Data

Tools

Indexes

Applications

Experiments

Awesome

An open API service indexing awesome lists of open source software.

https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop

Native desktop client for Google Gemini on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Features global hotkeys, Spotlight-style Quick Chat, and zero data collection.
https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop

ai-tools chatbot desktop-app electron gemini gemini-ai google-gemini privacy-focused

Last synced: 3 months ago
JSON representation

Native desktop client for Google Gemini on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Features global hotkeys, Spotlight-style Quick Chat, and zero data collection.

Awesome Lists containing this project

README 

          
# Gemini Desktop — Native, Private AI Experience






[![GitHub release](https://img.shields.io/github/v/release/bwendell/gemini-desktop?style=flat-square)](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/releases)

[![GitHub last commit](https://img.shields.io/github/last-commit/bwendell/gemini-desktop?style=flat-square)](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/commits/main)

[![Platform]()](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/releases)

[![OpenSSF Scorecard](https://api.securityscorecards.dev/projects/github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/badge)](https://securityscorecards.dev/viewer/?uri=github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop)

[![CodeQL](https://img.shields.io/badge/CodeQL-enabled-brightgreen?logo=github)](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/security/code-scanning)






> **Gemini, but better.** The privacy-first, native desktop client for Google Gemini. Experience the best free AI desktop app for Windows, macOS, and Linux. Features global hotkeys, Spotlight-style Quick Chat, and zero data collection.





  Installation •

  Quick Chat •

  Shortcuts •

  Privacy •

  Contributing




---



## ✨ Why This App?



### 🛡️ Safety Guarantee



Start here: **[Read our Transparency Report](docs/TRANSPARENCY.md)** which includes a direct comparison to the "GeminiDesk" malware and explains exactly how we protect your data. We verify every release with checksums and strictly limit network traffic to `google.com`.



Users have been asking for a desktop Gemini client with these features—**we deliver on all of them**:






| What Users Want                                | Status                       |

| ---------------------------------------------- | ---------------------------- |

| 🖥️ Native desktop app (not just a browser tab) | ✅ **Native & Fast**         |

| ⌨️ Global keyboard shortcuts                   | ✅ **Fully Customizable**    |

| 🚀 Spotlight-style Quick Chat                  | ✅ **Instant Access**        |

| 📌 Always-on-top window                        | ✅ **Easy Access to Gemini** |

| 🕵️ Quick Privacy / Hiding                      | ✅ **Peek and Hide**         |

| 💻 Cross-platform (Windows, macOS, Linux)      | ✅ **All three**             |

| 🔐 Stable login & persistent sessions          | ✅ **OAuth done right**      |

| 🔒 No data collection                          | ✅ **Zero telemetry**        |

| 🖨️ Print to PDF                                | ✅ **Export Chats**          |

| 🔔 Desktop Notifications                       | ✅ **Notify on Reply**       |






---



### 🚀 Quick Chat - Spotlight for Gemini



**Like macOS Spotlight, but for AI.** Press **`Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Space`** (or **`Cmd+Shift+Alt+Space`** on Mac) from anywhere—writing code, browsing, reading docs—and a floating command center appears instantly.






![Gemini Desktop Quick Chat Interface](docs/assets/quick_chat.png)






**What makes it powerful:**



- **🌟 Spotlight-Style Access** — Global hotkey summons Gemini over any app, just like `Cmd+Space` on Mac

- **💬 Floating Window** — Centered, always-on-top dialog that doesn't disrupt your workflow

- **⚡ Zero Friction** — Auto-focuses on input, submit your query, then it vanishes—results appear in your main Gemini chat

- **⌨️ Keyboard-First** — Type, submit with Enter, dismiss with Escape. No context switching required

- **🎯 Smart Positioning** — Appears on your active screen, keeps you in the flow



### 🕵️ Peek and Hide



Press **`Ctrl+Shift+Space`** (or **`Cmd+Shift+Space`**) to toggle the app visibility. First press hides to the system tray — second press restores and focuses the window instantly.



