Qwen Desktop for Linux

Open-source Qwen AI (Tongyi Qianwen) desktop client for Linux. Run Alibaba's Qwen models natively on Ubuntu, Fedora, Arch, and all Linux distributions with full MCP (Model Context Protocol) support.

The official Qwen Desktop app only supports Windows and macOS. This project brings the same desktop experience to Linux.

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Quick Install

Option 1: AppImage (recommended — works on every distro)

wget https://github.com/youssefvdel/qwen-desktop-linux/releases/latest/download/Qwen-1.1.2-x86_64.AppImage
chmod +x Qwen-1.1.2-x86_64.AppImage
./Qwen-1.1.2-x86_64.AppImage

Option 2: Debian/Ubuntu

wget https://github.com/youssefvdel/qwen-desktop-linux/releases/latest/download/qwen-desktop_1.1.2_amd64.deb
sudo apt install ./qwen-desktop_1.1.2_amd64.deb
qwen-desktop

Option 3: Fedora/RHEL

sudo dnf install https://github.com/youssefvdel/qwen-desktop-linux/releases/latest/download/qwen-desktop-1.1.2.x86_64.rpm
qwen-desktop

All Downloads

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Features

Feature	Description
Full Qwen AI access	Native desktop wrapper for chat.qwen.ai — supports Qwen3-6Plus, Qwen-Max, Qwen-Plus
MCP integration	Connect AI to files, browser, databases, and custom tools via Model Context Protocol
System tray	Minimize to tray, right-click menu, runs in background
12 languages	zh-CN, en-US, zh-TW, ja-JP, ko-KR, ru-RU, de-DE, fr-FR, es-ES, it-IT, pt-PT, ar-BH
Theme support	Light/dark mode with automatic system theme detection
Privacy first	Sandboxed webview, context isolation, Electron Fuses, no telemetry
3 package formats	AppImage (universal), .deb (Debian/Ubuntu), .rpm (Fedora/RHEL)
Bundled runtimes	Includes Bun + UV — MCP servers work with zero system installs
Deep linking	qwen:// protocol support for authentication and sharing
Skills system	Reusable system prompts as .md files — inject into chat with one click

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Screenshots

Main chat interface with Skills menu open

MCP configuration panel

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FAQ

What is Qwen AI?

Qwen (通义千问, Tongyi Qianwen) is a family of large language models developed by Alibaba Cloud's Tongyi Lab. It includes Qwen-Max, Qwen-Plus, Qwen3-6Plus, and Qwen3-235B-A22B.

Is this the official Qwen Desktop app?

No. The official app only supports Windows and macOS. This is a community-built, open-source desktop wrapper for Linux, reverse-engineered from the official app's protocol.

Is it free?

Yes. MIT license. No account needed beyond your Qwen account on chat.qwen.ai.

What distributions are supported?

All of them. AppImage works everywhere. We also ship native .deb and .rpm packages.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol lets Qwen interact with local tools and data. Enabled MCP servers can read/write files, automate your browser, query databases, and run CLI tools — all from chat.

Does it work on Wayland?

Yes, but some Wayland compositors need --enable-features=UseOzonePlatform --ozone-platform=wayland as a launch flag. X11 works out of the box.

Browser vs Desktop — why use this?

Browser	Qwen Desktop for Linux
No system tray	System tray integration
No MCP support	Full MCP (files, browser, databases)
No file picker	Native file picker
No deep linking	qwen:// protocol
No persistent skills	Skills system with .md files
Tab clutter	Dedicated app window

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Architecture

Built with Electron 34 + TypeScript, mirroring the official Qwen Desktop app:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│           Qwen Desktop (Electron)           │
│                                             │
│  ┌─────────────┐    ┌──────────────────┐    │
│  │ Main Process│◄──►│   MCP Proxy      │    │
│  │             │    │  (McpProxy)      │    │
│  │  - IPC      │    │  - stdio client  │    │
│  │  - Tray     │    │  - SSE client    │    │
│  │  - Menu     │    │  - HTTP stream   │    │
│  └──────┬──────┘    └────────┬─────────     │
│         │                    │              │
│  ┌──────▼──────┐    ┌────────▼─────────┐    │
│  │  Preload    │    │  Bundled Runtimes│    │
│  │  (Bridge)   │    │  - bun           │    │
│  │             │    │  - uv / uvx      │    │
│  └──────┬──────┘    └──────────────────┘    │
│         │                                   │
│  ┌──────▼───────────────────────────────┐   │
│  │         WebView                      │   │
│  │   chat.qwen.ai (desktop detection)   │   │
│  │   window.electronAPI exposed         │   │
│  └──────────────────────────────────────┘   │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Module Structure

