Hey!

I manage the unofficial build at https://github.com/aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian

Debian is in the name, but scope has grown to all backends, compositors, etc.

The main reason must companies don't publish Linux electron apps is fragmentation. If you're doing anything more than rendering a webpage as an app, it starts to get complicated. I've got a bank of VM's setup for testing, and I still need it up.

If only Anthropic had some kind of automated tool that was good at porting software

What's the market for linux users who want an electron app so they can vibecode in a visual studio fork but wont just build it themselves nor do they want to clone and build someone else's repo

What do you miss from the Desktop app that the CLI doesn’t cover? I’m mostly on Linux too and have just been using the CLI, so I’m curious.

I'm building a platform that does just that: https://yeet.cx/docs/

We give Claude full visibility into your Linux machine, with a JS runtime over the top for building tools.

I'm still surprised at how many developers still turn their noses up at using Linux.

Like... You already use Docker and deploy to K8S... On Linux...

OK, just please be careful how you frame what you're asking for.

For software development use of Claude, I'd be happy if the `claude` CLI executable does everything I need, within the Linux KVM VM sandboxes I create for the work, without a desktop client. The cleaner and more trustworthy, the better.

Also, for random interactive use of Claude for asking questions, I use it from my host desktop, sandboxed within the Web browser, and I want that to be well-supported. Someone marketing/product person at an AI company will naturally want to dark-pattern push people towards a proprietary desktop client, but that's one corner of abuse potential that we can still keep in check.

For agentic automation of my host desktop things and the things they have access to... no, thank you, the state of the art is not ready for that.

This sounds like a really good test for agentic coding and something Anthropic should seriously consider doing as a proof of Claude Code quality. They could easily have agents built per Linux distribution that will run on every new release and do complete testing and publishing. IF they can successfully do that it would be a nice marketing as well. :)

Personally I don’t understand why Claude Code doesn’t have a mode to make text green and characters come down from the top of the screen individually, like in The Matrix.

Just one-shot vibe it for yourself.

Lame, I know, but you have to entertain yourself sometimes when the only thing anybody talks about here is ruddy spicy autocorrect and self-inflicted job destruction.

I find Claude Desktop on macOS infinitely better at managing RAM when you have 10+ or more parallel sessions.

(Some for different aspects of full stack features, some for managing specific client situations advised by the codebase and its tools!)

The CLI is not designed to be lightweight, and it’s easy to get into situations where every CLI session consumes multiple GB of memory alone - stack them up and it’s a lot!

And not all terminal GUIs handle multiple tabs well enough to see all sessions at a glance.

So on top of the plugin features, desktop is a really useful thing to have!

YES! But also hmm, maybe not. I literally installed the unofficial build[0] a few hours ago, and when I started it and saw a bunch of Electron processes immediately trigger my spawn swarm detector, I just closed it. Don't think I'll ever touch it again.

[0] https://github.com/aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian

Which Linux.

You build it for Ubuntu , people will demand fedora. Build fedora they’ll want Arch.

This is fine for FOSS projects where the community can fork and contribute, but as a company I can imagine tons of support tickets coming from Linux users who’s particularly DE/Distro permutation isn’t working right.

Still. An App Image would be nice

I made a way to build Swift apps that build on Linux and run and look the same on MacOS https://github.com/Lore-Hex/QuillUI

I know Claude is electron now but if they made it native swift on macos then they could use this

Not exactly Claude Desktop but we have something more "generic" that works across multiple OSes (written in Tauri) - Msty Claw [1]. It also comes with a companion E2E encrypted mobile app.

[1]: https://msty.ai/claw/features

Might as well say "Adobe, please ship an official creative suite for Linux", and will probably fall on the same deaf ears.

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Anthropic, if you're reading this: I'm a developer trying to figure out LLMs, I use them 8h per day to do my work. Claude Desktop is a missing piece I don't have access to because I'm only on Linux! I'm happy with a simple AppImage.

Also can you please make it easy to switch between my work and personal accounts on mobile!

Boris from the team here — we’re looking into it.

I love the dueling messages on AI

"It'll make software easy and replace all software jobs!"

"Sorry, a Linux client is too hard and too much work!"

Yeah nah it's yet another security risk. There was an article recently about Claude Code desktop installing some browser files, it wasn't a hole per-se but doesn't make the whole thing trustworthy.

>> Anthropic, please ship an official malware for Linux

Here, fixed it for you.

How can they? They are busy designing agentic loops. They ship 8x more lines of code!!!

Our app, Runner: Cowork++

Supports linux :)

https://runner.now/

Cowork already boots Ubuntu 22.04 internally on macOS. The Linux execution path exists inside the product. What's missing is a published build.

I thought going into ipo they were selling the idea that claude is already build claude.

Yes please! I think it's just kinda weird that this hasn't been done yet.

If you feel that strongly about it, why not write the issue description yourself?

"Sources for the load-bearing claims"

I no longer know if this is a real person who is simping for Anthropic and will be ultimately enslaved by Anthropic or if this is an Anthropic ad to have "proof" for the high demand of their services.

Why would they do that with their...checks notes...software changing AI?

Doesn't Wayland make it impossible anyway?

We are all waiting for it.

You're better off just using code cli

Why dont you ask Claude to write you a TUI ?

just use WINE or docker

"Linux" is not an operating system. One does not "just" release something "for Linux"

Please don't.

There is already way too much slop.

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That will come the year after the year of linux on. The desktop /s