Claude Desktop for Linux (Fedora)

Acknowledgments

This project was inspired by k3d3's claude-desktop-linux-flake and their Reddit post about running Claude Desktop natively on Linux.

Special thanks to:

• k3d3 for the original NixOS implementation and native bindings insights
• emsi for the title bar fix and alternative implementation approach
• aaddrick for the Debian/Ubuntu implementation

For NixOS users, please refer to k3d3's repository for a Nix-specific implementation. For Debian/Ubuntu users, please refer to aaddrick's repository for a Debian-specific implementation.

This project provides build scripts to run Claude Desktop natively on Linux systems, with a focus on Fedora and RPM-based distributions. It repackages the official Windows application for Fedora, RHEL, and other RPM-based systems, producing either .rpm packages or AppImages.

Note: This is an unofficial build script and a Fedora-focused fork. For official support, please visit Anthropic's website. For issues with the build script or Linux implementation, please open an issue in this repository.

Features

• Native Linux Support: Run Claude Desktop without virtualization or Wine
• MCP Support: Full Model Context Protocol integration
  Configuration file location: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• System Integration:
  • X11 Global hotkey support (Ctrl+Alt+Space)
  • System tray integration
  • Desktop environment integration

Screenshots

Installation

Using Pre-built Releases

Download the latest .rpm or .AppImage from the Releases page.

Building from Source

Prerequisites

• Fedora, RHEL, CentOS, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, openSUSE, or other RPM-based Linux distribution
• Git
• Basic build tools (automatically installed by the script)
• sudo access for dependency installation

Note: The build script automatically detects your system architecture (x86_64/aarch64) and installs required dependencies including:

• p7zip and p7zip-plugins for extraction
• wget for downloads
• icoutils for icon processing
• ImageMagick for image conversion
• rpm-build for RPM package creation
• Node.js 20+ (installed locally if system version is insufficient)

Build Instructions

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Frost26/Claude-Linux-Desktop.git
cd Claude-Linux-Desktop

# Make the build script executable
chmod +x build-fedora.sh

# Build an RPM package (default for this fork)
./build-fedora.sh --build rpm

# Build an AppImage
./build-fedora.sh --build appimage

# Build with custom options
./build-fedora.sh --build rpm --clean no  # Keep intermediate files
./build-fedora.sh --test-flags              # Test argument parsing

Installing the Built Package

For .rpm packages:

# Install with DNF (Fedora)
sudo dnf install ./claude-desktop-*.rpm

# Or with YUM (RHEL/CentOS)
sudo yum install ./claude-desktop-*.rpm

# Or with Zypper (openSUSE)
sudo zypper install ./claude-desktop-*.rpm

For AppImages:

# Make executable
chmod +x ./claude-desktop-*.AppImage

# Run directly
./claude-desktop-*.AppImage

# Or integrate with your system using Gear Lever

Important: AppImage login requires proper desktop integration for the claude:// URL scheme to work correctly.

Recommended: Use Gear Lever for proper AppImage integration:

# Install Gear Lever via Flatpak
flatpak install flathub it.mijorus.gearlever

Manual Integration: If not using Gear Lever, install the generated .desktop file:

cp claude-desktop-appimage.desktop ~/.local/share/applications/
update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications/

Automatic Updates:

• AppImages from GitHub releases include embedded update information
• Gear Lever automatically handles updates from GitHub releases
• Locally-built AppImages can be manually configured for updates in Gear Lever

Configuration

MCP Configuration

Model Context Protocol settings are stored in:

~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Application Logs

Runtime logs are available at:

$HOME/claude-desktop-launcher.log

Uninstallation

For .rpm packages:

# Remove package (DNF/Fedora)
sudo dnf remove claude-desktop

# Or with YUM (RHEL/CentOS)
sudo yum remove claude-desktop

# Or with Zypper (openSUSE)
sudo zypper remove claude-desktop

For AppImages:

1. Delete the .AppImage file
2. Remove the .desktop file from ~/.local/share/applications/
3. If using Gear Lever, use its uninstall option

Remove user configuration (both formats):

rm -rf ~/.config/Claude

Troubleshooting

Window Scaling Issues

If the window doesn't scale correctly on first launch:

1. Right-click the Claude Desktop tray icon
2. Select "Quit" (do not force quit)
3. Restart the application

This allows the application to save display settings properly.

Build Issues

If you encounter permission errors during build:

# Ensure the script is executable
chmod +x build-fedora.sh

# If sudo authentication fails
sudo -v  # Validate sudo credentials

If Node.js version issues occur, the script will automatically download and install Node.js 20.18.1 locally.

AppImage Sandbox Warning

AppImages run with --no-sandbox due to Electron's chrome-sandbox requiring root privileges for unprivileged namespace creation. This is a known limitation of AppImage format with Electron applications.

For enhanced security, consider:

• Using the .rpm package instead (recommended for system-wide installation)
• Running the AppImage within a separate sandbox (e.g., bubblewrap)
• Using Gear Lever's integrated AppImage management for better isolation

Architecture Support

The build script automatically detects and supports:

• x86_64 (Intel/AMD 64-bit)
• aarch64 (ARM 64-bit)

Both architectures support RPM and AppImage output formats.

Technical Details

How It Works

Claude Desktop is an Electron application distributed for Windows. This project:

1. Downloads the official Windows installer
2. Extracts application resources
3. Replaces Windows-specific native modules with Linux-compatible implementations
4. Repackages as either:
   • RPM package: Standard system package with full integration for Fedora/RHEL/openSUSE
   • AppImage: Portable, self-contained executable

Build Process

The build script (build-fedora.sh) handles:

• Dependency checking and installation for RPM-based systems
• Resource extraction from Windows installer
• Icon processing for Linux desktop standards
• Native module replacement
• Package generation based on selected format (RPM or AppImage)

Updating for New Releases

The script automatically detects system architecture and downloads the appropriate version. Current supported Claude Desktop architectures:

• AMD64: Claude-Setup-x64.exe
• ARM64: Claude-Setup-arm64.exe

If Claude Desktop's download URLs change, update the CLAUDE_DOWNLOAD_URL variables in build-fedora.sh.

Security Features

The build process includes multiple security enhancements:

• Input validation and sanitization
• Secure file extraction with directory traversal prevention
• Package name whitelisting
• Checksum verification for Node.js downloads
• File integrity checking with backup creation
• Secure temporary directory creation

License

The build scripts in this repository are dual-licensed under:

• MIT License (see LICENSE-MIT)
• Apache License 2.0 (see LICENSE-APACHE)

The Claude Desktop application itself is subject to Anthropic's Consumer Terms.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! By submitting a contribution, you agree to license it under the same dual-license terms as this project.