Claude Desktop for Linux

Unofficial Linux packages for Claude Desktop AI assistant with automated updates.

Installation

Arch Linux / Manjaro (AUR)

yay -S claude-desktop-bin

Updates arrive through your AUR helper (e.g. yay -Syu).

Debian / Ubuntu (APT Repository)

# Add repository (one-time setup)
curl -fsSL https://patrickjaja.github.io/claude-desktop-bin/install.sh | sudo bash

# Install
sudo apt install claude-desktop-bin

Updates are automatic via sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade.

Manual .deb install (without APT repo)

wget https://github.com/patrickjaja/claude-desktop-bin/releases/latest/download/claude-desktop-bin_1.1.8629-2_amd64.deb
sudo dpkg -i claude-desktop-bin_*_amd64.deb

Fedora / RHEL (.rpm)

# Download from GitHub Releases
wget https://github.com/patrickjaja/claude-desktop-bin/releases/latest/download/claude-desktop-bin-1.1.8629-2.x86_64.rpm
sudo dnf install ./claude-desktop-bin-*.x86_64.rpm

Note: No automatic updates. Download the latest .rpm from GitHub Releases to update.

NixOS / Nix

# Try without installing
nix run github:patrickjaja/claude-desktop-bin

# Or add to flake.nix
nix profile install github:patrickjaja/claude-desktop-bin

NixOS flake configuration

{
  inputs.claude-desktop.url = "github:patrickjaja/claude-desktop-bin";

  # In your system config:
  environment.systemPackages = [
    inputs.claude-desktop.packages.x86_64-linux.default
  ];
}

Note: Update by running nix flake update to pull the latest version. nix run always fetches the latest.

AppImage (Any Distro)

# Download from GitHub Releases
wget https://github.com/patrickjaja/claude-desktop-bin/releases/latest/download/Claude_Desktop-1.1.8629-x86_64.AppImage
chmod +x Claude_Desktop-*-x86_64.AppImage
./Claude_Desktop-*-x86_64.AppImage

Note: AppImage does not receive automatic updates. Download the latest release manually to update.

From Source

git clone https://github.com/patrickjaja/claude-desktop-bin.git
cd claude-desktop-bin
./scripts/build-local.sh --install

Note: Source builds do not receive automatic updates. Pull and rebuild to update.

Features

Native Linux support (Arch, Debian/Ubuntu, Fedora/RHEL, NixOS, AppImage)
Claude Code CLI integration - Auto-detects system-installed Claude Code (requires claude-code)
Local Agent Mode - Git worktrees and agent sessions
Cowork support - Agentic workspace feature enabled on Linux (requires claude-cowork-service)
Computer Use - Desktop automation via built-in MCP server (screenshot, click, type, scroll, drag, clipboard). Uses xdotool for input, scrot for screenshots, xclip for clipboard. No macOS-style permission grants needed — all tools work immediately. Install: sudo pacman -S xdotool scrot xclip wmctrl
Dispatch - Send tasks from your phone to your desktop Claude via Anthropic's environments bridge API (requires Cowork). Text responses, task orchestration, and SDK MCP tools work. Bridge-level transform wraps plain text as SendUserMessage (workaround for CLI 2.1.x bug where --brief doesn't expose the tool)
MCP server support - Model Context Protocol servers work on Linux
Custom Themes (Experimental) - 6 built-in color themes (Nord, Catppuccin Mocha/Frappe/Latte/Macchiato, Sweet) or create your own via JSON config — not all UI elements are fully themed yet
Multi-monitor Quick Entry - Global hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+Space) opens on the monitor where your cursor is (Wayland notes)
Automated daily version checks

Claude Chat

The main Chat tab running natively on Linux.

Claude Code Integration

This package patches Claude Desktop to work with system-installed Claude Code on Linux.

