Troubleshooting
Fix common DeepSeek Harness errors: missing API keys, port conflicts, plugin resolution failures, and profile patch problems.
Fix: DeepSeek Harness API key not working or provider not found
Where dsh stores credentials, why apiKeyEnv is a variable name and not a key, why an exported variable is invisible to an already-running process, and how to verify a custom provider end to end.
Fix: “dsh: command not found” after installing @deepseek-ai/dsh
The global npm bin directory is not on your PATH, the install silently failed, or you installed into a Node version you are no longer using. How to tell which, and fix each.
Fix: EACCES permission denied installing @deepseek-ai/dsh globally
Why npm install -g fails with EACCES, why sudo makes it worse, and the two clean fixes — repointing the npm prefix to a directory you own, or using a Node version manager.
Fix: a dsh plugin installs but never loads
Why an installed Cordis plugin does not appear in your agent: resolution order, per-profile node_modules, a missing patch row, or a higher patch layer overriding it. Diagnose with --dump-config.
Fix: port 3080 already in use when running dsh web
The DeepSeek Harness web UI binds 127.0.0.1:3080. How to find what is holding the port, pass --port correctly (argument order matters), and make a different port stick.