Installation

Installation differs by coding agent. Install Better Harness separately for each host, except that Qoder CLI can use the version bundled with Qoder Desktop. After installing or updating a plugin, start a new session or task so the host reloads its plugin inventory.

Prerequisites {#prerequisites}

To use Better Harness from a host, install one of the supported coding agents below and make sure it can open the repository you want to analyze. The host's own system requirements and runtime still apply; follow its tab without running the repository's development setup unless the tab explicitly uses a source checkout.

Node.js and npm are required only when you use the standalone CLI, run Better Harness from a source checkout, or contribute to this repository. Those paths support Windows, macOS, and Linux and require:

• Node.js >=22.20.0 <25.0.0
• npm >=10.9.3 <12.0.0

Check the active runtime before using the standalone or source CLI:

node --version
npm --version

Inspect and plan lifecycle changes {#lifecycle-cli}

The standalone CLI exposes a read-only view of Better Harness installation evidence. It does not contact a registry, modify host configuration, or execute the steps in a lifecycle plan:

better-harness plugin status --host all
better-harness doctor --platform all
better-harness plugin plan install --host qwen --surface cli --scope user
better-harness plugin verify --host qwen --surface cli

Plans preserve host differences instead of inventing a common mutation path. Qoder Desktop is bundled, Codex Desktop returns manual UI steps, Cursor remains session-only while its native command contract is reconciled, Pi operations without current native evidence are manual or unavailable, and WorkBuddy has no managed plugin lifecycle surface. There is no plugin apply command.

Git can clone the Cursor manifest for inspection, but manifest presence alone does not establish a supported installation route.

DeepSeek Harness verified discovery (not Quickstart) {#deepseek-harness-dsh}

DeepSeek Harness (DSH) has a bounded Verified install/discovery route for the qualified DSH 0.1.1-rc.2 contract. This is not a public Quickstart or a complete report loop.

Start from a complete Better Harness source checkout or npm package directory. Call its absolute directory <BETTER_HARNESS_ROOT> below. It must contain skills/better-harness/SKILL.md, scripts/better-harness.mjs, references/, models/, and templates/.

Headless/base

In the active headless profile's cordis.patch.yml, configure the existing global Skill filesystem row and insert the Better Harness DSH policy:

- id: skill-filesystem
  config:
    customSkillDirs:
      - /absolute/path/to/better-harness/skills

- insert:
    - id: better-harness-explicit-only
      name: /absolute/path/to/better-harness/scripts/dsh-skill-discovery/index.mjs
      config:
        betterHarnessRoot: /absolute/path/to/better-harness

The profile file is normally $DSH_HOME/profiles/headless/cordis.patch.yml. Replace every example with the same real absolute root before starting a new session.

Web standard, code, or cordis

The Web host owns Skill discovery inside the selected agent preset. In Web's Agent Presets settings, copy standard, code, or cordis to a user preset. Edit that copy's active skill-filesystem row in