UNOFFICIAL COMMUNITY PROJECT

This is an independent community project to bring Claude Desktop to Linux. For issues with this installer, please report them here - this project is not affiliated with or supported by Anthropic.

Claude Desktop for Linux

Status: ✅ Fully Working | Supports: Fedora 42+ | Source: Build from Official Installer

An intelligent installer that builds Claude Desktop for Fedora Linux directly from Anthropic's official Windows installer, providing seamless Linux integration with automatic updates.

🚀 One-Line Installation

curl -sSL -H "Cache-Control: no-cache" "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/CaullenOmdahl/claude-desktop-fedora/main/install.sh?$(date +%s)" | sudo bash

That's it! The installer will:

• ✅ Download Anthropic's official Claude Desktop installer
• ✅ Build a native Linux package with bundled Electron
• ✅ Install with full desktop integration
• ✅ Set up automatic update checking
• ✅ Create convenient update commands

Note: This script builds from Anthropic's official installer - no pre-built binaries are redistributed.

System Requirements

Requirements (Based on Testing)

• OS: Fedora 42 (other versions untested)
• Architecture: x86_64 (64-bit) - ARM untested
• RAM: 4GB minimum (8GB recommended for smooth operation)
• Storage: 200MB for installation, 2GB for building from source
• Network: Internet connection for initial download

Software Dependencies (Auto-installed)

• Runtime: Electron 37.0.0+ (standalone installation)
• System Libraries: GTK3, GLib, standard X11/Wayland libraries
• Build Dependencies (if building from source): rpm-build, p7zip-plugins, icoutils, sqlite, ImageMagick

✨ Features

• 🔗 MCP Support: Full Model Context Protocol integration
• ⌨️ Global Shortcuts: Ctrl+Alt+Space popup functionality
• 📍 System Tray: Native system tray integration
• 🖥️ Desktop Integration: Proper Linux desktop experience
• 🔄 Auto Updates: Built-in update detection and management
• 📦 All-in-One: Bundled with Electron - no separate installation needed

MCP Configuration: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Usage

After Installation

# Launch Claude Desktop
claude-desktop

# Update to latest version
claude-desktop-installer

# Check version
claude-desktop-installer --version

Manual Build (Advanced)

If you prefer to build manually:

# Clone this repository
git clone https://github.com/CaullenOmdahl/claude-desktop-fedora.git
cd claude-desktop-fedora

# Build and install
sudo ./build-fedora.sh
sudo dnf install $(uname -m)/claude-desktop-*.rpm

Tested Environment

✅ Confirmed Working

• OS: Fedora Linux 42 (Workstation Edition)
• Architecture: x86_64 (64-bit)
• Desktop Environment: GNOME (Wayland session with X11 backend)
• Build Script: Automatically downloads and builds latest Claude Desktop
• Features Confirmed:
  • Application launches successfully
  • System tray integration working
  • MCP support functional
  • Ctrl+Alt+Space global shortcut working
  • All desktop integration features working

❓ Untested (May Work)

• Other desktop environments (KDE, XFCE, etc.)
• Older Fedora versions
• Other architectures

How it works

Claude Desktop is an Electron application packaged as a Windows executable. Our build script performs several key operations to make it work on Linux:

1. Downloads and extracts the Windows installer
2. Unpacks the app.asar archive containing the application code
3. Replaces the Windows-specific native module with a Linux-compatible implementation
4. Repackages everything into a proper RPM package

The process works because Claude Desktop is largely cross-platform, with only one platform-specific component that needs replacement.

The Native Module Challenge

The only platform-specific component is a native Node.js module called claude-native-bindings. This module provides system-level functionality like:

• Keyboard input handling
• Window management
• System tray integration
• Monitor information

Our build script replaces this Windows-specific module with a Linux-compatible implementation that:

1. Provides the same API surface to maintain compatibility
2. Implements keyboard handling using the correct key codes from the reference implementation
3. Stubs out unnecessary Windows-specific functionality
4. Maintains critical features like the Ctrl+Alt+Space popup and system tray

The compatibility layer maintains full API compatibility while providing native Linux functionality, ensuring seamless operation without application modifications.

Technical Implementation

The intelligent build system works through these steps:

1. Environment Validation: Verifies Fedora compatibility and installs required tools
2. Source Acquisition: Downloads and validates Anthropic's official installer
3. Resource Extraction: Intelligently unpacks application assets and dependencies
4. Linux Adaptation: Replaces Windows-specific components with cross-platform equivalents
5. Integration Setup: Configures desktop integration, icons, and system services
6. Package Creation: Builds a native RPM with proper metadata and dependencies
7. Post-Install Configuration: Sets up launchers, update checking, and user environment

How It Works

The installer works by:

1. Download: Gets Anthropic's official Windows Claude Desktop installer
2. Extract: Unpacks the installer to access the application files
3. Adapt: Replaces Windows-specific components with Linux equivalents
4. Package: Builds a native RPM with bundled Electron runtime
5. Install: Uses standard package management for clean installation
6. Integrate: Sets up desktop integration and update checking

Compliance: No pre-built binaries are distributed. Users build directly from Anthropic's official installer.

Environment Variables

The launcher script sets these environment variables to ensure proper operation:

• GDK_BACKEND=x11 - Forces X11 backend (prevents Wayland conflicts)
• GTK_USE_PORTAL=0 - Disables GTK portal (prevents dialog issues)
• ELECTRON_DISABLE_SECURITY_WARNINGS=true - Reduces console noise

File Locations

• Application files: /usr/lib64/claude-desktop/
• Bundled Electron: /usr/lib64/claude-desktop/electron/
• Launcher script: /usr/bin/claude-desktop
• Desktop entry: /usr/share/applications/claude-desktop.desktop
• Icons: /usr/share/icons/hicolor/*/apps/claude-desktop.*
• MCP config: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Logs: ~/claude-desktop-launcher.log

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Installation fails: Ensure you have sudo access and stable internet connection
2. Application won't start: Check the log file: ~/claude-desktop-launcher.log
3. GTK warnings: These are cosmetic and don't affect functionality
4. System tray not working: Ensure your desktop environment supports system tray
5. Updates not detected: Run claude-desktop-installer to force check

Getting Help

• Check the log file: ~/claude-desktop-launcher.log
• Run with debug: ELECTRON_ENABLE_LOGGING=true claude-desktop
• Update: claude-desktop-installer
• Report issues to this repository (not Anthropic)

Update Issues

If automatic updates fail:

# Force reinstall
sudo claude-desktop-installer

# Or manual build
git clone https://github.com/CaullenOmdahl/claude-desktop-fedora.git
cd claude-desktop-fedora && sudo ./build-fedora.sh

License

The build scripts in this repository, are dual-licensed under the terms of the MIT license and the Apache License (Version 2.0).

See LICENSE-MIT and LICENSE-APACHE for details.

The Claude Desktop application, not included in this repository, is covered by Anthropic's Consumer Terms.

Contribution

Unless you explicitly state otherwise, any contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the work by you, as defined in the Apache-2.0 license, shall be dual licensed as above, without any additional terms or conditions.

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About This Project

This is an independent community effort to bring Claude Desktop to Linux through an intelligent build system. The project focuses on providing a seamless, legally compliant installation experience while maintaining full compatibility with Claude Desktop's features.