Module	Purpose
src/main/index.ts	App bootstrap, MCP defaults, menu, update check
src/main/window-manager.ts	BrowserWindow, system tray, GPU flags
src/main/ipc-handlers.ts	17 IPC handlers (MCP, theme, dialogs)
src/main/skills-manager.ts	Skills system (inject prompts into chat)
src/main/app-lifecycle.ts	Protocol handler, deep links, quit state
src/main/runtime.ts	Bundled bun/uv path resolution
src/main/mcp-config.ts	MCP config adaptation (npx→bun, uvx→uvx)
src/mcp/proxy.ts	Multi-server MCP connection management
src/mcp/server-client.ts	Single MCP server client (stdio/SSE/HTTP)
src/preload/index.ts	contextBridge → window.electronAPI

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Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js 22+
• npm
• Linux (x64 or ARM64)

Install & Run

git clone https://github.com/youssefvdel/qwen-desktop-linux.git
cd qwen-desktop-linux
npm install
npm start

Build Packages

# AppImage
npm run build

# All formats
npm run make

# Individual formats
npm run make:deb    # Debian/Ubuntu
npm run make:rpm    # Fedora/RHEL

Project Structure

qwen-desktop-linux/
├── src/
│   ├── main/           # Electron main process
│   │   ├── index.ts
│   │   ├── window-manager.ts
│   │   ├── ipc-handlers.ts
│   │   ├── skills-manager.ts
│   │   ├── app-lifecycle.ts
│   │   ├── runtime.ts
│   │   └── mcp-config.ts
│   ├── mcp/
│   │   ├── proxy.ts
│   │   └── server-client.ts
│   ├── preload/
│   │   └── index.ts
│   ├── renderer/
│   └── shared/
├── resources/
│   ├── bun/linux-x64/
│   └── uv/linux-x64/
├── dist/
└── package.json

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MCP Configuration

Available MCP Servers

Server	Capability
Filesystem	Read, write, search, list files
Fetch	Access web APIs and URLs from chat
Sequential-Thinking	Multi-step reasoning
Desktop-Commander	Run shell commands, manage processes
Browser	Automate web browsing, screenshots (Playwright)
SQLite/PostgreSQL	Query databases from chat

Example Config

Default MCP servers are created on first launch. Customize via the app's settings:

{
  "Filesystem": {
    "command": "bun",
    "args": [
      "x",
      "-y",
      "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
      "/home/user/Documents"
    ],
    "transportType": "stdio"
  },
  "Fetch": {
    "command": "bun",
    "args": ["x", "-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-fetch"],
    "transportType": "stdio"
  },
  "Browser": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["@anthropic/mcp-server-playwright"],
    "transportType": "stdio"
  }
}

The app automatically replaces npx, bun, and uvx commands with bundled runtime paths.

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Skills System

Create system prompts as .md files in ~/.config/qwen-desktop-linux/skills/. Inject into chat via the Skills menu.

Example

# Python Expert

You are a senior Python developer. Focus on:

- PEP8 compliance and type hints
- Performance optimization
- Error handling and testing
- Modern Python 3.12+ features

Menu → Skills → Python Expert injects the prompt.

Built-in Skills

• linux-power-user.md — Terminal commands and system administration
• code-reviewer.md — Code review with scoring
• python-expert.md — Python development guidance (sample)

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Internationalization

zh-CN, en-US, zh-TW, ja-JP, ko-KR, ru-RU, de-DE, fr-FR, es-ES, it-IT, pt-PT, ar-BH

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Security

Layer	Implementation
Context Isolation	No direct Node.js access from renderer
Sandbox	WebView runs in isolated process
Electron Fuses	Dangerous features disabled in production
IPC Only	All communication through typed channels
MCP Validation	Only configured servers can connect
No Telemetry	Zero data collection

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Known Issues

Issue	Status	Workaround
Auto-update not configured	Planned	Use package manager or download new release
Wayland compositors	Partial	Add --ozone-platform=wayland flag
AppImage needs FUSE	Distro-dependent	Install libfuse2 or fuse
Browser login redirect	Open	Login via the in-app window that appears when clicking login. If the external browser opens, copy the qwen://open?token=xxx URL from the browser address bar and run xdg-open "qwen://open?token=YOUR_TOKEN" in a terminal. This is a known limitation with AppImage protocol handlers on some desktop environments.

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Contributing

Contributions welcome.

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/your-feature)
3. Commit your changes
4. Push and open a Pull Request

What we need:

• Translations for additional languages
• Bug reports and fixes
• Documentation improvements
• UI/UX enhancements
• Testing on different distros

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License

MIT License. See LICENSE.

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Acknowledgments

• Based on reverse engineering of the official Qwen Desktop app (Windows/macOS)
• Uses @modelcontextprotocol/sdk by Anthropic
• Bundled runtimes: Bun + uv
• Built with Electron

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Keywords: Qwen AI Linux, Qwen Desktop Linux, Tongyi Qianwen Linux, open source Qwen, free Qwen AI desktop, Alibaba Qwen Linux client, Qwen MCP Linux, Qwen3 Linux app, Qwen chat desktop Linux, Ubuntu Qwen AI, Fedora Qwen, Arch Linux Qwen, Electron Qwen app