### 📌 Always On Top



Keep Gemini visible while you work. Toggle "Always On Top" mode with **`Ctrl+Shift+T`** (or **`Cmd+Shift+T`**) so you can reference chats without switching windows.



---



## 📥 Installation



### Windows



Download the latest `.exe` installer for your architecture from [Releases](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/releases):



- **x64 (Intel/AMD)**: `Gemini Desktop-x.x.x-x64-installer.exe`

- **ARM64 (Snapdragon/Qualcomm)**: `Gemini Desktop-x.x.x-arm64-installer.exe`



> 💡 **Not sure which to download?** Open Settings → System → About and check "System type". If it says "ARM-based processor", download the ARM64 version.



### macOS



Download the `.dmg` for your architecture from [Releases](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/releases):



- **Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)**: `Gemini Desktop-x.x.x-arm64.dmg`

- **Intel**: `Gemini Desktop-x.x.x-x64.dmg`



> ⚠️ **Important:** The app is not code-signed, so macOS will quarantine it on first launch. After installing, run the following command to remove the quarantine flag:

>

> ```bash

> xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/Gemini Desktop.app"

> ```



### Linux



Download the `.AppImage` or `.deb` from [Releases](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/releases).



```bash

# AppImage

chmod +x "Gemini Desktop-x.x.x-x64.AppImage"

./"Gemini Desktop-x.x.x-x64.AppImage"



# Debian/Ubuntu

sudo dpkg -i "Gemini Desktop-x.x.x-x64.deb"

```



---



## 🔒 Privacy & Security Practices



> 📢 **Detailed Breakdown:** See our full **[Transparency Report](docs/TRANSPARENCY.md)** for network logs, data storage details, and author identity.



**We take your security seriously.**



For full details, please read our [**Privacy Policy**](docs/PRIVACY.md) and [**Security Policy**](docs/SECURITY.md).






| Category            | Practice            | Details                                                                     |

| ------------------- | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------- |

| **🔐 Data**         | No collection       | Zero analytics, telemetry, or tracking                                      |

|                     | Direct connection   | Only connects to `google.com` domains                                       |

|                     | No password storage | Auth handled entirely by Google                                             |

| **🛡️ Security**     | **Automated Scans** | **CodeQL and Dependency Audits run on every commit**                        |

|                     | Context Isolation   | Renderer cannot access Node.js                                              |

|                     | Sandboxed Renderer  | Process isolation enforced                                                  |

|                     | Minimal Permissions | Restricted system access                                                    |

| **💾 Storage**      | Encrypted cookies   | Standard Chromium session storage                                           |

|                     | Local cache only    | Standard browser caching                                                    |

|                     | No cloud sync       | All data stays on your machine                                              |

| **🔍 Transparency** | Open source         | [Full code available](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop) for audit |

|                     | No paywall bypass   | Respects Google's terms                                                     |






---



## ⌨️ Keyboard Shortcuts






| Shortcut               | Action                                |

| ---------------------- | ------------------------------------- |

| `Ctrl+Shift+Alt+Space` | Toggle Quick Chat                     |

| `Ctrl+Shift+Space`     | **Peek and Hide** (Toggle visibility) |

| `Ctrl+P`               | Print to PDF                          |

| `Ctrl+=` / `Ctrl+-`    | Zoom In / Out                         |

| `Ctrl+,`               | Open Settings                         |

| `Escape`               | Close Quick Chat                      |






> 💡 Hotkeys can be modified in Settings if they conflict with other apps.



