Introduction¶
When using the DeepSeek Harness desktop application on Windows daily, a common approach is to manually place a shortcut in the “Startup” folder or write the path in the Registry Run key. Once the path changes due to reinstallation or upgrade, the entry becomes invalid; also, if a startup item was disabled in Task Manager, the status might not be consistent with the Settings page.
Below is an introduction to the community plugin dsh-desktop-autostart-win (maintainer: nanwu98, category: Client). It adds a page called Startup / Auto-start in DSH Settings, uses a switch to manage the startup item for the current user, and automatically detects the installed desktop .exe without redundantly saving the path in the plugin configuration.
What is this¶
Plugin full name: dsh-desktop-autostart-win. Its scope is DeepSeek Harness desktop app auto-starting after login on Windows 10/11: a switch in Settings corresponding to a per-user record in HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run; the status displayed on the page takes precedence over Windows’ actual execution behavior.
Distributed on GitHub, with no npm package. License MIT. Current package version is 1.0.0. DSH side requires >=0.2.2-rc.1 and <0.3.0, and the bundle only supports win32 (non-Windows installations will be rejected rather than showing an invalid switch).
Core Features¶
Settings Page and Switch Behavior¶
After installation, you can operate in Settings → Startup:
| Switch | Effect |
|---|---|
| On | Writes DeepSeek Harness = "<desktop app>.exe" in HKCU\...\Run and clears previous “Disabled” records in Task Manager, causing Windows to launch the app after user login. |
| Off | Deletes the registry value, and the app will no longer start automatically. |
The startup status is not redundantly saved in the plugin configuration; the only persistent state is the aforementioned Run entry, so the page reflects the system’s actual behavior.
Automatic Desktop Executable Discovery¶
Installation paths are not hardcoded. It attempts in order and stops at the first existing executable:
| Source | Content Read |
|---|---|
| Running Desktop App | When the Host is the desktop app, use process.execPath |
| App Paths | App Paths\DeepSeek Harness.exe under HKCU/HKLM (including 64/32-bit views) |
| Installation Directory | %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs, %ProgramFiles%, %ProgramFiles(x86)%, and common product folder names |
| Uninstall Registry | DisplayIcon, InstallLocation, UninstallString in HKCU/HKLM uninstall entries |
Only real .exe files are accepted; node.exe, electron.exe, and uninstallers will be rejected. The settings page will display the matched source; if not found, it will retry the next time the page is opened (result cached for one minute). Therefore, the switch remains usable in a pure dsh CLI session: although the CLI is node.exe, it can still resolve the desktop app path from the registry, etc.
Relationship with Task Manager Startup Items¶
Whether Windows runs a startup item is influenced by both the Run key and the Task Manager “Startup” approval record. The plugin writes to the Run key and clears the corresponding StartupApproved record when the switch is toggled, allowing items previously disabled in Task Manager → Startup to be restored after the switch is turned back on. If the item still exists but is disabled, the page will accurately indicate this rather than showing it as enabled.
No administrator privileges are required: read/write operations are all within the current user’s HKCU, and machine-level configuration is not written.
Permissions and Privacy¶
Read: Used for locating the application and displaying status—Run, Explorer\StartupApproved\Run, App Paths, and uninstall-related fields (display name, icon, installation directory, uninstall command, etc.).
Write: Only when using the switch—adding or removing the DeepSeek Harness value under Run, and deleting the matching StartupApproved entry when enabled.
The plugin does not make network requests, write files, or collect telemetry. Detected paths and registry states are only returned to the local settings page (the router rejects non-loopback access and is read-only except for the boolean switch).
Installation and Enabling¶
Environment: DSH 0.2.2-rc.1 or newer 0.2.x, Windows 10/11, Node.js 22+ (bundled with DSH). Replace desktop with your actual profile name in the commands below.
Install from GitHub (Git is required locally; DSH will use git ls-remote to validate the repository):
dsh plugin --profile desktop add github:nanwu98/dsh-desktop-autostart-win
Pin to release v1.0.0:
dsh plugin --profile desktop add github:nanwu98/dsh-desktop-autostart-win#v1.0.0
When Git is not available, use the release tarball:
dsh plugin --profile desktop add https://github.com/nanwu98/dsh-desktop-autostart-win/releases/download/v1.0.0/dsh-desktop-autostart-win-1.0.0.tgz
You can also paste the repository URL or tarball URL in DSH Plugins → Add Plugin (only package names are valid for registry packages). If the page prompts to restart DSH, open Settings → Startup after restarting.
You can add an index source in Plugins → Discover so that Discover can find this package (requires the experimental plugin-market bundle on the current DSH version), for example jsDelivr:
https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/gh/nanwu98/dsh-desktop-autostart-win@main/index.json
Typical Usage¶
- Install the plugin using any method from the previous section.
- Open Settings → Startup and confirm that the desktop app path shown on the page matches the expected matched source.
- Turn on the switch: DeepSeek Harness desktop app should automatically start after the next Windows user login.
- When no longer needing auto-start, turn off the switch; if planning to remove the plugin, it is recommended to turn off the switch first before uninstalling the bundle (see next section).
Uninstall the bundle:
dsh plugin --profile desktop remove dsh-desktop-autostart-win
Removing the plugin will delete the routes and settings page, but will not automatically clear the written Run startup entry; if you need to completely cancel auto-start, you should turn off the switch first or manually clean up the Run entry.
Applicability and Notes¶
Who it is for: Windows users who use the DeepSeek Harness desktop app regularly, want it to start upon login, and want the path to update automatically based on installation method.
Platform: Windows only; Linux/macOS users should not install this bundle.
DSH and Plugin Permissions: The plugin runs with the current DSH process, and registry operations are executed within that user context; it is recommended to read the source code and MIT license on the GitHub repository before installing to confirm the behavior aligns with local policies.
Difference from other approaches: This plugin manages the per-user Run key, not the “Startup” folder; it has no affiliation with other plugins with the same name, and the README is the source of truth for selection.
The DeepSeek Harness ecosystem emphasizes “everything is a plugin”; the community directory SkillHub Plugin Page is an independent site and has no official affiliation with DeepSeek or Hyperbolic.
Conclusion¶
dsh-desktop-autostart-win simplifies Windows login auto-start to a settings switch, a HKCU\Run record, and a set of explainable desktop app detection logic, distinguishing Task Manager disabled states, making it suitable for desktop DSH scenarios requiring stable, verifiable boot behavior.
- Directory page: https://www.skillhub.cn/plugins/nanwu98/dsh-desktop-autostart-win
- Source code and documentation: https://github.com/nanwu98/dsh-desktop-autostart-win