To use Claude Code (and Cowork) features, install the CLI following the official setup guide, then verify it's accessible:

which claude  # e.g. ~/.local/bin/claude, /usr/bin/claude, /usr/local/bin/claude

The patch auto-detects claude in /usr/bin, ~/.local/bin, and /usr/local/bin.

Cowork Integration (Experimental)

Cowork is Claude Desktop's agentic workspace feature. This package patches it to work on Linux using a native backend daemon instead of the macOS/Windows VM.

Requires Claude Code CLI (see above) and claude-cowork-service:

Any distro (quick install):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/patrickjaja/claude-cowork-service/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

Arch Linux (AUR):

yay -S claude-cowork-service
systemctl --user enable --now claude-cowork

CoworkSpaces

CoworkSpaces organizes folders, projects, and links into named Spaces for Cowork sessions. On macOS/Windows this is handled by the native backend (@ant/claude-swift). On Linux, fix_cowork_spaces.py provides a full file-based implementation:

Stores spaces in ~/.config/Claude/spaces.json
Full CRUD: create, update, delete spaces with folders, projects, and links
File operations: list folder contents, read files, open with system handler
Auto-memory directories per space (~/.config/Claude/spaces/<id>/memory/)
Integrates with the SpaceManager singleton so resolveSpaceContext works for sessions

The Spaces UI is rendered by the claude.ai web frontend (loaded in the BrowserView).

Custom Themes (Experimental)

Themes override CSS variables in all windows (main chat, Quick Entry, Find-in-Page, About) via Electron's insertCSS() API. Set Claude Desktop to dark mode for best results with dark themes.

Quick start:

echo '{"activeTheme": "sweet"}' > ~/.config/Claude/claude-desktop-bin.json
# Restart Claude Desktop

Built-in themes: sweet, nord, catppuccin-mocha, catppuccin-frappe, catppuccin-latte, catppuccin-macchiato

Sweet	Nord	Catppuccin Mocha
Purple/pink warm tones (github.com/EliverLara/Sweet)	Arctic blue-grey (nordtheme.com)	Warm pastels (catppuccin.com)

See themes/README.md for the full theming guide: CSS variable reference, how to extract app HTML/CSS for inspection, custom theme creation, and screenshots.

Patches

The package applies several patches to make Claude Desktop work on Linux. Each patch is isolated in patches/ for easy maintenance:

