DeepSeek Harness Desktop Community desktop packaging

Troubleshooting DeepSeek Harness Desktop

Use this guide when installation is blocked, the app restarts unexpectedly, or you need to report a problem.

Windows SmartScreen warning

The preview builds are unsigned. Verify the SHA-256 checksum, then choose More info → Run anyway in the SmartScreen dialog.

macOS Gatekeeper warning

Right-click the app and choose Open, then confirm Open. If macOS still blocks it, check the downloaded file's checksum and try again.

Crash or repeated restarts

The sidecar supervises the Harness process tree. It restarts the Harness after roughly 40 seconds without a heartbeat. Repeated restarts usually mean the Harness event loop is blocked by a long-running task.

Collecting diagnostics

Open the bootstrap window and use the diagnostics button to copy a JSON snapshot. Include that snapshot when opening an issue — it contains status, versions and the exact data path.

Known limitations

The current release has no code signing, notarization or automatic updates. Plugin installation through the bundled pnpm runtime is not wired yet. Only Windows x64 and macOS Apple Silicon packages are distributed.

Troubleshoot DeepSeek Harness Desktop

  1. Identify the symptom: install warning, crash, restart, or missing feature.
  2. Apply the matching fix in this guide.
  3. If the problem persists, copy the in-app diagnostics.
  4. Open a GitHub issue and attach the diagnostics JSON.