DeepSeek Harness computer use is an official experimental feature that lets the agent take screenshots, read app interfaces, click, scroll and type inside real apps on your Mac. It arrived in the September releases, runs through Cua Driver, and sits in the Experimental plugins section, switched off until you turn it on. In the video below I walk through the DeepSeek Harness desktop app and its plugin system. Here’s what computer use does, how to set it up step by step, what PTC mode means, and what Windows users can do today.
Key takeaways
- Computer use is built into DeepSeek Harness as an experimental plugin, off by default.
- It works on macOS 14+ and runs in PTC sessions; Windows support is in development.
- Two providers: Cua Driver MCP or the Cua Driver native runtime.
- Run it on a spare machine or VM. Claim a free strategy session to plan your agent setup.
What DeepSeek Harness computer use does
DeepSeek added experimental computer use in releases v0.1.6-alpha.1 (15 September 2026) and v0.1.7-rc.1 (23 September). The release notes describe it as “experimental Computer Use through Cua Driver MCP or the native driver for local computer interaction and screenshots.”
In practice, once it’s on, the agent can:
- take screenshots of an app window
- read the app’s accessibility tree — the list of buttons, menus and text fields macOS exposes
- click, hover, scroll and drag
- type and paste text
The first time the agent wants to use an app, DeepSeek Harness asks you for consent. You can allow it for the session, deny it, or save the decision, and you can revoke access later on the same permission page.
Requirements
| What you need | Details |
|---|---|
| A Mac | macOS 14 or later; computer use needs a macOS DSH Host |
| DeepSeek Harness from source | The current workflow targets macOS Web or the unpackaged Desktop app run from source; a packaged Desktop helper is still to come |
| Permissions | Accessibility and Screen Recording in macOS System Settings |
| A PTC session | Computer use is only installed in PTC sessions |
A browser on another computer can connect to a Mac running DeepSeek Harness, so the Mac does the work while you watch from elsewhere.
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How to turn on DeepSeek Harness computer use, step by step
- 1. Run DeepSeek Harness from source on your Mac. From the repository root, build and start the Web app:
pnpm run build
pnpm dsh web- 2. Open Plugins, select More beside Experimental plugins, then open Computer Use and turn the switch on.
- 3. Grant permissions. The permission page shows which app macOS treats as responsible. Turn on Accessibility and Screen Recording for that app in System Settings.
- 4. Use a PTC session. On the Computer Use detail page, click Set to PTC to make PTC the default for new sessions. Existing sessions keep the preset they already had.
- 5. Give it a small task, such as opening an app and reading what’s on screen, and approve the app when it asks.
The switch is saved per profile, so turn it on in each profile that needs it. Switching it off unloads the provider and removes the computer use tools; your saved settings and app decisions stay. If setup fails, read the Host startup message, fix the cause and restart DeepSeek Harness.
Cua Driver MCP vs the native provider
DeepSeek Harness drives your Mac through one of two providers, and only one can be active at a time:
| Provider | How it works | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Cua Driver MCP | Talks to an installed cua-driver over MCP; its tools show up under the cua-driver MCP name | You install cua-driver and handle its permissions yourself |
| Cua Driver native | Uses the bundled native runtime; no separate install | A native crash can take the whole DeepSeek Harness host down with it |
If you already use cua-driver elsewhere, the MCP route keeps things tidy. If you want fewer moving parts, the native route is simpler, as long as you accept the crash risk.
PTC mode, explained simply
DeepSeek Harness has different session modes, including Standard, Creator and PTC. In a PTC session the agent works by writing and running small pieces of code against a generated toolkit, instead of calling tools one at a time. Computer use plugs into that toolkit as cua, so the agent can chain several screen actions in one go.
That’s why the feature only appears in PTC sessions: other modes get no computer use tools at all. The detail page also has a Use persistent mode option, which keeps state in memory between PTC calls.
Browser Use: the companion feature
The same September releases added experimental Browser Use through Playwright MCP, Chrome DevTools MCP and Stagehand. If your task lives entirely in a web page, Browser Use is often the better tool: it reads the page structure directly instead of looking at pixels. Use computer use for native apps and Browser Use for websites.
