Practical overview
When it fits
Use it when a long-form fiction project needs a repeatable planning-to-revision workflow and you are prepared to configure a compatible model service. Choose the separate DeepSeek Harness preview only for its limited, manually reviewed writing chain.
Who it is for
- Novelists building a story from premise and worldbuilding through chapter plans and drafts.
- Writers who want project records and finalized material to inform later chapter work.
- Authors who prefer to configure their own local or online model.
Documented uses
- Organize premise, character information, worldbuilding and chapter blueprints in one fiction project.
- Draft chapters using relevant project context rather than a single full-manuscript chat.
- Review whether planned chapter events appear in a draft and use review reports to guide revisions.
- Keep candidate drafts distinct from finalized text and track story-line progress.
Requirements & limits
The main application is identified as a Windows and macOS desktop program and is released under GPL-3.0. A separate DeepSeek Harness plugin preview is distributed as an npm package and is identified in the README as MIT-licensed; its 0.1.0 preview is frozen for maintenance and has substantially fewer capabilities than the desktop application.
- You configure the model; the application does not provide model accounts, hosted generation or usage credits.
- The documented model routes include OpenAI-compatible services and a Gemini-native protocol; Ollama is supported through its OpenAI-compatible service.
- Project materials are stored on the computer, but prompts and context go to the configured provider when using a cloud model.
- Chapter checks and revisions retain author decision points; the project warns that model output can still drift and requires author review.
- The web-plugin preview is a separate, reduced-scope tool: it does not read desktop .vela projects and applies suggestions only after user review.
Check current requirements in the official documentation. Source-based guidance does not mean OpenViST has run or independently tested this project.
Configure Ollama for the desktop writing workflow
Connect the application to a locally run Ollama model using its OpenAI-compatible interface.
Before you start
- AI Novel Writer desktop application.
- An Ollama model name to use; the application does not provide model service or model access.
Steps
In the application’s model settings, choose the Ollama (local) preset or a custom provider.
Set the protocol to OpenAI-compatible.
Set the Base URL to http://127.0.0.1:11434/v1.
Leave the API key blank, or enter a local placeholder if the interface requires one, and enter the name of an Ollama model.
Expected outcome
The writing workflow is configured to send model requests to the locally configured Ollama service.
Guide limitations
- This documents configuration only; it does not establish that a particular model is available or that a request succeeds.
- Do not use Ollama’s /api path as the Base URL for this application’s OpenAI-compatible embedding path.
- The software does not supply model access or hosting.
Install the DeepSeek Harness web plugin and apply a reviewed proposal
Install the AI Novel Writer plugin in DeepSeek Harness’s web profile and use its review-before-apply workflow.
Before you start
- DeepSeek Harness installed and available with a web profile.
- The plugin is distributed as the independent npm package @ethanyoq/dsh-ai-novel-writer.
Steps
Run
dsh plugin --profile web add @ethanyoq/dsh-ai-novel-writer.Start the web profile with
dsh --profile web.Open the Novel Workspace, install the AI Novel Writer V2 preset, then create a session and select that preset.
Review and edit an AI draft in the local form; apply its Proposal only when ready to change authoritative project state.
Expected outcome
The plugin provides a minimal, manually reviewed writing chain, with project state changed only after the user applies a Proposal.
Guide limitations
- The 0.1.0 preview is frozen for maintenance and has substantially fewer capabilities than the desktop application.
- The plugin does not read desktop .vela projects and is not a substitute for the desktop project tree, batch workflows, mature editor, or automatic review.
- This is an early MVP; its documented chain covers project settings, story architecture, character settings, book outline, chapter blueprints, and chapter prose.
Sources & review
Source record details
- Source availability
- Active
- Sources checked
- 8 October 2026
- Original website title
- EthanYoQ/AI-Novel-Writer · Official homepage title · retained in its source language