Patch	Purpose	Break risk	Debug pattern
`add_feature_custom_themes.py`	Custom CSS theme injection via `insertCSS()` — 6 built-in themes (sweet, nord, catppuccin-*)	VERY LOW	Prepended IIFE, no regex on app code
`claude-native.js`	Linux-compatible native module (replaces Windows-only `@anthropic/claude-native`)	LOW	Static file, no regex
`enable_local_agent_mode.py`	Enables Local Agent Mode (chillingSlothFeat) on Linux for git worktrees and agent sessions	HIGH	`rg -o 'function \w+\(\)\{return process\.platform.*status' index.js`
`fix_0_node_host.py`	Fixes MCP server node host path for Linux (uses `app.getAppPath()`)	LOW	`rg -o 'nodeHostPath.{0,50}' index.js`
`fix_app_quit.py`	Fixes app not quitting after cleanup on Linux (uses `app.exit(0)` instead of `app.quit()`)	LOW	Uses `app.quit()` literal
`fix_browse_files_linux.py`	Enables `openDirectory` in browseFiles dialog on Linux (Electron supports it, upstream only enabled for macOS)	LOW	`rg -o 'openDirectory.{0,60}' index.js`
`fix_claude_code.py`	Enables Claude Code CLI integration by detecting system-installed claude binary	MED	`rg -o 'async getStatus\(\)\{.{0,200}' index.js`
`fix_computer_use_linux.py`	Enables Computer Use on Linux: removes 3 platform gates, provides xdotool/scrot executor, bypasses macOS permission model	MED	`rg -o 'process.platform.darwin.t7r' index.js`
`fix_computer_use_tcc.py`	Registers no-op IPC handlers for macOS TCC permission checks — prevents repeated error logs	LOW	Uses eipc UUID extraction
`fix_cowork_error_message.py`	Replaces Windows VM errors with Linux-friendly guidance for claude-cowork-service	LOW	Uses string literals
`fix_cowork_linux.py`	Enables Cowork on Linux: VM client loader, Unix socket path, bundle config, claude binary resolution	HIGH	`rg -o '.{0,50}vmClient.{0,50}' index.js`
`fix_cowork_spaces.py`	Stubs CoworkSpaces eipc handlers on Linux (getAllSpaces, createSpace, etc.)	LOW	`rg -o 'CoworkSpaces' index.js`
`fix_cross_device_rename.py`	Fixes EXDEV errors when moving VM bundles across filesystems (tmpfs to ext4)	LOW	Uses `.rename(` literal
`fix_detected_projects_linux.py`	Enable detected projects on Linux (VSCode/Cursor/Zed path mapping)	MED	`rg -o 'detectedProjects.{0,50}' index.js`
`fix_disable_autoupdate.py`	Disables auto-updater on Linux (no Windows installer available)	MED	`rg -o '.{0,40}isInstalled.{0,40}' index.js`
`fix_dispatch_linux.py`	Enables Dispatch (remote task orchestration from mobile) — forces bridge init, bypasses remote control gate, adds Linux platform label, transforms text→SendUserMessage	MED	`rg -o 'sessions-bridge.*init' index.js`
`fix_dock_bounce.py`	Prevents taskbar attention-stealing on KDE Plasma/Linux — intercepts `flashFrame`, `focus`, `show`, `moveTop`, and `WebContents.focus()`	LOW	Prepended IIFE, no regex on app code
`fix_locale_paths.py`	Redirects locale file paths to Linux install location	LOW	Uses `process.resourcesPath` literal
`fix_enterprise_config_linux.py`	Reads enterprise config from `/etc/claude-desktop/enterprise.json` on Linux (disableAutoUpdates, custom3p, DXT flags, etc.)	LOW	`rg -o 'enterprise.json' index.js`
`fix_marketplace_linux.py`	Forces CCD mode for marketplace plugin operations on Linux (no VM, use host-local paths)	MED	`rg -o 'function \w+\(\w+\)\{return\(\w+==null.mode.ccd' index.js`
`fix_native_frame.py`	Uses native window frames on Linux/XFCE while preserving Quick Entry transparency	MED	`rg -o 'titleBarStyle.{0,30}' index.js`
`fix_office_addin_linux.py`	Enables Office Addin MCP server on Linux — extends `(ui\|\|as)` platform gate in isEnabled, init block, and file detection	LOW	`rg -o '.{0,30}louderPenguinEnabled.{0,30}' index.js`
`fix_process_argv_renderer.py`	Injects `process.argv=[]` in renderer preload to prevent TypeError on `.includes()` calls	LOW	`rg -o '.{0,30}\.argv.{0,30}' mainView.js`
`fix_quick_entry_position.py`	Spawns Quick Entry window on the monitor where the cursor is located	MED	`rg -o 'getPrimaryDisplay.{0,50}' index.js`
`fix_read_terminal_linux.py`	Enables `read_terminal` built-in MCP server on Linux (was hardcoded darwin-only)	LOW	`rg -o 'read_terminal.{0,100}' index.js`
`fix_startup_settings.py`	Skips startup settings on Linux to avoid validation errors	LOW	`rg -o 'isStartupOnLoginEnabled.{0,50}' index.js`
`fix_tray_dbus.py`	Prevents DBus race conditions with mutex guard and cleanup delay	HIGH	`rg -o 'menuBarEnabled.*function' index.js`
`fix_tray_icon_theme.py`	Uses theme-aware tray icon selection (light/dark) on Linux	LOW	`rg -o 'nativeTheme.{0,50}tray' index.js`
`fix_tray_path.py`	Redirects tray icon path to package directory on Linux	MED	`rg -o 'function \w+\(\)\{return \w+\.app\.isPackaged' index.js`
`fix_updater_state_linux.py`	Adds `version`/`versionNumber` to idle updater state to prevent `.includes()` TypeError	LOW	`rg -o 'status:"idle".{0,50}' index.js`
`fix_utility_process_kill.py`	Uses SIGKILL as fallback when UtilityProcess doesn't exit gracefully	LOW	Uses `.kill(` literal
`fix_vm_session_handlers.py`	Global uncaught exception handler for VM session safety	LOW	`rg -o 'uncaughtException.{0,50}' index.js`
`fix_window_bounds.py`	Fixes child view bounds on maximize/KWin snap, ready-to-show layout jiggle, Quick Entry blur-before-hide	LOW	Injected IIFE, no regex on app code