---



## 🎯 Features



- 🚀 **Native Experience** — Run Gemini as a standalone desktop app

- 🎨 **Custom Title Bar** — Native-feeling window controls

- 🕵️ **Peek and Hide** — Toggle app visibility: hide to tray or restore with one keystroke

- 📌 **Always On Top** — Pin the window above others

- 🔄 **System Tray** — Minimize to tray, quick access

- 🌙 **Theme Sync** — Follows your system light/dark preference

- ⚡ **Quick Chat** — Spotlight-style prompt from anywhere

- 🔔 **Smart Notifications** — Get notified when long background responses finish

- 🖨️ **Print to PDF** — Save your chats or code snippets as PDF

- 🔍 **Zoom Controls** — Adjust text size for comfortable reading



---



## 🗺️ Roadmap



> **Note:** This roadmap reflects current priorities and may shift based on user feedback and upstream Gemini changes.



### v0.8.0 — Chat Tabs & Release Notes



- **Tabbed conversations** to keep multiple chats open at once. ([#72](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/72))

- **Release notes discoverability** via Help menu entry and update toast action buttons.



### v0.9.0 — Peek & Hide, Hotkeys & Fixes



- **Peek and Hide toggle** to quickly show/hide the app without losing context. ([#91](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/91))

- **Voice chat hotkey** wired to active tab mic. ([#117](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/117))

- **Updated default hotkeys** — Quick Chat and Peek and Hide use new, conflict-free defaults.

- **macOS fixes** — native Edit menu for copy/paste, tray icon handling, and window frame.



### v0.9.1 — Bugfix Release



- **macOS menubar icon fix** — use template tray assets to avoid stretching. ([#132](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/132), [#134](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/134))

- **Text prediction setup fix** — handle packaged LLM fallback without export errors. ([#133](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/133), [#135](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/135))



### v0.10.0 — Fixes & Updates



- **Auto-update reliability on macOS** — fix the update flow that fails with a generic “auto-update service encountered an error” dialog during 0.9.x upgrades. ([#150](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/150), [#174](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/174))

- **Native Windows ARM64 build** — ship an ARM64 installer so Windows on ARM devices can run Gemini Desktop without emulation. ([#151](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/151), [#170](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/170))

- **Linux launch stability on modern distros** — prevent the V8 sandbox/native module memory conflict that causes a segmentation fault on KDE Wayland systems like openSUSE Leap 16. ([#158](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/158), [#176](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/176))

- **Contributor guide** — add CONTRIBUTING.md with dev setup, test commands, and contribution expectations so new contributors don’t have to hunt for process details. ([#169](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/169), [#172](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/172))



### v0.11.0 — Startup, Updates & Test Reliability



- **Windows autostart option** — add a setting to launch Gemini Desktop at login, with an option to start minimized to the system tray. ([#159](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/159), [#181](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/181))

- **Windows updater compatibility** — restore update checks for Windows x64 in v0.10.x and add legacy metadata aliases for safer client roll-forwards. ([#183](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/183), [#184](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/184))

- **Test infrastructure hardening** — standardize WDIO config inheritance, remove flaky waits, and improve assertion/failure context helpers for more deterministic CI. ([#180](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/180), [#186](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/186), [#190](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/190), [#185](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/185))

- **Quality and maintenance updates** — enforce lint checks in pre-commit hooks, remediate npm audit vulnerabilities, reduce E2E lint noise, and add docs updates/deprecations. ([#189](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/189), [#187](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/187), [#191](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/191), [#192](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/pull/192))



### Future Work



- **Investigate AI Studio support** and feasibility for a better Gemini Live experience. ([#90](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/90))



---






![Gemini Desktop Main Window Interface](docs/assets/main_window.png)






---



## 🤝 Contributing



Contributions are welcome! Whether it's bug reports, feature requests, or code contributions.



1. **Fork** the repository

2. **Create** a feature branch (`git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature`)

3. **Commit** your changes (`git commit -m 'Add amazing feature'`)

4. **Push** to the branch (`git push origin feature/amazing-feature`)

5. **Open** a Pull Request



See [CONTRIBUTING.md](docs/CONTRIBUTING.md) for detailed guidelines.



