dsh-ihow-memory

Install iHow Memory as a local-first shared memory plugin for DeepSeek Harness.

The package is a thin DSH bundle. It mounts DSH's MCP client and starts an exact ihow-memory Core dependency from the plugin installation. It does not require a global iHow Memory binary and does not duplicate Core storage or governance logic.

Status

Alpha. The current release candidate targets the official DSH 0.1.1-rc.2 lifecycle and iHow Memory Core 0.1.0-alpha.34.

Core and plugin lifecycle

ihow-memory is the Core package: it owns storage, retrieval, governance, and the MCP contract. dsh-ihow-memory is only the DSH adapter and distribution bundle. Installing this plugin does not replace a global ihow-memory command or modify another runtime's adapter.

The plugin pins an exact Core version so an existing DSH installation cannot change behavior when Core publishes a new release. The two packages therefore use independent versions:

• A Core release does not automatically require a plugin release.
• Release a new plugin when the pinned Core must move for a compatible feature or security fix, when the MCP contract changes, or when DSH integration changes.
• Test the pinned Core through DSH before each plugin release; do not widen the Core dependency range.

Runtimes share durable memory only when they intentionally use the same MEMORY_ROOT or IHOW_MEMORY_ROOT. DSH keeps its index and runtime state under its own IHOW_MEMORY_STATE_ROOT, so shared memory does not imply shared mutable runtime state.

The host plugin also owns the native lifecycle adapter:

• agent/session-start injects the bounded verify-first handoff packet.
• The first agent/pre-step in each turn performs relevant prompt recall and appends one identified recall context message.
• Durable compaction/summary events create metadata-only pre-compact checkpoints; raw summaries and transcript bytes are never copied into the activation ledger.
• agent/disposed schedules a partial session-end checkpoint and lifecycle completion; Host-plugin shutdown drains the adapter's queued writes.

These hooks fail open for model execution. Activation evidence is local and replayable by the same OS user, so Core reports READY — WAITING FOR FIRST ACTIVITY / ACTIVATION_COMPLETION_UNATTESTED, not authenticated ACTIVE.

Install

dsh plugin --profile web add dsh-ihow-memory@next
dsh web

For Headless:

dsh plugin --profile headless add dsh-ihow-memory@next
dsh --profile headless "Check memory status"

Restart the selected DSH profile after installation. The agent receives iHow Memory tools under DSH's stable mcp__ihow-memory__... namespace.

Storage

By default the plugin uses iHow Memory's managed local storage:

~/.ihow-memory/<workspace>-<hash>/

It keeps DSH index state under:

~/.ihow-memory/.state/dsh/

The active DSH workspace determines the managed memory space. For persistent profile configuration, override paths on the plugin row:

- id: ihow-memory
  config:
    memoryRoot: /path/to/existing/memory
    stateRoot: /path/to/writable/dsh-state
    workspace: /path/to/workspace-identity
    space: main

home, memoryRoot, stateRoot, workspace, and space accept absolute paths, relative paths, and ~/... where applicable. space keeps DSH on the same logical iHow Memory lane across per-session working directories. Plugin fields take precedence over environment variables. Existing environment-based installs remain compatible:

Variable	Purpose
IHOW_MEMORY_HOME	Managed iHow Memory home directory
MEMORY_ROOT or IHOW_MEMORY_ROOT	Existing shared memory directory
IHOW_MEMORY_STATE_ROOT	Runtime index/state directory
IHOW_MEMORY_CWD	Workspace identity override
IHOW_CAPTURE_FLOOR=0	Disable the bounded startup capture sweep

When migrating an existing MCP row, copy its MEMORY_ROOT to memoryRoot and IHOW_MEMORY_STATE_ROOT to stateRoot before removing the old row. Never run both rows against the same store. The plugin never deletes memory when it is updated or uninstalled.

Verify

For a deterministic persistence receipt, run the bundled Core flow:

npm run demo:cross-session

It writes a random marker, searches it from a new process, forgets it, verifies it is hidden after another restart, restores it, and verifies it is searchable again. The full DSH Host flow uses the official DSH tool registry and is documented in DEMO.md.

For the manual flow, ask DSH to call memory status, search a known fact, write a low-risk candidate, start a new session, and search for the same fact. For the full verify-first handoff path, call memory.continue and validate the returned live anchors before acting on its narrative.

Set DEMO_RECEIPT_PATH to retain the Host result as JSON; the temporary memory space is still removed after the assertions complete.

Update and remove

dsh plugin --profile web update dsh-ihow-memory
dsh plugin --profile web remove dsh-ihow-memory

Removing the plugin removes the DSH bundle only. It does not remove ~/.ihow-memory or a configured shared memory root.

Security

The plugin spawns the bundled Core over stdio. It stores no model credentials and uses DSH's scrubbed child-process environment. Memory can contain sensitive project context; review candidates before promotion and never store secrets, tokens, private keys, passwords, or cookies.

Development

npm install
npm run verify
dsh plugin --profile web add "link:/absolute/path/to/dsh-ihow-memory"

License

Apache-2.0