DeepSeek has added a creator mode to its DeepSeek Harness agent platform that lets users build custom plugins from plain-English instructions, Bloomberg reported on Monday, Nov. 2. The @DeepSeekHarness account, which Bloomberg and Quartz treat as DeepSeek’s Harness team, said in a post on X, timestamped 9:03 a.m. ET, that the mode lets users “turn ideas into plugins that you can use,” from a design workspace to a sandbox game or a 3D LLM visualizer. Bloomberg said the Hangzhou-based company showcased ways to make plugins that render 3D models, as well as a video editing workbench, by giving instructions in plain English.
Bloomberg’s story is paywalled, and AI Tech Daily saw only its opening paragraphs. Other details are attributed to Quartz, which cites Bloomberg for some of them, or to Investing.com, which says an editor reviewed an article generated with AI support and does not name Bloomberg.
DeepSeek’s Harness page says users can install plugins, or create them through chat in creator mode, to extend tools, skills and the interface. A demo on the page shows the agent writing, installing and verifying a Pomodoro timer plugin in 5 minutes 24 seconds. The page describes Harness as open source and in public preview.
Quartz reported that DeepSeek said Harness is in preview, with evolving core plugins and APIs. Users can launch the Web UI by installing Node.js and running a command with npx, or clone the full source from the project’s repository, the company said, according to Quartz. DeepSeek described the infrastructure as open-source, reusable and composable.
DeepSeek formed the Harness team earlier this year to develop agents that rival AI coding services, according to Bloomberg as relayed by Quartz. Investing.com described the same aim without naming Bloomberg and called coding a focus area for U.S. firms including Anthropic. Neither Quartz nor Investing.com named a specific competing product. Both said the agent is aimed mainly at developers rather than everyday consumers.
Quartz and Investing.com said DeepSeek released an upgraded coding assistant on Saturday, Oct. 31, which Quartz described as built to step in on problems early and demand little human oversight. Quartz also said Harness figured in DeepSeek’s October model update, which optimized an updated V4.1-Flash model for Harness and recommended upgrading to Harness 0.2.1-rc.1 or later.
Leading AI developers in the U.S. and China are racing to build agents that handle tasks such as coding and financial research, Bloomberg said, as relayed by Quartz. Quartz said DeepSeek brought in roughly 100 billion yuan ($15 billion) in its latest funding round as it prepares for an initial public offering. AI Tech Daily reported that round, citing sources who told Reuters that terms could still change, and an earlier report of its fundraising ahead of a 2027 IPO.
Sources
- Bloomberg (Debby Wu): DeepSeek Boosts AI Agent Offering With New Creator Mode (November 2, 2026, 12:16 PM ET; paywalled, direct fetch blocked, only the headline, byline and first two paragraphs seen via search results, no bypass)
- Quartz (Cris Tolomia): DeepSeek is adding a creator mode to let users build custom AI plugins (November 2, 2026; read in full)
- Investing.com UK: DeepSeek adds creator mode to boost AI agent tools (November 2, 2026, 12:54 PM ET; read in full; the outlet says it was generated with the support of AI and reviewed by an editor)
- DeepSeek Harness (@DeepSeekHarness) on X: Your Harness. You Define It. Meet Creator Mode in DeepSeek Harness (November 2, 2026, 9:03 AM ET; read via the X API. The account, created June 18, 2026, carries X’s blue check, which is not an identity check; DeepSeek’s Harness page links the main @deepseek_ai account, not this one. Bloomberg and Quartz attribute the post to DeepSeek’s Harness team)
- DeepSeek: DeepSeek Harness product page (read in full)
- AI Tech Daily: DeepSeek raises about 100 billion yuan (about US$15 billion), doubling its target, sources say
- AI Tech Daily: DeepSeek to raise at least $12 billion from Tencent, CATL and others ahead of 2027 IPO