DeepSeek RLM

Give every DeepSeek Harness agent a persistent IPython workspace and the ability to delegate focused work to native recursive subagents. DeepSeek Harness remains the only agent loop: it owns models, tools, approvals, sessions, policy, lineage, cancellation, and persistence.

Note

RLM means a Recursive Language Model workflow. This is a Cordis plugin bundle for DeepSeek Harness—not another harness and not a DeepSeek model.

Important

This preview targets the exact DSH 0.1.0-rc.7 baseline and requires three ordered host patches. The packages are not published; install the local tarballs using the installation guide.

What it adds

• Persistent Python: one authenticated IPython/Jupyter kernel per live DSH agent, with state preserved between tool calls.
• Durable snapshots: bounded, digest-authorized namespace snapshots restore variables without replaying historical cells or their side effects.
• Native recursion: await rlm(...) admits a normal DSH continuable child with enforced lineage, depth, model selection, and cancellation.
• Parent/child messaging: Prime-compatible agent_message calls route through public DSH subagent services.
• Harness tools from Python: optional dsh_tools.call() requests remain inside the originating tool execution and pass through DSH policy.

DeepSeek Harness Agent
  └─ ipython tool → persistent Jupyter kernel → snapshots
                       └─ rlm(...) → native DSH child agent
                                        └─ agent_message → parent inbox

No production code starts prime-agent, creates a Prime AgentSession, calls an LLM provider from Python, or runs a second agent loop.

Compatibility

Component	Supported baseline
DeepSeek Harness	dsh-v0.1.0-rc.7 / 99f6f02 plus all three bundled patches
Cordis	4.0.1
Workspace Node.js	>=20
Full pinned DSH host	Node.js ^22.19 or >=24
Package manager	pnpm 9.14.4
Managed Python	Python 3.11 through uv
Prime Agent runtime	vendored pin f8f0036

The DSH packages move as one audited set. Do not mix registry copies or another release candidate into the profile.

Quick start

Build and verify the five local packages:

git clone https://github.com/OpenCnid/deepseek-rlm.git
cd deepseek-rlm
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm package:bundle

Apply the three patches under patches/deepseek-harness/ to the exact pinned DSH checkout, configure the generated tarballs as profile-local overrides, and install the bundle:

dsh plugin --profile <profile> install
dsh plugin --profile <profile> add -w /absolute/path/deepseek-rlm-dsh-rlm-bundle-0.1.0-preview.0.tgz
dsh --profile <profile> --dump-default-config

The dump should contain one active row each for rlm-spawn-provider, rlm-jupyter, and rlm-ipython-tool. Follow docs/INSTALL.md for the required overrides, patch commands, runtime roots, and a complete Windows configuration.

Use persistent Python

State survives between calls in the same agent:

records = {"passed": 41, "failed": 1}

records["passed"] + records["failed"]  # 42

Snapshots serialize values independently with dill. Missing, corrupt, or oversized values are reported and skipped; old cells are never replayed.

Delegate to a child agent

worker = await rlm(
    "Investigate the failing test and report the smallest verified cause.",
    name="investigator",
    model="provider/model",
    thinking="high",
)

rlm(...) returns when DSH admits the child, not when the child finishes. When model is omitted, the child inherits the exact active request route from the parent session. The child reports explicitly:

import agent_message
await agent_message.send("Cause: ...", receiver_role="parent")

The parent can continue the same child:

await agent_message.send(
    "Now verify the smallest fix.",
    receiver_role="child",
    receiver_name=worker.name,
)

Model discovery, child listing/deletion, and optional DSH tool routing are also available through rlm and dsh_tools; see SPEC.md for the complete contract.

Security boundary

Warning

IPython is OS-authority code execution, not a sandbox. Python, %%bash, file access, sockets, imports, and subprocesses can bypass DSH tool guards. Only dsh_tools.call() traverses DSH restrictions, approval, logging, and telemetry. Use an external OS or container sandbox for untrusted code.

The kernel starts with an empty-by-default ambient environment plus explicitly allowed values and RLM-owned paths. Provider credentials and full environment values never enter model catalogs, lifecycle events, or snapshots.

Validate changes

pnpm build
pnpm check
pnpm package:bundle

check covers formatting, lint, type checking, TypeScript and Python tests, provenance, patch integrity, package metadata, real Jupyter/DSH integration, and bundle e2e behavior. CI runs on Windows, Ubuntu, and macOS and verifies the patch series against a fresh pinned DSH checkout.

Packages

Package	Responsibility
@deepseek-rlm/dsh-rlm	Provider-neutral ctx.rlm service and typed events
@deepseek-rlm/dsh-rlm-jupyter	Jupyter transport, managed Python, bridge, and snapshots
@deepseek-rlm/dsh-tool-ipython	Native ipython tool and prompt guidance
@deepseek-rlm/dsh-rlm-prime-runtime	Reproducible Prime shim and DSH Python bridge assets
@deepseek-rlm/dsh-rlm-bundle	Loader-compatible DSH bundle and native spawn provider

Documentation

• Installation and troubleshooting
• Architecture and implementation contract
• DeepSeek Harness patch guide
• Hardening and assembled QA evidence
• Third-party provenance and notices
• Contributor and coding-agent guidance

DeepSeek RLM is available under the MIT License. The workspace is a private preview package set and is not published to a registry.