# DeepSeek Harness and the Whale preset

[完整中文指南](deepseek-harness.zh-CN.md) · [Cordis overlay](../examples/deepseek-harness.cordis.yml)

This integration targets [deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness](https://github.com/deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness) and the community [linsport/dsh-whale-persona](https://github.com/linsport/dsh-whale-persona) preset (`whale`). These are independent projects; no affiliation is implied, and upstream persona text/art is not redistributed here.

1. Clone this repository and run `uv sync --frozen`. Choose an absolute private data directory outside the checkout. Initialize it with `uv run memlikehuman --data-dir /PRIVATE/DATA --persona whale init`.
2. Set an original bridge persona with `uv run memlikehuman --data-dir /PRIVATE/DATA --persona whale persona --file examples/whale-memory-persona.json`. This short profile complements the host's persona; it does not include the complete upstream Whale character. For full portability, locally store a persona you have permission to use.
3. Copy `examples/deepseek-harness.cordis.yml` and replace the executable and data paths. Windows executables live in `.venv/Scripts/memlikehuman.exe`; macOS/Linux use `.venv/bin/memlikehuman`. Commands are spawned directly, so do not use shell variables or `~` in paths.
4. Try `dsh web --patch /ABSOLUTE/PATH/your-overlay.yml` (or `npx @deepseek-ai/dsh web --patch ...`). For persistent use, back up and merge its single `insert` block into `~/.dsh/profiles/web/cordis.patch.yml` or the `desktop` equivalent. Respect a custom `DSH_HOME`. Keep existing Whale preset patches intact.
5. Restart, create an empty session, and select the Whale preset. Add the [host instructions](../examples/whale-host-instructions.txt) to your existing persona or first session message. DSH does not currently support MCP prompt templates. Server instructions alone do not guarantee the model will call memory tools.
6. Verify that `mcp__memlikehuman__session_resume` and the six other tools appear. Always send `persona_id="whale"` and a stable `project_id`, such as `companionship`. The overlay registers at host scope; the preset name does not automatically select a memory partition. CLI persona flags do not change tool defaults.

No API is required for raw persistence, lexical recall, original reading or checkpoints. Optional extraction is configured separately from DSH's chat model, through MemLikeHuman's `config --file`. DSH scrubs ambient credential variables; the overlay explicitly forwards `MEMLIKEHUMAN_API_KEY` without storing the secret in YAML. GUI applications may not inherit a terminal's environment. Restart after changing provider configuration.

Validate with a synthetic unique phrase in session A: ask the model to record it and inspect the actual successful tool call. Open a fresh session B in the same scope and ask it to recall that phrase, without copying A's conversation. Repeat with another tool-capable model. Pending extraction still permits raw-event search. For task handoff, submit a checkpoint referencing a recorded event from the same session, then inspect `session_resume` in B.

The Whale project may also use `dsh-mnemon`; its memory spaces are a separate system. Assign responsibilities explicitly to avoid duplicate writes and injection. This service does not migrate or delete mnemon data. Old episodes can return gists, while `memory_read` retrieves original evidence. Photo cues are supplied identifiers/labels, not image recognition.

Configuration fields, names, environment handling and overlay format were checked against the upstream [MCP client reference](https://github.com/deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness/blob/master/packages/mcp/mcp-client/README.md), [source schema](https://github.com/deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness/blob/master/packages/mcp/mcp-client/src/index.ts), and [memory integration guide](https://github.com/deepseek-ai/deepseek-harness/blob/master/docs/user/guide/mcp-memory.md) on 2026-10-27. Local tests exercise a real Python SDK stdio client/server. **Live Harness UI, Whale preset behavior and paid chat-model calls have not been tested.**

## Automatic host capture

The optional [host adapter guide](host-capture.zh-CN.md) and [profile patch](../examples/deepseek-harness-auto.cordis.yml) provide visible-text capture and awaited pre-compaction handoff for Harness 0.2.1-rc.3. Keep the MCP connection for retrieval and session resume.