ClaudeDesk

!License
!Platform
!Version

> A powerful desktop terminal for Claude Code CLI with multi-session management, split-view layouts, and advanced productivity features.

ClaudeDesk is an Electron-based desktop application that wraps the Claude Code CLI in a feature-rich terminal interface. Manage multiple Claude sessions simultaneously, organize your workspace with split views, use prompt templates, and monitor your API usage—all in one beautiful desktop app.

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📸 Screenshots

_Screenshots coming soon! For now, see Features for a detailed overview._

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✨ Features

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- Multiple Claude sessions in tabbed interface
- Session persistence - resume sessions after app restart
- Named sessions for better organization
- Session history - search and export conversation logs
- Checkpoints - save and restore session states

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- Split screen support with up to 4 terminal panes
- Flexible layouts - horizontal and vertical splits
- Drag-and-drop session assignment to panes
- Independent sessions per pane

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- Lock sessions to their creation directory
- Prevents accidental directory changes in Claude sessions
- Workspace support - save favorite directories for quick access
- Per-session working directories

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- Keyboard shortcut (Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P) to launch command palette
- Prompt template library for common tasks
- Variable substitution - {{clipboard}}, {{currentDir}}, {{selection}}, etc.
- Custom templates - create and edit your own
- Fuzzy search for quick template access

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- Real-time quota display - see your Claude API usage at a glance
- Burn rate tracking - monitor spending over time
- Budget alerts - get notified when approaching limits
- Session-level tracking (optional)

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- Full xterm.js terminal with rich text formatting
- Clickable links - URLs automatically detected
- Copy/paste support with keyboard shortcuts
- Search within terminal output
- Custom theme - Tokyo Night inspired dark theme
- Monospace font - JetBrains Mono for optimal readability

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- Permission modes - control Claude's access level per session
- Ctrl+C handling - graceful session termination with confirmation
- Session export - save conversations to markdown
- Session search - find past conversations

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🚀 Why ClaudeDesk?

While Claude Code CLI is powerful, managing multiple sessions, switching contexts, and organizing prompts becomes unwieldy in a terminal. ClaudeDesk solves this by adding:

✅ Multi-session management - Run multiple Claude conversations in tabs
✅ Directory locking - Each session stays in its project directory
✅ Prompt library - Reusable templates for common tasks
✅ Quota monitoring - See your API usage at a glance
✅ Split view - Work on multiple projects side-by-side
✅ Persistent state - Never lose your session history

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📋 Prerequisites

Before installing ClaudeDesk, ensure you have:

1. Node.js 18+ - Download here
2. Claude Code CLI - Install via:
``bash
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
`
Or follow the official installation guide
3. Claude API credentials - ClaudeDesk reads from ~/.claude/.credentials.json (set up by Claude CLI)

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💻 Installation

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Coming soon! Download the latest release for your platform from the Releases page.

- Windows: ClaudeDesk-Setup-1.0.0.exe
- macOS: ClaudeDesk-1.0.0.dmg
- Linux: ClaudeDesk-1.0.0.AppImage or .deb

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`bash


Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/carloluisito/claudedesk.git
cd claudedesk

Install dependencies

npm install

Run in development mode

npm run electron:dev

Or build for production

npm run package
`

Build for specific platforms:
`bash
npm run package:win # Windows
npm run package:mac # macOS
npm run package:linux # Linux
`

Built packages will be in the release/ directory.

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🎯 Quick Start

1. Launch ClaudeDesk from your applications menu or run npm run electron:dev

2. Create your first session:
- Click "New Session" or press Ctrl/Cmd+N
- Name your session (e.g., "My Project")
- Select working directory
- Choose permission mode (Ask, Auto-approve, or Auto-deny)

3. Start using Claude:
- Type your prompt in the terminal
- Claude responds just like the CLI
- Your session is automatically saved

4. Try the command palette:
- Press Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P
- Browse or search prompt templates
- Select a template to insert it

5. Enable split view:
- Click the split view icon in the header
- Create multiple panes for parallel work
- Drag sessions between panes

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🎨 Key Keyboard Shortcuts

| Shortcut | Action |
|----------|--------|
| Ctrl/Cmd+N | New Session |
| Ctrl/Cmd+W | Close Current Session |
| Ctrl/Cmd+Tab | Next Session Tab |
| Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+Tab | Previous Session Tab |
| Ctrl/Cmd+Shift+P | Open Command Palette |
| Ctrl/Cmd+F | Search in Terminal |
| Ctrl/Cmd+, | Open Settings |
| Ctrl+C | Session Termination Dialog |