When Claude Desktop updates break a patch, only the specific patch file needs updating. The debug pattern column shows the rg command to find the relevant code in the new version's index.js.

Automation

This repository automatically:

Checks for new Claude Desktop versions daily
Validates all patches in Docker before pushing to AUR
Updates the AUR package when new versions are detected
Creates GitHub releases for tracking updates
Maintains proper SHA256 checksums

Patch Validation

The CI pipeline includes a test build step that validates patches before updating AUR:

Docker Test Build - Runs makepkg in an archlinux:base-devel container
Pattern Matching Validation - Each patch exits with code 1 if patterns don't match
Pipeline Stops on Failure - Broken packages never reach AUR users
Build Logs Uploaded - Artifacts available for debugging failures

If upstream Claude Desktop changes break a patch:

The pipeline fails with clear [FAIL] output
Build logs show which pattern didn't match
AUR package remains unchanged until patches are updated

Repository Structure

.github/workflows/ - GitHub Actions for automation
scripts/ - Build and validation scripts
patches/ - Linux compatibility patches
packaging/ - Debian, RPM, AppImage, and Nix build scripts
PKGBUILD.template - AUR package template

Wayland

Claude Desktop defaults to XWayland mode, which is recommended. If you use native Wayland (CLAUDE_USE_WAYLAND=1), global shortcuts (Ctrl+Alt+Space) and window positioning won't work — these require X11. Stick with XWayland for full functionality.

Debugging

Launch Claude Desktop with DevTools auto-opened:

CLAUDE_DEV_TOOLS=detach claude-desktop

This opens a detached Chromium DevTools window where you can:

Console — view JavaScript errors and logs
Network — inspect API requests (check EventStream on /completion requests for streaming errors)
Application — inspect local storage, cookies, session data

To also capture Electron main process logs to a file:

CLAUDE_DEV_TOOLS=detach ELECTRON_ENABLE_LOGGING=1 claude-desktop 2>&1 | tee /tmp/claude-debug.log

Runtime logs are written to ~/.config/Claude/logs/:

Log File	Description
`main.log`	Main Electron process
`claude.ai-web.log`	BrowserView web content
`mcp.log`	MCP server communication

# Tail logs in real-time
tail -f ~/.config/Claude/logs/main.log

# Search for errors across all logs
grep -ri 'error\|exception\|fatal' ~/.config/Claude/logs/

Clear Dispatch session

Dispatch reuses a persistent session transcript. If the model encountered errors in previous turns (e.g. "Permission denied" for a tool, or broken responses), it remembers those failures and may refuse to retry. Clear the session to start fresh:

# Find your dispatch session directory
ls ~/.config/Claude/local-agent-mode-sessions/

# Remove the dispatch agent session (replace UUIDs with your own)
rm -rf ~/.config/Claude/local-agent-mode-sessions/<account-uuid>/<org-uuid>/agent/local_ditto_*/

# Then restart Claude Desktop

You can identify your UUIDs from the directory listing — there's typically one account directory containing one org directory.

