claude-desktop-debian

# Claude Desktop for Linux This project repackages Claude Desktop for Linux formats Anthropic doesn't ship themselves: `.rpm` (Fedora/RHEL), distribution-agnostic AppImages, a Nix flake for NixOS, and an [AUR package](#using-aur-arch-linux) for Arch (currently unavailable — see below). On 2026-06-30 Anthropic shipped a first-party Claude Desktop for Linux beta, distributed as a `.deb` (amd64 and arm64) from their own APT repository. Since v3.0.0, this project repackages that official Linux `.deb`. It no longer repackages the Windows installer. The official `.deb` covers one packaging target. What it leaves out is a long tail of distros, desktops, and session types — catalogued from this project's own issue history in [the reported-environments survey](docs/reports/CDL-ANT-0009_patch-suite-history/reported-environments/grouped-families.md). That long tail is what this project serves, plus a launcher and a `--doctor` for the Linux environment quirks. The [Installation](#installation) section lays out what's ours and what's upstream. **Note:** This is an unofficial repackaging project. For official support, visit [Anthropic's website](https://www.anthropic.com). For issues with the packaging or the Linux launcher, please [open an issue](https://github.com/aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian/issues) here. **Documentation:** Full docs at [`docs/index.md`](docs/index.md). Release history in [`CHANGELOG.md`](CHANGELOG.md). Contributing: [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](CONTRIBUTING.md). Security reports: [`SECURITY.md`](SECURITY.md). --- ## Maintainership As of September 2026, [@sabiut](https://github.com/sabiut) leads this project. I ([@aaddrick](https://github.com/aaddrick)) am stepping back to focus on other things. @sabiut has been the most consistent contributor here and has final say on direction, releases, and what lands. The repo stays where it is — `aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian`, at @sabiut's request. No transfer, no new URLs: existing APT/DNF sources, issue links, and clone remotes all keep working. I still hold the signing keys and the Cloudflare Worker credentials, so publishing surfaces list both of us in [CODEOWNERS](.github/CODEOWNERS). A repository owned by a personal account has only two access levels — owner and collaborator — so a few things can't be handed over without moving the repo: settings, branch protection, Actions secrets, and security advisories. Those still land on me. Ping me and I'll press the button. Releases themselves are automatic, and the version variables are settable by any collaborator through `gh variable set`, so day-to-day work doesn't route through me. I'll still be around for questions and the occasional PR — reachable on [GitHub](https://github.com/aaddrick) or [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaddrick/). --- ## Features - **Official app, extra formats**: repackages Anthropic's official Linux `.deb` into `.rpm`, AppImage, and AUR builds. - **MCP support**: full Model Context Protocol integration. Config lives at `~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json` (see [Configuration](#configuration)). - **Launcher for Linux quirks**: opt-in native Wayland (`CLAUDE_USE_WAYLAND=1`), GPU-crash auto-recovery, XRDP detection, IM-module override, and autostart-entry healing. - **`--doctor` diagnostics**: checks the display server, sandbox permissions, MCP config, stale locks, the KVM/Cowork stack, and official-version drift. - **Cowork on Linux**: runs when KVM (hardware virtualization) is available. The doctor reports readiness. - **System integration**: global hotkey (Ctrl+Alt+Space) on X11 and Wayland, system tray, and desktop-environment integration. ### Screenshots

## Installation Anthropic serves the `.deb`. We serve everything else. Since v3.0.0 our packages are named `claude-desktop-unofficial`, so they install side-by-side with Anthropic's official `claude-desktop` — but both share `~/.config/Claude`, so only one can run at a time. Here's the split: | Format | Who serves it | |--------|---------------| | `.deb` (Debian/Ubuntu, amd64 + arm64) | Anthropic's official APT repo. Ours mirrors it as `claude-desktop-unofficial` (launcher + doctor added), so it can sit beside the official package. | | `.rpm` (Fedora/RHEL) | This project. | | AppImage (any distro) | This project. | | AUR (Arch) | This project (builds the AppImage). **Unavailable** — see [below](#using-aur-arch-linux). | | Nix flake (NixOS) | This project. | On top of packaging, every format we build carries: - **Our launcher.** Opt-in native Wayland via `CLAUDE_USE_WAYLAND=1`, GPU-crash auto-recovery, XRDP detection, IM-module override, and autostart-entry healing. - **`claude-desktop-unofficial --doctor`.** Diagnostics for the KVM/Cowork stack, official-version drift, name collisions, and config problems. - **Packaging fixes.** The RPM firmware compat symlink Cowork needs, and the Ubuntu 24.04+ AppArmor profile. The app itself is the official `app.asar`. A patch has to justify itself against the official bytes or get deleted — most of the pre-v3.0.0 suite was deleted when Anthropic shipped official Linux builds. Five Linux-gap patches survive: - **virtiofsd resolution.** Upstream probes only `/usr/libexec/virtiofsd` and `/usr/bin/virtiofsd`, falling back to its bundled copy only when `/etc/os-release` reports Ubuntu 22.x. Arch installs virtiofsd at `/usr/lib/virtiofsd` and Debian at `/usr/lib/qemu/virtiofsd`, so Cowork reports "requires QEMU" on a complete KVM stack. Dropping the os-release gate fixes it; system paths stay preferred. Filed upstream. - **org-plugins path.** Upstream's platform switch has cases for darwin and win32 only, and the default returns null, so the org-plugins feature is silently dead on Linux. Adds a `linux` case resolving `/etc/claude/org-plugins`. Filed upstream. - **Tray icon selection.