Open-source desktop app lets you use Claude's UI with any AI backend
A developer built an open-source desktop app that looks and feels like the Claude desktop app, but lets you swap in any AI harness as the backend. It frees you from being locked into Anthropic's official app while keeping a familiar desktop experience.
The official Claude desktop app only connects to Anthropic's own service. This open-source project replicates that desktop interface but lets users plug in whatever AI harness they prefer — whether that's a locally running model, a different API, or a custom setup. A harness here means the software layer that actually runs or routes requests to an AI model.
For solo developers and makers, this means you can build a desktop AI workflow without paying for Claude API access or working within the limits of the official app. Since the code is public, you can modify it to fit your own needs or connect it to whatever backend works best for your setup.
Key points
- Provides a Claude-like desktop UI that works with any AI backend, not just Anthropic
- You can connect local models, other APIs, or custom setups as the backend
- Fully open-source — you can read, modify, and redistribute the code
- Useful for developers who want a desktop app feel without being tied to one AI service
Quick term guide
- open-source
- Software whose code is shared publicly so others can inspect, use, or change it.
- Claude Desktop
- Anthropic's computer app for using Claude outside the browser.
- Interface
- The visual parts of a program that a human interacts with.
- software
- Programs or apps that run on a computer or smartphone.
- AI model
- A program that can understand prompts and produce text, code, or answers.
- developers
- Developers are people who build software, apps, or websites.
- AI workflow
- A repeatable set of steps that uses AI to help finish a task.
- local model
- An AI model you run directly on your own computer, with no internet connection or external service needed.