Electron desktop development

This page is for local development, packaging and desktop-specific behavior. For version choice, downloads and first use, see Web and desktop apps; this page keeps the Electron workflow in one place.

What the desktop app adds

Capability	Web app	Desktop app
Markdown editing, mind maps, Agent and GitHub sync	Yes	Yes
Native file dialogs	Browser-limited	Native open and save
Local Git workspace	Not directly available	Available inside a selected folder
Window and system integration	Browser tab	Standalone Electron window

The desktop renderer shares the Web UI. The Electron main process handles windows, files, paths and local Git; the workspace stays inside a folder selected by the user.

Development environment

• Node.js 22 or newer
• pnpm 10
• Local Git when using a local Git workspace

Install dependencies and start the desktop development environment from the repository root:

corepack enable
pnpm install
pnpm dev:desktop

Build and package

# Compile the desktop main process and renderer assets
pnpm build:desktop

# Build a package for the selected platform
pnpm --filter markmap-plus-plus-desktop make:win
pnpm --filter markmap-plus-plus-desktop make:linux
pnpm --filter markmap-plus-plus-desktop make:mac

Windows and Linux release artifacts are built by GitHub Actions on native runners. Releases currently provide Windows x64 and Linux x64 packages; the macOS command is for local builds only. Artifacts are written to apps/desktop/release/.

Local files, Git and security boundaries

• Open and Save use native file dialogs and do not scan folders the user has not selected.
• Local Git requires git on PATH; Windows can use Git for Windows and macOS can use the Git provided by Xcode Command Line Tools.
• The Electron renderer is isolated from the main process; file and Git operations go through controlled IPC interfaces.
• Linux sensitive settings prefer the system keyring. If no key service is available, the app refuses to save sensitive cache in plain text.