dsh-multitask: DeepSeek Harness Multi-Task "Shock Absorber" Mode

Introduction¶

DeepSeek Harness (DSH) adopts a plugin-based architecture, allowing developers to extend its core capabilities. When handling complex tasks, the main conversation can easily be overwhelmed by process data from frequent file reads, command executions, or web searches, leading to context bloat or attention drift. The dsh-multitask plugin aims to solve this problem by introducing a “shock absorber” mode that turns the main conversation into a coordinator and delegates concrete execution work to subagents.

Core Features¶

The plugin uses strict context isolation to distinguish the responsibilities of the main conversation (coordinator) and subagents (executors).

1. Coordinator (Main Conversation) Responsibilities¶

After startup, the main conversation retains only a limited toolset:

• Read-only inspection: read, grep, glob, file_info
• Task delegation: subagent, subagent_fork, subagent_ptc, subagent_minimal
• Agent control: send_message, interrupt_agent, list_agents
• Result retrieval: job_list, job_output, job_kill
• Workflow orchestration: workflow
• Interaction and self-management: ask_user_question, todo_write, create_goal, etc.

The coordinator’s core work is to understand requirements, generate task briefs, verify results, and compile a summary report. It cannot directly write files or run commands, which prevents the context from being polluted by process data.

2. Subagent (Executor) Responsibilities¶

Subagents have a full toolset and are responsible for handling all process data, including file contents, command outputs, build logs, search results, and so on. They return only final conclusions and do not send intermediate data back to the main conversation.

3. Four Subagent Types¶

The coordinator can choose from four different subagent types depending on task requirements:

Installation and Activation¶

Install from a Release Package¶

During installation, the --profile option must be specified. This option corresponds to the DSH configuration profile name (such as desktop or web).

dsh plugin --profile <profile> add dsh-multitask

After installation, DSH automatically adds the plugin to the configured dsh.profile.bundles list and loads it at startup.

Install from Source¶

To run directly from source for debugging:

1. Add the following configuration to cordis.patch.yml, using an absolute path:

- insert:
    - id: multitask
      name: 'file:///absolute/path/to/dsh-multitask/lib/index.js?v=6'

2. Spaces and % in the path must be URL-encoded (for example, in PowerShell, New-Object System.Uri can be used).
3. Note: ?v=N is a cache key and is only effective in file:// mode.

Note: When installing from source, if using the desktop app, completely quit the app before proceeding; otherwise, file locking may cause the installation to fail.

Typical Usage¶

1. Create a session: When creating a new session, select Multitask Shock Absorber Mode in the mode selector.
2. Submit your request: State your request directly.
3. Task distribution: The coordinator breaks the request into independent task briefs.
4. Parallel execution: The briefs are dispatched in parallel to subagents for execution, while the coordinator continues to monitor or handle other logic until all subagents complete.

Configuration¶

After installation, the corresponding configuration items appear on DSH’s settings page.

Multitask Page¶

• Model selection: multitask.subagentModels[] — Specify default models for the four subagent types. You can choose “Use the coordinator model uniformly” or “Specify separately”.
• Parallel limit: subagent.maxActiveSubagents — Limits the maximum number of subagents running at the same time.

General Page¶

• Recursion depth: subagent.maxDepth — Sets the maximum depth for recursive subagent calls (applies globally).
• Parallel limit: subagent.maxActiveSubagents — Shared with the Multitask page.

Important Notes¶

1. Mode selection timing: This mode must be selected before the session starts. Once the session starts, the toolset and prompts are frozen and cannot be changed mid-session.
2. Hierarchy limit: Delegation is one-way and one level deep (coordinator → subagent); subagents cannot delegate further to other subagents.
3. Tool whitelist: The coordinator’s toolset is whitelist-based; any tool not listed (such as write, edit, pwsh, web_search) is hidden by default.

Summary¶

dsh-multitask separates planning from execution and uses subagents to handle noisy data, preserving high-value information for the main conversation. This is especially useful in development scenarios that require processing multiple files simultaneously, building projects, or performing complex searches. The plugin has zero dependencies, does not modify DSH source code, and can be safely integrated into the existing plugin ecosystem.

• GitHub Repository
• Community Directory