Claude Desktop on Omarchy

Claude Desktop on Omarchy: Anthropic’s official Linux app, repackaged for Arch

Claude Desktop on Omarchy is Anthropic’s official Linux app (beta), repackaged for Arch — full chat, Projects, MCP connectors, Claude Code, and the Cowork agent mode, all from your desktop instead of a browser tab.

TL;DR install

omarchy pkg add claude-desktop

That pulls Omarchy’s claude-desktop package (~179 MB download, ~605 MB installed), which repackages Anthropic’s official Linux .deb verbatim. It’s the real app — not a web wrapper. But remember: the app binary is Anthropic’s, the Arch package is community-built and unsupported by Anthropic. Free to install; you need a Claude account (free tier works).

Getting started in 5 minutes

1. Launch and sign in

Find “Claude” in the Omarchy launcher (app icon is com.anthropic.Claude). First launch opens a browser-based sign-in: log in with your Claude account and the claude:// redirect hands the token back to the app. If the redirect stalls on Hyprland, see Issue #1 below.

2. Start a new chat

The chat interface is identical to claude.ai — same models, same context windows (up to 1M tokens on paid plans). Pick a model, type, go.

3. Three things worth doing in the first session

• Connect a folder (MCP). Claude Desktop’s signature feature over the browser is MCP servers — local file access, databases, and tools Claude can actually use. Config lives at ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (quit the app before hand-editing it; the app overwrites edits made while running).
• Open the Claude Code tab. This build ships with Claude Code integration — use the system-installed Claude Code CLI from inside the app, with changes shown as diffs you approve.
• Try a Cowork task. Cowork is the autonomous agent mode: it can work on your files, organize folders, and create documents without you approving each step. First use downloads a ~1.3 GB VM image that expands to roughly 12 GB under ~/.config/Claude/vm_bundles/, and it runs Cowork inside a KVM virtual machine (x86_64 only).

Common issues & fixes

Login doesn’t stick on Hyprland, or credentials are stored insecurely

Fix: This is upstream Chromium behavior on desktops it doesn’t recognize (Hyprland, Sway) — not a packaging bug. Workaround: copy the .desktop file to ~/.local/share/applications/, add --password-store=kwallet6 (or --password-store=gnome-libsecret) to its Exec= lines, then run update-desktop-database ~/.local/share/applications. (AUR claude-desktop maintainer notes)

The Cowork tab fails to start or the VM won’t boot

Fix: Cowork needs KVM access and its VM stack. Check your user can reach /dev/kvm (some setups need you added to the kvm group). Install the optional dependencies the package declares: qemu-system-x86, edk2-ovmf, and virtiofsd — Omarchy’s PKGBUILD already maps the app’s Debian-hardcoded VM paths onto Arch locations via symlinks, so you only need the packages themselves. Cowork is x86_64-only; there’s no UEFI firmware package on Arch Linux ARM. (AUR maintainer notes; omarchy-pkgs PKGBUILD)

The app never auto-updates itself

Fix: Expected on Linux — the app has no self-updater here. New versions arrive through system package updates. On Omarchy, omarchy update picks up new builds (Omarchy’s package tracks Anthropic’s Debian repo, which ships frequent releases). (itbrief.co.nz)

MCP servers you added by editing claude_desktop_config.json disappear

Fix: Quit Claude Desktop before hand-editing ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json, then relaunch. The app rewrites its own config while running, so edits made against a live app get overwritten on the next write. (claude-desktop-debian README)

Features you saw on a Mac/Windows demo — Computer Use, dictation — are missing

Fix: Not a bug: the Linux beta doesn’t have Computer Use or dictation, and the Ctrl+Alt+Space Quick Entry shortcut needs extra portal help on Wayland. Chat, Projects, Claude Code, MCP, and Cowork all work. (ubuntufree.com Linux FAQ)

Pairs well with / If you hate this, try

Pairs well with

• Claude Code (terminal agent — same subscription, already integrated into Omarchy 4.0’s AI menu), a secrets manager or gnome-keyring for the login issue above, and qemu/virtiofsd if you plan to use Cowork.

If you hate this, try

• Just use claude.ai in the browser — same models, zero install, and the only things you lose are MCP local-file access and Cowork. Heavy terminal users often prefer Claude Code alone.

Comparison: Claude Desktop vs browser vs CLI vs the rest

One-line verdict: If you want Claude with local file access and Cowork agents outside a browser tab, this is the only way to get it on Linux — the official .deb, just repackaged. If you only chat, the browser gives you the same thing for free.