PandaNpc Desktop is the native application for Windows, macOS, and Linux. It gives you the same chat, session, and Agent Center experience as the web app, plus two things a browser tab cannot: it can run Claude Code, Codex, or PandaCode locally as an agent host, and it keeps working the way a normal installed app does — a dock or taskbar icon, native notifications, and a window that survives closing and reopening your browser.
Use the desktop app when this machine is where you actually want to run the coding agent, when you prefer a persistent window over a browser tab, or when you want native update and notification behavior instead of relying on a page staying open.
Desktop app or PandaPaw host — what is the difference
These solve different problems and are often used together:
- PandaNpc Desktop is a client. It is the window you look at and type into. Every platform (web, iOS, desktop) can act as this kind of client.
- PandaPaw is a host service. It is what actually runs Claude Code, Codex, or PandaCode in the background on a machine, whether or not anyone is looking at it right now.
The desktop app can talk to a PandaPaw host running on the same computer, or to one running on a completely different machine — the same account-based Connected Devices flow used everywhere else in PandaNpc. You do not need PandaPaw installed just to use the desktop app as a viewer for a remote host.
Platform support
| Platform | Package | Architecture |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | NSIS installer (.exe) |
x86_64 |
| macOS | Universal .dmg |
Apple Silicon and Intel, one package |
| Linux | AppImage | x86_64 |
Installers are signed: the Windows build carries an EV code-signing certificate and the macOS build is notarized by Apple, so a fresh install should not trigger an unrecognized-publisher warning if it came from the official download page.
Installing and updating
Follow Install PandaNpc and PandaPaw for step-by-step installer instructions on each platform. Once installed, the desktop app checks for updates on launch and offers to install them in place — you do not need to redownload the installer for routine updates.
Each platform is released independently. It is normal for the Windows, macOS, and Linux builds to be on different version numbers at the same point in time; a fix that only affects one platform's packaging does not require rebuilding the other two. Check the desktop app version history to see what shipped on your platform and when.
Why the desktop app over the web app
Both share the same underlying interface, so nothing is desktop-exclusive in terms of features. The desktop app adds:
- A persistent window that behaves like other installed apps — it does not depend on a browser tab staying open, and it survives a browser restart or crash.
- Native OS integration — taskbar/dock presence, window management, and platform-appropriate notifications instead of browser notification permissions.
- A local agent host in the same app. If you want to run Claude Code, Codex, or PandaCode on the very machine you are sitting at, the desktop app can be both the client and, through the same install, the connected host — no separate terminal session required.
If you mainly check on remote sessions from a machine you do not want to install anything on, the web client covers the same account and sessions with nothing to install.
Security boundaries
The desktop app itself does not expand what a connected agent session can do — the same tool-approval and working-directory rules described in PandaPaw's security boundaries apply regardless of which client you are viewing from. Installing the desktop app does not open any inbound network port; like every PandaNpc client and host, it only makes outbound authenticated connections.
Troubleshooting
The installer is blocked by an unrecognized-publisher warning
Confirm the file was downloaded from pandanpc.com and not a mirror or third-party archive. A signed installer from the official page should not normally trigger this; if it does anyway, redownload rather than choosing to run it regardless.
The app opens but no session appears
The desktop app is a client — it shows sessions for whichever host (local or remote PandaPaw) is currently connected to your account. Open Connected Devices to confirm a host is online before assuming the app itself is broken.
An update did not apply
Quit the app fully (not just close the window) and relaunch it; the update installs on the next full start. If the version shown afterward still does not match the latest entry in the version history, reinstall from the current package on the download page rather than waiting for another automatic update cycle.