Deskfolk v0.4
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Experimental Source Built from main · latest release v0.4.0

Windows preview

The Windows build is an experimental preview: how to install it, where data and keys live, which shell Bots run commands in, and what it still lacks next to the Mac.

On this page
  1. Install
  2. Where data and keys live
  3. What Bots run commands in
  4. Remote access and the remote screen
  5. Letting your own Claude Code run a Bot
  6. Not there yet
  7. Running from source

Windows preview (experimental)

The Windows build is a fresh, experimental preview: it installs and runs, but a few features are still Mac-only. This page covers installing it, where things live, and how it differs from the Mac. As of 0.1.0-rc.12 it has run on one Windows Server 2022 machine, and has not yet been checked on Windows 10 or 11.

Install

  1. Download Deskfolk_<version>_x64-setup.exe from the latest release (x64 only).
  2. Run it. It installs for the current user and needs no administrator rights.
  3. The installer is not signed, so SmartScreen warns about an unknown publisher: choose More info → Run anyway.

It also needs the WebView2 runtime: Windows 11 ships with it; on Windows 10, install it first if it is missing.

To upgrade, run the newer installer. When About finds a new version it only opens the download in the browser; installing from inside the app is not there yet. The installer closes an open window first, and the daemon and the terminals it started end with it; if only a daemon from an earlier run is left, the installer stops that too, since a running file cannot be overwritten.

Where data and keys live

  • The data folder is %LOCALAPPDATA%\real-bot (<home>\AppData\Local\real-bot when LOCALAPPDATA is not set); REAL_BOT_DATA_DIR still takes precedence.
  • Endpoint API keys and MCP credentials go to Windows Credential Manager instead of the macOS Keychain.

The docs and the glossary are written for macOS (Dock, Keychain, Finder, Trash); on Windows, Credential Manager stands in for the Keychain.

What Bots run commands in

A Bot's shell tool runs commands in Git Bash when it finds one, and in PowerShell otherwise, so installing Git for Windows is recommended. The REAL_BOT_TOOL_SHELL environment variable can point at a bash.exe, pwsh.exe or powershell.exe to override that choice.

Remote access and the remote screen

Remote access works as on the Mac (remote access), with two differences. Approving a device uses Windows Hello — face, fingerprint or PIN — so set a PIN under Windows Settings → Accounts → Sign-in options first. And the remote screen needs a VNC server, since Windows has no screen sharing of its own: install TightVNC as a system service, set its password, and allow loopback connections only; the steps are in remote access, and the card in Settings lists them while no VNC server answers. Neither has been tried on a real Windows PC yet (ADR 0059).

Letting your own Claude Code run a Bot

Claude Agent (how it works) can be picked on Windows too. The claude.exe the official install script puts in place and npm's claude.cmd are both found; for one installed elsewhere, give its full path (C:\… or ~\…) under Settings › Agents › Claude Agent. Claude Code itself needs Git for Windows on Windows. With no proxy environment variables set, it goes through the proxy switched on under Settings › Network & internet › Proxy. Stop ends Claude Code and every command it started. None of this has been tried on a real Windows PC yet (ADR 0061).

The other local agents (how they work) can be picked on Windows too, but none of them has been run on a Windows PC yet. npm installs (such as Codex) are codex.cmd and the like under %APPDATA%\npm and run through cmd.exe, as claude.cmd does; for one installed elsewhere, give its full path in Settings › Agents.

Not there yet

  • The optional independent runtime (off by default on the Mac too).
  • Holding off idle sleep while work runs (the Mac does it on power).
  • Downloading and installing an update inside the app: a new version still means a manual download in the browser.
  • Desktop notifications and the icon badge.
  • Frosted glass on Windows 10: the window's material is Windows 11's Mica, and on Windows 10 the window has a solid ground.
  • Image thumbnails. Images sent to a model are not affected.

Running from source

The same pnpm install and pnpm dev as on the Mac, plus Rust's MSVC toolchain and Visual Studio Build Tools ("Desktop development with C++"), and a one-time build of the terminal helper. Prerequisites and packaging steps are in the development guide (in Chinese).