Claude desktop on Linux: the beta, the KVM wall, and open source
Anthropic's Linux beta of the Claude desktop app installs with apt on Ubuntu and Debian. Cowork then needs /dev/kvm and /dev/vhost-vsock, devices only the kernel can expose. The open source route runs the agent on a cloud computer instead, so the virtual machine stays off your machine.
On Linux, Cowork runs those tasks in a virtual machine that the desktop app hosts with QEMU and KVM.Access to /dev/kvm: add your user to the kvm group with sudo usermod -aG kvm $USER, then log out and back in.Some desktop environments grant the logged-in user access to /dev/kvm without the group, but Cowork also needs /dev/vhost-vsock, which only kvm group members can open.
Two terminals, two machines.
One installs a desktop app and the virtual machine it hosts. The other starts a session on a cloud computer.
$ sudo apt install curl gnupg$ sudo curl -fsSLo /usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/key.asc$ echo "deb [arch=amd64,arm64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/claude-desktop-archive-keyring.asc] https://downloads.claude.ai/claude-desktop/apt/stable stable main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/claude-desktop.list$ sudo apt update && sudo apt install claude-desktop$ claude-desktop
$ curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bash$ kortix login$ kortix init my-agent$ kortix sessions new --prompt "Add a skill that drafts the weekly status report"
What each route needs from the machine in front of you
Three routes side by side, compared on what each installs, needs, runs and maintains.
Open source
Yes. Read it, fork it, audit it.
No. It is Anthropic's proprietary app.
Scripts are open; the app inside is proprietary.
What runs on your machine
A browser, or the CLI.
The desktop app, and a QEMU virtual machine for Cowork.
The same app, repackaged for your distribution.
What it needs on your machine
A browser. Or the CLI on Linux x86_64 and arm64.
Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+; KVM and /dev/vhost-vsock for Cowork.
Fedora, RHEL, NixOS or Arch. Cowork still needs KVM.
Where agent work runs
On a cloud computer, one isolated sandbox per session.
In the virtual machine the app hosts on your machine.
In the same virtual machine, on your machine.
Who maintains it
Kortix, as open source you can fork and self-host.
Anthropic, as a beta.
Volunteers, through a repackaging project and the AUR package.
Sources are Anthropic's Linux docs and download page, the repackaging repository and the AUR entry, checked October 2026.
What Linux readers ask before they install it
Can you run Claude desktop on Linux?
Yes, in beta, on Ubuntu and Debian. Anthropic publishes a .deb for x86_64 and arm64 from its own apt repository, and says support for other distributions is coming.
Is there a Claude desktop for Arch Linux?
Yes, the AUR package claude-desktop carries Anthropic's official build to Arch. Arch is not a supported distribution, so Cowork still depends on KVM and /dev/vhost-vsock being available.
Is Claude desktop better than CLI?
For Linux, the CLI runs on more distributions, and it is what Anthropic tells Fedora and Arch readers to use. The desktop app adds Cowork's virtual machine and a graphical window.
Start the session on a cloud computer.
Agents, skills, memory, and connectors in one git repo you own.