Anthropic, please ship an official Claude Desktop for Linux

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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.

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

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/

>> Anthropic, please ship an official malware for Linux

Here, fixed it for you.

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

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

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.

Doesn't Wayland make it impossible anyway?

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!"

We are all waiting for it.

You're better off just using code cli

Why dont you ask Claude to write you a TUI ?

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

just use WINE or docker

Please don't.

There is already way too much slop.

[flagged]

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