HyperDesk

Give real dev work to AI agents. HyperDesk is a free, open-source desktop app for developers who want an agent that can read a project, run commands, drive a browser, coordinate subagents — and ask before changing anything that matters. It runs Pi agent sessions beside a browser workspace, on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

Website & downloads: https://hyperdesk.zenbin.org

HyperDesk deliberately gives an agent local capabilities. Every action that touches your files, your shell, or the outside world stops at an approval prompt — you stay in control. See Trust & safety.

Download

Grab a build for your OS from the latest release:

• macOS (Apple Silicon) — signed & notarized .dmg
• Windows — .exe installer (currently unsigned; see note below)
• Linux — .AppImage or .deb

Windows: the installer is not yet code-signed, so SmartScreen may warn ("Windows protected your PC" → More info → Run anyway). This does not mean the download is unsafe. See Enabling Windows signing.

Or run it from npm without downloading a build:

npx hyperdesk        # uses the current directory as the workspace

Requirements

HyperDesk works out of the box for chat — it bundles what it needs to run an agent. Two capabilities depend on tools you install yourself:

| You want to… | You need | | --- | --- | | Chat with an agent | An AI provider — your own API key or subscription (OpenAI, Anthropic, …), or a local model via Ollama (the only no-account option). HyperDesk includes no model and no key. | | Browser automation | Google Chrome / Chromium installed, and/or the agent-browser CLI (npm i -g agent-browser) for fast background browsing. Without either, chat still works; browser features don't. | | Extra Pi packages (optional) | Node.js / npm on your PATH, and Session → Enable External Pi Packages turned on. |

Trust & safety

Pi sessions start with read-only project tools (read, grep, find, ls, browser/Chrome snapshots). Anything that can change local or browser state requires your approval:

• file writes and shell commands,
• browser/Chrome clicks, fills, scrolls, key presses, and form submits,
• subagent delegation and prompt scheduling,
• ZenBin identity and publishing actions.

The "approve all for this session" buttons are convenient but powerful — treat them as real trust decisions. HyperDesk is intentionally local-first: no telemetry, no analytics, no phone-home (see the Privacy Policy). Your provider API key and any ZenBin private key stay on your machine. Report vulnerabilities per SECURITY.md.

Getting started (from source)

npm install
npm run dev     # compiles Gleam, starts Vite on 127.0.0.1:5173, opens Electron

On first launch, configure a model in Settings (connect a subscription, paste an API key, or point at a local Ollama), then send your first message. Try a concrete task: "review this PR", "reproduce this browser bug", or "run the release checklist".

Build & checks

npm run gleam:build   # compile Gleam → JavaScript
npm run build         # production renderer bundle
npm run check         # node --check + smoke tests + doc check + gleam test + build
npm start             # build, then launch Electron

npm run check is the full validation gate and must pass before a PR.

Project layout

src/hyper_desk.gleam        Gleam/Lustre app state, update loop, and views
src/hyper_desk/*.gleam      Gleam wrappers for browser, Pi, Markdown, URL FFI
src/hyper_desk/*.ffi.mjs    JavaScript FFI called by compiled Gleam
electron/main.cjs           Electron window, IPC handlers, menus, browser tools
electron/pi-adapter.cjs     Pi SDK session management and custom tools
electron/chrome-adapter.cjs Chrome DevTools Protocol integration
electron/browser-backends.cjs  Backend routing, risk analysis, profile handling
electron/preload.cjs        Safe IPC bridge exposed to the renderer
renderer/                   Renderer bootstrap, widget host, styling
docs/                       User + agent documentation (ships with the app)
docs/dev/                   Internal design notes / PRDs (not shipped)
scripts/*-smoke.cjs         Smoke tests wired into `npm run check`

Documentation

In-app: Help → HyperDesk Documentation (or press F1). On disk, the user/agent docs live in docs/. Contributors should start with AGENTS.md (architecture + security model) and CONTRIBUTING.md.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md and the Code of Conduct. Please keep the approval/security model intact and run npm run check before opening a PR.

License

MIT © hyper63. Bundled third-party licenses are listed in THIRD-PARTY-NOTICES.md.