dsh-better-sidebar is a sidebar framework for DSH that provides an extensible foundation for registering custom sidebar pages and a complete built-in workspace.
The tool addresses the need for a unified, serviceable sidebar infrastructure within DSH development environments. It works by exposing a ctx.betterSidebar service that allows third-party extensions to register new sidebar pages and file viewers through registerTab and registerFileViewer methods. The framework integrates with DSH's native sidebar API, where the right column displays DSH's own right sidebar with tab types and bodies registered via ctx.sidebarRightTabs and ctx.sidebarRight, while file opening from chat flows through ctx.sidebarRight.openResource. The tool provides a dual-workspace design combining a right sidebar with a bottom panel, and includes built-in pages for file rendering and editing, terminal access, side chat, Git operations, and sub-agent functionality.
Developers should adopt this tool if they are building DSH plugins that need to extend sidebar functionality or provide custom workspace panels. It suits projects requiring file management, code editing, terminal integration, and chat interfaces within a single cohesive sidebar framework. The tool is designed to work with DSH version 0.1.5-rc.1 and later, and the plugin ecosystem is organized around the dsh-better-sidebar GitHub topic for discovering compatible extensions.
The project maintains active development with continuous integration checks on code changes. The codebase is written in TypeScript and distributed through npm, indicating a professionally maintained package with standard release infrastructure. Documentation includes a plugin integration guide for external developers seeking to extend the framework.