** Upstream's desktop-environment detector returns kde, gnome, or other, so Cinnamon — which can pair a dark panel with a light GTK colour scheme — gets the wrong glyph. Threads the launcher's `CLAUDE_TRAY_USE_DARK_ICON` into upstream's own selector without replacing its icons. Filed upstream. - **Quick Entry focus.** Adds `blur()` before `hide()` on the pop-up window so the main window reappears after submit, working around an Electron focus bug on KDE. - **Cowork bubblewrap backend.** Opt-in via `COWORK_VM_BACKEND=bwrap` for hosts without KVM/vhost-vsock. Every branch is gated on the flag, so an unflagged launch runs upstream's path unchanged. ### Using APT Repository (Debian/Ubuntu - Recommended) Add the repository for automatic updates via `apt`: ```bash # Add the GPG key curl -fsSL https://pkg.claude-desktop-debian.dev/KEY.gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-unofficial.gpg # Add the repository echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-unofficial.gpg arch=amd64,arm64] https://pkg.claude-desktop-debian.dev stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-desktop-unofficial.list # Update and install sudo apt update sudo apt install claude-desktop-unofficial ``` Future updates will be installed automatically with your regular system updates (`sudo apt upgrade`). ### Using DNF Repository (Fedora/RHEL - Recommended) Add the repository for automatic updates via `dnf`: ```bash # Add the repository sudo curl -fsSL https://pkg.claude-desktop-debian.dev/rpm/claude-desktop-unofficial.repo -o /etc/yum.repos.d/claude-desktop-unofficial.repo # Install sudo dnf install claude-desktop-unofficial ``` Future updates will be installed automatically with your regular system updates (`sudo dnf upgrade`). ### Using AUR (Arch Linux) **Unavailable since 2026-08-01.** `claude-desktop-appimage` was deleted from the AUR under deletion request [PRQ#85209](https://lists.archlinux.org/archives/list/[email protected]/thread/33X5H3TTGPXBEFKJFHEL5JYVGOE52IRV/) as a duplicate of `aur/claude-desktop`. A reinstatement request is with the list moderators. Until it resolves, install the [AppImage](#using-pre-built-releases) directly. Automated AUR publishing is paused while that request is open — a deleted pkgbase keeps its git repo and still accepts pushes, so a release would recreate the package mid-review. Once the package is restored: ```bash gh variable set AUR_PUBLISH_ENABLED --body true ``` The `update-aur-repo` job in [`ci.yml`](.github/workflows/ci.yml) is gated on that variable, and the pending `pkgdesc`/`license` corrections still need pushing to the AUR pkgbase. When it is available, the package installs the AppImage build of Claude Desktop: ```bash # Using yay yay -S claude-desktop-appimage # Or using paru paru -S claude-desktop-appimage ``` ### Using Nix Flake (NixOS) Install directly from the flake: ```bash # Basic install nix profile install github:aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian # With MCP server support (FHS environment) nix profile install github:aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian#claude-desktop-fhs ``` Or add to your NixOS configuration: ```nix # flake.nix { inputs.claude-desktop.url = "github:aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian"; outputs = { nixpkgs, claude-desktop, ... }: { nixosConfigurations.myhost = nixpkgs.lib.nixosSystem { modules = [ ({ pkgs, ... }: { nixpkgs.overlays = [ claude-desktop.overlays.default ]; environment.systemPackages = [ pkgs.claude-desktop ]; }) ]; }; }; } ``` ### Using Pre-built Releases Download the latest `.deb`, `.rpm`, or `.AppImage` from the [Releases page](https://github.com/aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian/releases). ### Building from Source See [docs/building.md](docs/building.md) for detailed build instructions. ## Configuration Model Context Protocol settings are stored in: ``` ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json ``` **Quit Claude Desktop before you hand-edit this file, then reopen it.** The app rewrites its own config while running, so edits you make with the app open get overwritten the next time it writes. Quit first, edit, then relaunch. Servers loaded at startup survive restarts fine — this only bites manual edits made against a running app. For additional configuration options including environment variables and Wayland support, see [docs/configuration.md](docs/configuration.md). ## Troubleshooting Run `claude-desktop-unofficial --doctor` for built-in diagnostics. It checks the usual suspects: display server, sandbox permissions, MCP config, stale locks, and more. It also reports Cowork readiness. Cowork on Linux runs on a KVM-backed VM, so the doctor reports which of its dependencies (KVM, QEMU, OVMF firmware, vhost-vsock, virtiofsd) are installed or missing. For additional troubleshooting, uninstallation instructions, and log locations, see [docs/troubleshooting.md](docs/troubleshooting.md). ## Acknowledgments This project was inspired by [k3d3's claude-desktop-linux-flake](https://github.com/k3d3/claude-desktop-linux-flake) and their [Reddit post](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1hgsmpq/i_successfully_ran_claude_desktop_natively_on/) about running Claude Desktop natively on Linux. Special thanks to: - **k3d3** - Original NixOS implementation - Native bindings insights - **[emsi](https://github.com/emsi/claude-desktop)** - Title bar fix - Alternative implementation approach - **[leobuskin](https://github.com/leobuskin/unofficial-claude-desktop-linux)** for the Playwright-based URL resolution approach The full contributor credits list — everyone whose PR, fix, or analysis shaped this project, in chronological order — lives in [ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.md](ACKNOWLEDGMENTS.md). ## Sponsorship If this project is useful to you, consider [sponsoring on GitHub](https://github.com/sponsors/aaddrick). ## License The build scripts in this repository are dual-licensed under: - MIT License (see [LICENSE-MIT](LICENSE-MIT)) - Apache License 2.0 (see [LICENSE-APACHE](LICENSE-APACHE)) The Claude Desktop application