Desktop app

Install and open

Download the desktop package from the project's releases. Current desktop release automation builds macOS aarch64 and x86_64 packages and performs ad-hoc signing before creating installers and checksums. Ad-hoc signing is not Apple notarization; follow the release's installation instructions for the platform.

The app presents Studio in a native window. macOS uses native window borders and controls. Host command dependencies still need to be available to the desktop process; an interactive shell's configuration is not automatically identical to the GUI application's environment.

Independent API listener

The desktop app starts its own loopback API on an OS-assigned port. It does not claim the CLI Studio's default port 6076, so the two can run simultaneously. Do not hard-code 6076 when integrating with the desktop frontend.

Database selection and local state still determine which projects are visible. The remembered account file contains identity only. Publishing needs the account and app-password environment variables in the CLI process performing it.

Develop the desktop app

From the repository root:

bun install --frozen-lockfile --ignore-scripts
bun run build:desktop

For native development details, see desktop/package.json, desktop/src-tauri/, and the development guide. Studio assets must be built before compiling the native executable.

The release workflow can also be triggered manually. Desktop release jobs call the repository's PureScript FluentCI module, which drives builds for the selected target, signs and verifies bundles, and creates release artifacts.