Your first week with DSH: build a stable workspace
A day-by-day first-week plan for model setup, one useful plugin, workflow collections, backups, and reflection — with a definition of done for each step.
9 min read
After this tutorial you will
- Build a stable, reversible DSH workspace over seven days
- Validate one new capability at a time instead of letting setup sprawl
- Turn “I can use DSH” into a repeatable personal workflow
Compatible version
Compatible with: dsh 0.1.x. You do not need to write a plugin in week one. The goal is a workspace you are happy to open every day.
Principle: finish before expanding
New tools usually fail because day one changes too much. The first-week rule is simple: introduce one change per day and give it a definition of done.
| Day | Focus | Definition of done |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Install and model | Complete one normal conversation |
| 2 | Workspace | Read and make one reviewed change to real project files |
| 3 | First plugin | Install, restart, and pass a minimum validation |
| 4 | Workflow | Pick 2–3 candidates for one scenario, without installing all of them |
| 5 | Reliability | Record profile, command, and rollback path |
| 6 | Security | Review one plugin that touches files or network access |
| 7 | Reflection | Remove what did not help and choose one improvement |
Days 1–2: make the basic path work
After installing DSH and configuring a model, use one provider you already control for a small real task. Do not switch among many models yet.
On day two, connect a workspace. The point is not to give an agent your computer; verify three basics: it can read a chosen file, explain what it saw, and make one small change after review. Each step should be visible and reversible.
Day 3: install one plugin that saves time now
Choose one plugin for a current pain point from the directory or collections. Check it in the compatibility checker, save the original command, match its profile to your current environment, restart or refresh, and run the README's smallest example. Remove it if the result is not useful.
The first plugin teaches the entire loop; it is not a decoration contest.
Days 4–6: design a workflow, then make it recoverable
Pick one frequent scenario, such as turning requirements into a web prototype or producing a weekly project update. Write the input, result, and human review point before adding another plugin.
Keep a simple note containing your profiles, installed plugins and upstream URLs, approved build dependencies, useful prompts, and rollback steps. Then review one higher-permission plugin: what files can it read, which network destinations does it need, where would a token live, and what happens when it fails? Read the pre-install security checklist for the full method.
Day 7: run a small retrospective
Ask which task became faster, which plugin was never used, where the agent can misunderstand or overreach, and which single thing you will improve next week. Remove noise and preserve what works. A stable workspace is built by regular subtraction, not a one-time giant setup.
Common questions
How many plugins should I install in the first week?
Usually one to three. If you cannot name the exact workflow step a plugin improves, postpone it.
Can I copy someone else's whole configuration?
Use it as reference, not as a substitute for validation. Their model, operating system, profiles, and permissions may differ from yours. Copy one capability and test it against your own task.
Next up
When the workflow is stable, learn how to upgrade and uninstall plugins before configuration drift takes over.