Desktop App

The FERAL desktop app is a native Tauri application that gives you instant access to your AI brain from anywhere on your desktop. Global hotkeys, a floating window, and system tray integration mean FERAL is always one keystroke away.

Installation

Pre-built Binaries

Download the latest release for your platform from the releases page:

Platform	File
macOS (Apple Silicon)	`FERAL_x.x.x_aarch64.dmg`
macOS (Intel)	`FERAL_x.x.x_x64.dmg`
Windows	`FERAL_x.x.x_x64-setup.exe`
Linux (AppImage)	`FERAL_x.x.x_amd64.AppImage`
Linux (deb)	`FERAL_x.x.x_amd64.deb`

Building from Source

Prerequisites:

Rust (1.75+)
Node.js (20+)
Platform-specific dependencies (see below)

# Clone the repo
git clone https://github.com/FERAL-AI/FERAL-AI.git
cd FERAL-AI/feral-desktop

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Development mode (hot reload)
npm run tauri dev

# Production build
npm run tauri build

Platform-specific Build Dependencies

macOS:

xcode-select --install

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev build-essential curl wget \
  libssl-dev libgtk-3-dev libayatana-appindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev

Windows:

Visual Studio Build Tools with “Desktop development with C++”
WebView2 (included in Windows 10/11)

Features

Global Hotkeys

Hotkey	Action
`Ctrl+Space` / `Cmd+Space`	Toggle floating window
`Ctrl+Shift+V` / `Cmd+Shift+V`	Voice input (push-to-talk)
`Ctrl+Shift+S` / `Cmd+Shift+S`	Screenshot + ask FERAL
`Escape`	Dismiss floating window

Hotkeys are customizable in Settings → Keyboard Shortcuts.

Floating Window

The floating window is a compact, always-on-top chat interface. Type a question, get an answer, and dismiss — all without leaving your current app. Features:

Auto-resize — expands as the conversation grows
Pin mode — keep the window visible while you work
Quick actions — clipboard paste, screenshot, file drop
Theme — follows your system dark/light mode

System Tray

FERAL lives in your system tray (menu bar on macOS). Right-click for quick actions:

Open FERAL — launch the main window
Quick Ask — one-shot question from a text field
Voice — start voice input
Status — brain connection status, active devices
Quit — close the app (brain keeps running)

Notification Center

Desktop notifications for proactive alerts from the Brain:

Health warnings from wristband data
Calendar reminders
Email summaries (VIP filter)
Smart home alerts (motion, temperature, etc.)

Configuration

App settings are stored in the platform-specific config directory:

Platform	Path
macOS	`~/Library/Application Support/com.feral.desktop/config.json`
Windows	`%APPDATA%\com.feral.desktop\config.json`
Linux	`~/.config/com.feral.desktop/config.json`

Key settings:

Setting	Default	Description
`brain_url`	`ws://localhost:9090/v1/session`	FERAL brain WebSocket URL
`launch_at_login`	`false`	Start FERAL when you log in
`floating_window.position`	`top-right`	Default position: `top-left`, `top-right`, `bottom-left`, `bottom-right`, `center`
`floating_window.width`	`400`	Window width in pixels
`floating_window.opacity`	`0.95`	Window opacity (0.0 – 1.0)
`theme`	`system`	`light`, `dark`, or `system`
`hotkeys.toggle`	`CmdOrCtrl+Space`	Global toggle hotkey

Architecture

┌──────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Tauri App Shell            │
│  ┌──────────┐    ┌────────────────┐  │
│  │  Rust    │    │  Web UI        │  │
│  │  Backend │◄──►│  (React /      │  │
│  │  (IPC,   │    │   WebView)     │  │
│  │   tray,  │    └────────────────┘  │
│  │   hotkeys│                        │
│  └────┬─────┘                        │
│       │ WebSocket                    │
└───────┼──────────────────────────────┘
        ▼
┌──────────────┐
│  FERAL Brain │
│  (localhost)  │
└──────────────┘

The Rust backend handles system integration (global hotkeys, tray, notifications) while the web UI runs in a lightweight WebView. Communication with the FERAL brain uses the same WebSocket protocol as the browser extension and mobile apps.

Troubleshooting

Global hotkeys not working

On macOS, grant Accessibility permission: System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility → enable FERAL. On Linux, some Wayland compositors don’t support global hotkeys — try X11.

App can't connect to Brain

Ensure the FERAL brain is running (feral start). Check that brain_url in settings matches your brain’s address.

Build fails on Linux

Install all webkit2gtk dependencies listed above. On Fedora: sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1-devel openssl-devel gtk3-devel.

System tray icon missing on Linux

Install libayatana-appindicator3-1 (or libappindicator-gtk3 on older distros). Some desktop environments require a tray extension.

Overview

Getting Started

Guides

Marketplace

Memory

Hardware

Channels

Connectivity

Security

Native Apps

Operations

SDKs

Reference

Help

Community

Desktop App

Desktop App

Installation

Pre-built Binaries

Building from Source

Platform-specific Build Dependencies

Features

Global Hotkeys

Floating Window

System Tray

Notification Center

Configuration

Architecture

Troubleshooting

​Desktop App

​Installation

​Pre-built Binaries

​Building from Source

​Platform-specific Build Dependencies

​Features

​Global Hotkeys

​Floating Window

​System Tray

​Notification Center

​Configuration

​Architecture

​Troubleshooting

Desktop App

Installation

Pre-built Binaries

Building from Source

Platform-specific Build Dependencies

Features

Global Hotkeys

Floating Window

System Tray

Notification Center

Configuration

Architecture

Troubleshooting