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🔒 Privacy & Security

ClaudeDesk is designed with privacy in mind:

- Local-first: All session data stored on your machine
- No telemetry: We don't collect or transmit usage data
- No third-party services: Only communicates with Anthropic's official API
- Credential security: Reads Claude CLI credentials locally, never logs or stores them
- HTTPS only: All API calls use secure connections

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ClaudeDesk reads Claude Code CLI credentials from ~/.claude/.credentials.json to:
- Display API quota usage
- Monitor burn rate
- Provide session management features

Your credentials are:
- ✅ Read locally only
- ✅ Never logged or stored by ClaudeDesk
- ✅ Only sent to Anthropic's official API endpoints (api.anthropic.com)
- ✅ Transmitted over HTTPS

You can disable quota monitoring in Settings if you prefer.

For more details, see SECURITY.md.

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🗂️ Project Structure

`
claudedesk/
├── src/
│ ├── main/ # Electron main process
│ │ ├── index.ts # App entry point
│ │ ├── cli-manager.ts # PTY spawning & Claude CLI lifecycle
│ │ ├── session-manager.ts
│ │ ├── ipc-handlers.ts # Handler implementations (uses IPCRegistry)
│ │ ├── ipc-registry.ts # Typed handler registration + auto-cleanup
│ │ ├── ipc-emitter.ts # Type-safe main→renderer push events
│ │ └── quota-service.ts
│ ├── preload/ # Context bridge (auto-generated from contract)
│ │ └── index.ts
│ ├── renderer/ # React app (UI)
│ │ ├── App.tsx
│ │ ├── components/
│ │ ├── hooks/
│ │ └── utils/
│ └── shared/ # Shared types & IPC contract
│ ├── ipc-contract.ts # Single source of truth for all IPC methods
│ └── ipc-types.ts # Data type definitions
├── resources/ # Icons and assets
├── dist/ # Build output
└── release/ # Packaged apps
`

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🛠️ Development

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`bash


Install dependencies

npm install

Run in development mode (hot reload)

npm run electron:dev

Run tests (when available)

npm test

Lint code

npm run lint
`

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- Framework: Electron 28
- Frontend: React 18 + TypeScript
- Terminal: xterm.js with fit and web-links addons
- PTY: node-pty for cross-platform shell spawning
- Styling: Tailwind CSS (Tokyo Night theme)
- Build: Vite + electron-builder

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We welcome contributions! Please see CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines on:
- Development setup
- Code style and standards
- How to submit pull requests
- Issue reporting

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🐛 Known Issues

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Some development dependencies (electron, vite, electron-builder) have known security advisories. These affect development and build processes only—not the distributed application. See SECURITY.md for details.

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- Windows: PowerShell is used as the default shell. Ensure claude is in your PATH.
- macOS: Requires macOS 10.13+ (High Sierra or later).
- Linux: Tested on Ubuntu 20.04+. May require libxtst6 and libnss3 packages.

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📝 Changelog

See CHANGELOG.md for version history and release notes.

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🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Here's how you can help:

1. Report bugs - Open an issue
2. Suggest features - Request a feature
3. Submit PRs - See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines
4. Improve docs - Help make the documentation better

Please read our Code of Conduct before contributing.

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📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

`
Copyright (c) 2026 Carlo Luisito Adap
``

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🙏 Acknowledgments

- Anthropic for creating Claude and Claude Code CLI
- xterm.js for the excellent terminal emulation library
- Electron for making desktop apps easy
- node-pty for cross-platform PTY support

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⚠️ Disclaimer

ClaudeDesk is an unofficial community project and is not endorsed, affiliated with, or supported by Anthropic.

This is an independent wrapper around the Claude Code CLI. For official support, refer to Anthropic's documentation.

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📧 Support

- Issues: GitHub Issues
- Security: See SECURITY.md for reporting vulnerabilities
- Email: carlo.adap@hotmail.com

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🌟 Star this repo!

If you find ClaudeDesk useful, please consider starring the repository to help others discover it!


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Made with ❤️ by Carlo Luisito Adap