Known Issues (Dispatch)

These issues are caused by a regression in Claude Code CLI v2.1.79+ where the SendUserMessage tool is not exposed to the model. On Windows/Mac, the cowork VM bundles CLI v2.1.78 (via Agent SDK 0.2.78) where this works. On Linux, the system-installed CLI has the bug. Tracked upstream: anthropics/claude-code#35076

Issue	Status	Detail
Dispatch text responses not rendering	Workaround active	Patch I wraps plain text as synthetic `SendUserMessage` tool_use blocks. Responses render on phone/desktop.
File attachments load endlessly on phone	Not yet fixed	The model can't use `SendUserMessage` with `attachments`, so files aren't uploaded via the dispatch file API. Will resolve when the CLI exposes `SendUserMessage` natively.

Both issues resolve when Anthropic fixes the CLI initialization ordering so --brief properly exposes SendUserMessage. We're monitoring upstream.

Known Limitations

Feature	Detail
Browser Tools (Chrome integration)	Not available on Linux. The Chrome Extension MCP server requires a native messaging host binary (`chrome-native-host`) that Anthropic ships only for Windows/macOS (Rust, proprietary). A Linux replacement would need to implement Chrome's Native Messaging protocol. Contributions welcome.

Tips

Press Alt to toggle the app menu bar (Electron default)

Legal Notice

This is an unofficial community project for educational and research purposes. Claude Desktop is proprietary software owned by Anthropic PBC.

This repository contains only build scripts and patches — not the Claude Desktop application itself. The upstream binary is downloaded directly from Anthropic during the build process.

This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Anthropic. "Claude" is a trademark of Anthropic PBC.

Name		Name	Last commit message	Last commit date
Latest commit History 319 Commits
.github/workflows		.github/workflows
docs		docs
packaging		packaging
patches		patches
scripts		scripts
themes		themes
.SRCINFO		.SRCINFO
.gitignore		.gitignore
AGENT_TEAM_PROMPT.md		AGENT_TEAM_PROMPT.md
CHANGELOG.md		CHANGELOG.md
CLAUDE.md		CLAUDE.md
CLAUDE_BUILT_IN_MCP.md		CLAUDE_BUILT_IN_MCP.md
CLAUDE_FEATURE_FLAGS.md		CLAUDE_FEATURE_FLAGS.md
LICENSE		LICENSE
PKGBUILD.template		PKGBUILD.template
README.md		README.md
UPDATE-PROMT-CC-INPUT-MANUAL.md		UPDATE-PROMT-CC-INPUT-MANUAL.md
cc.png		cc.png
cc_in_cd.png		cc_in_cd.png
co_in_cd.png		co_in_cd.png
flake.nix		flake.nix
update-prompt.md		update-prompt.md

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Claude Desktop for Linux

Installation

Arch Linux / Manjaro (AUR)

Debian / Ubuntu (APT Repository)

Fedora / RHEL (.rpm)

NixOS / Nix

AppImage (Any Distro)

From Source

Features

Claude Chat

Claude Code Integration

Cowork Integration (Experimental)

CoworkSpaces

Custom Themes (Experimental)

Patches

Automation

Patch Validation

Repository Structure

Wayland

Debugging

Clear Dispatch session

Known Issues (Dispatch)

Known Limitations

Tips

See Also

Legal Notice

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Repository files navigation

Claude Desktop for Linux

Installation

Arch Linux / Manjaro (AUR)

Debian / Ubuntu (APT Repository)

Fedora / RHEL (.rpm)

NixOS / Nix

AppImage (Any Distro)

From Source

Features

Claude Chat

Claude Code Integration

Cowork Integration (Experimental)

CoworkSpaces

Custom Themes (Experimental)

Patches

Automation

Patch Validation

Repository Structure

Wayland

Debugging

Clear Dispatch session

Known Issues (Dispatch)

Known Limitations

Tips

See Also

Legal Notice

About

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