This project enables Claude Desktop's "Cowork" mode to run natively on Linux x86_64 systems, eliminating the need for macOS hardware or virtual machines. It targets Linux users who require Claude's file interaction capabilities, offering a direct and potentially faster execution environment compared to VM-based solutions.

How It Works

The core approach involves reverse-engineering and stubbing macOS-specific components of Claude Desktop, namely @ant/claude-swift and @ant/claude-native. These native modules are replaced with JavaScript implementations that mimic the required API surface. A key technique is path translation, which maps macOS VM paths to the corresponding host paths on Linux. Additionally, the project employs platform spoofing by sending macOS headers to Anthropic's servers, thereby enabling the Cowork feature. The Claude Code binary is then executed directly on the Linux host, bypassing the original macOS VM.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Primary install / run command: Clone the repository and run ./install.sh. Alternatively, use the AUR package (yay -S claude-cowork-linux).
• Non-default prerequisites: Linux x86_64, Node.js 18+, Electron, asar, p7zip (or 7zip), bubblewrap, Python 3.11+ (optional for patching). A Claude Pro (or higher) subscription is required for Cowork access. A secret service provider (e.g., gnome-keyring) is recommended for secure credential storage.
• Links: The GitHub repository serves as the primary resource.

Highlighted Details

• Features over 215 test cases across 18 files, validating IPC, path translation, security, and session persistence.
• Enables Cowork features by spoofing macOS headers (Anthropic-Client-OS-Platform: darwin).
• Achieves direct execution of the Claude Code binary on Linux, eliminating the VM overhead.
• Automates the download of the latest Claude Desktop DMG.

Maintenance & Community

This project is an "Unofficial research preview" and does not explicitly detail ongoing maintenance, community channels (like Discord/Slack), or sponsorships.

Licensing & Compatibility

• License type: MIT License.
• Compatibility notes: Targets Linux x86_64. Tested on Arch Linux with Wayland (Hyprland, KDE Plasma) and expected to work on Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, and openSUSE. NixOS is untested. Wayland support has caveats, particularly on GNOME. Requires a Claude Pro account.

Limitations & Caveats

As an unofficial research preview, this project may break with future Claude Desktop updates. Wayland support has limitations, especially on GNOME, due to the lack of GlobalShortcuts portal implementation, requiring manual configuration for global hotkeys. A Claude Pro subscription is mandatory. Initial setup requires sudo once to create a symlink for session directories.