DSH rc.8 changed its SQLite storage format — a heads-up before you upgrade

The most consequential line in DeepSeek Harness's rc.8 release isn't a feature. It's buried under "Chores": the SQLite backend got faster reads, writes, and forks, with smaller storage — but the data structure is incompatible. If you've been treating DSH's upgrade cycle as a no-op, this is the release that says otherwise.

What actually changed

rc.8 reworked the SQLite backend. The upside is real: better read/write performance, faster fork operations for large histories, and a smaller on-disk footprint. The cost is compatibility: the new storage format is not backward-compatible with what the previous versions wrote.

What "incompatible" means in practice

• Old data won't just open. A store written by rc.7 (or earlier) is not guaranteed to be readable by rc.8.
• Sessions and storage may not carry over. If your workflow depends on persisted sessions in SQLite, an upgrade without preparation can look like data loss — it's actually a format break.
• This is the kind of thing you want to catch before, not after. Once you've upgraded and the new version has written to the store, going back is its own problem.

How to plan the upgrade

1. Back up your data directory first. Whatever storage DSH writes, copy it before you upgrade.
2. Read the release notes for the migration path. The authoritative steps live with the official release/upgrade docs — treat third-party summaries as pointers, not instructions.
3. Export anything you can't afford to lose. If sessions or settings matter, export or note them before the jump.
4. Upgrade on one machine first. Validate the migration in a disposable environment before rolling it to the one you depend on.

The real lesson

DSH ships roughly three times a week, and breaking changes ride in under quiet labels like "Chores" or "其他变更". The settings.plugin.item slot went keyed in rc.7; the SQLite format broke in rc.8. The pattern is clear: at this cadence, the changelog is part of your upgrade checklist, not an afterthought. Read the small print — especially the lines that don't look like features.