The verified sources do not include a confirmable URL.