### Reporting Issues



Found a bug? [Open an issue](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/new) with:



- Your OS and version

- Steps to reproduce

- Expected vs actual behavior



---



## 🛠️ Development



Built with [Electron](https://www.electronjs.org/) + [React](https://react.dev) + [TypeScript](https://www.typescriptlang.org/) + [Vite](https://vitejs.dev/).



### Prerequisites



- Node.js 20+

- npm 9+



### Quick Start



```bash

# Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop.git

cd gemini-desktop



# Install dependencies

npm install



# Start development

npm run electron:dev



# Build for production

npm run electron:build



# Run tests

npm run test:all

```



### Project Structure



```

gemini-desktop/

├── src/

│   ├── main/      # Electron main process

│   ├── renderer/  # React frontend

│   └── shared/    # Shared types & constants

├── tests/         # E2E and unit tests

└── build/         # Build assets (icons, etc.)

```



---



## 🧪 Automated Testing



We take stability seriously. Gemini Desktop is backed by a comprehensive automated testing suite ensuring that core features work reliably and regressions are caught early.



### Our Strategy



- **Unit Tests**: Verify individual components and logic in isolation.

- **Integration Tests**: Ensure different parts of the system (Electron main process, renderer, localized APIs) work together smoothly.

- **End-to-End (E2E) Tests**: Simulate real user interactions—clicking, typing, and navigating—to validate full application flows.



### Running Tests



If you're contributing or just curious, you can run the full suite yourself:



```bash

# Run all tests (Unit, Integration, E2E)

npm run test:all



# Run only E2E tests

npm run test:e2e

```



We believe that a robust test suite is key to maintaining a high-quality experience.



### 🧪 Wayland Support & Testing (Linux)



Gemini Desktop supports native global hotkeys on **KDE Wayland** via XDG Desktop Portals.



- **Manual Testing**: See [Wayland Manual Testing Checklist](docs/WAYLAND_MANUAL_TESTING.md).

- **Automated Testing**: Most Wayland tests are skipped in CI due to environment constraints. For local runs, follow the [Wayland Testing Runbook](docs/WAYLAND_TESTING_RUNBOOK.md).

- **Debug Mode**: Run with `DEBUG_DBUS=1` to enable D-Bus signal tracking (see `docs/TEST_ONLY_SIGNAL_TRACKING.md`).



---



## ⭐ Star History



If you find this project useful, please consider giving it a star! ⭐



---



## 💬 Community



- 🐛 [Report a Bug](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/new?template=bug_report.md)

- 💡 [Request a Feature](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/issues/new?template=feature_request.md)

- 💬 [Discussions](https://github.com/bwendell/gemini-desktop/discussions)



---



## 🙏 Acknowledgments



- [Electron](https://www.electronjs.org/) - Cross-platform desktop framework

- [React](https://react.dev/) - UI library

- [Vite](https://vitejs.dev/) - Build tool

- [Google Gemini](https://gemini.google.com/) - The AI we're wrapping



---



## ⚖️ Legal & Compliance



> [!IMPORTANT]

> **This is an unofficial, open-source project.** It is **NOT** affiliated with, endorsed by, or associated with Google LLC.



### Trademark Notice



- **Gemini** and **Google** are registered trademarks of Google LLC.

- This software is a third-party client and is not a Google product.



### What This App Does



This application is a specialized web browser that loads the official `https://gemini.google.com` website. It does not modify the Gemini service, intercept encrypted data, or bypass any authentication.



### User Responsibility



By using this software, you agree to comply with:



- [Google's Terms of Service](https://policies.google.com/terms)

- [Generative AI Usage Policies](https://policies.google.com/terms/generative-ai)



### Warranty Disclaimer



THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED. See [LICENSE](LICENSE) for full terms.



---



## 📄 License



[MIT](LICENSE) © [Ben Wendell](https://github.com/bwendell)



---





  Made with ❤️ by the community