Windows: what works today
The official Computer Use bundle says Windows support is in development, and it will stay in the experimental group until that’s done. Until then, Windows users can use community plugins from the awesome-dsh-plugin catalogue. These are unofficial, so treat them as third-party code:
| Plugin | Platform | How it works | Licence |
|---|---|---|---|
| dsh-computer-use-win | Windows | UI Automation, built-in Windows OCR and a Chrome/Edge browser lane; 23 desktop tools; press Esc to stop | MIT |
| @local/dsh-computer-use | Windows | Screenshots, mouse, keyboard, clipboard, windows and UI Automation, app launching and batched actions | MIT |
| dsh-desktop-sidecar | Windows 10/11 | UI Automation or offline OCR with click-then-check pixel verification; new, so give it time | MIT |
| dsh-computer-use (988hj7tczd-oss) | macOS, Windows, Linux | Observe-then-act loop with an isolated virtual cursor through cua-driver and an app allowlist | MIT |
The most popular, dsh-computer-use-win, installs from the DSH terminal:
dsh plugin --profile desktop add dsh-computer-use-winAfter installing, quit DeepSeek Harness from the tray icon and reopen it — closing the window isn’t enough. When official Windows support lands, switch to it.
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Safety: treat it like handing over your mouse
DeepSeek Harness is a developer preview, and its SAFETY.md says plainly that it isn’t security-audited and can run model-generated code. Computer use raises the stakes, because the agent can do anything you can do on that machine.
- Use a spare machine or a disposable VM, as DeepSeek recommends, and keep backups.
- Approve apps one at a time and use session-only access until you trust a workflow.
- Mind what it sees. Screenshots can include private information, and where they go depends on your model settings.
- Expect breaking changes. It’s experimental, so updates can change how it works.
- Community plugins are third-party code — check the README and recent activity before installing.
Which model to pair with DeepSeek Harness computer use
Computer use burns through context, because every step returns a fresh view of the screen. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash is the natural fit: it has a 1M-token context, native visual understanding for screenshots, tool calling and low per-token pricing, and DeepSeek says its latest Flash update is optimised for DeepSeek Harness. I also wrote a shorter take on DeepSeek Harness computer use on AI Profit Boardroom.
DeepSeek Harness computer use vs Hermes computer use
| DeepSeek Harness | Hermes Agent | |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Official, experimental, off by default | Built-in computer use toolset |
| Engine | Cua Driver (MCP or native) | Cua Driver (see Hermes CUA) |
| Platforms | macOS now; Windows in development | macOS, Windows and Linux |
| Session type | PTC sessions only | Any tool-capable model |
Both lean on Cua Driver, so they’re closer than they look. If you already run Hermes, its toolset is more mature across platforms. If you’ve built your workflow around DeepSeek Harness on a Mac, the official feature is the way to go.
My verdict on DeepSeek Harness computer use
It’s early, but it’s real and it’s official. On a Mac, run DeepSeek Harness from source, switch on Computer Use under Experimental plugins, grant permissions, set PTC as your default and start with small supervised tasks on a spare machine. On Windows, use a community plugin until official support arrives. Either way, DeepSeek Harness computer use turns the agent from something that talks about your apps into something that works in them.
About Julian Goldie
I’m Julian Goldie — founder of Goldie Agency and the AI Profit Boardroom. I test new AI agents almost every day for 432K+ YouTube subscribers and run Hermes, OpenClaw, OpenCode, Claude and Codex side by side in my own Agent OS. Claim your free strategy session or join the AI Profit Boardroom.
FAQ: deepseek harness computer use
Does DeepSeek Harness have computer use?
Yes. It’s an official experimental feature, added in September 2026, that runs through Cua Driver on macOS. It’s off by default and you turn it on under Experimental plugins.
How do I turn on DeepSeek Harness computer use?
Open Plugins, select More beside Experimental plugins, open Computer Use and enable the switch, grant Accessibility and Screen Recording, then use a PTC session.
What is PTC mode in DeepSeek Harness?
It’s a session mode where the agent writes and runs code against a generated toolkit. Computer use is only available in PTC sessions.
Does DeepSeek Harness computer use work on Windows?
Official Windows support is in development. For now, Windows users can try community plugins such as dsh-computer-use-win.
Is DeepSeek Harness computer use safe?
It’s experimental and not security-audited, so use a spare machine or a disposable VM, approve apps one at a time and supervise early tasks.
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Related reading
Last updated October 2026. This page is a living guide to deepseek harness computer use — the facts here move fast and it is updated as they do.
