.TH CLAUDE-DESKTOP 1 "September 2025" "Claude Desktop" "User Commands"
.SH NAME
claude-desktop \- AI assistant desktop application by Anthropic
.SH SYNOPSIS
.B claude-desktop
[\fIOPTIONS\fR]
.SH DESCRIPTION
.B claude-desktop
is an Electron-based desktop application providing access to Anthropic's Claude AI assistant with Model Context Protocol (MCP) integration.
.PP
The application stores configuration and data in \fI~/.config/Claude/\fR.
.PP
.B Note:
Linux support is unofficial and provided by community builds. Official support exists only for macOS and Windows.
.SH OPTIONS
Claude Desktop inherits standard Electron command-line switches. The following are commonly useful:
.TP
.B \-\-no-sandbox
Disable Chromium sandbox. Required for some Linux installations, particularly AppImages. Reduces security isolation.
.TP
.B \-\-enable-features=\fIFEATURES\fR
Enable specific Chromium features. For Wayland:
.br
.B \-\-enable-features=UseOzonePlatform,WaylandWindowDecorations
.TP
.B \-\-ozone-platform=\fIPLATFORM\fR
Select platform backend. Use
.B wayland
for Wayland sessions or
.B x11
for X11.
.TP
.B \-\-disable-gpu
Disable GPU hardware acceleration. Useful for troubleshooting graphics issues.
.TP
.B \-\-disable-gpu-sandbox
Disable GPU process sandbox. May help with graphics driver issues.
.TP
.B \-\-force-device-scale-factor=\fIFACTOR\fR
Override automatic DPI scaling. Example:
.B \-\-force-device-scale-factor=1.5
.TP
.B \-\-enable-logging
Enable logging to file (see \-\-log-file).
.TP
.B \-\-log-file=\fIPATH\fR
Write logs to specified file. Requires \-\-enable-logging.
.TP
.B \-\-log-level=\fILEVEL\fR
Set logging level: 0 (info), 1 (warning), 2 (error). Default: 0.
.TP
.B \-\-v=\fILEVEL\fR
Set verbose logging level (higher = more verbose).
.TP
.B \-\-vmodule=\fIPATTERN\fR
Per-module verbose logging. Example:
.B \-\-vmodule=*/foo/*=2
.TP
.B \-\-remote-debugging-port=\fIPORT\fR
Enable remote debugging on specified port. Default: 9222.
.TP
.B \-\-inspect=\fIHOST:PORT\fR
Activate inspector on specified host and port.
.TP
.B \-\-js-flags="\fIFLAGS\fR"
Pass flags to V8 JavaScript engine. Example:
.B \-\-js-flags="--harmony_proxies"
.TP
.B \-\-disable-features=\fIFEATURES\fR
Disable specific Chromium features.
.SH ENVIRONMENT
.TP
.B ELECTRON_ENABLE_LOGGING
If set to 1, enable logging without \-\-enable-logging flag.
.TP
.B ELECTRON_LOG_FILE
Path to log file, alternative to \-\-log-file flag.
.TP
.B ELECTRON_NO_ATTACH_CONSOLE
Prevent console attachment in some environments.
.SH FILES
.TP
.I ~/.config/Claude/
User configuration directory
.TP
.I ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
MCP server configuration file
.TP
.I ~/.local/share/applications/claude-desktop.desktop
Desktop entry file (if installed via .deb)
.TP
.I /usr/bin/claude-desktop
Launcher script (Debian/Ubuntu package)
.SH EXAMPLES
.TP
.B Basic launch:
.nf
claude-desktop
.fi
.TP
.B Launch on Wayland with proper rendering:
.nf
claude-desktop \\
  --enable-features=UseOzonePlatform,WaylandWindowDecorations \\
  --ozone-platform=wayland
.fi
.TP
.B Launch without sandbox (AppImage workaround):
.nf
claude-desktop --no-sandbox
.fi
.TP
.B Launch with debugging enabled:
.nf
claude-desktop --remote-debugging-port=9222 --enable-logging
.fi
.TP
.B Force specific DPI scaling:
.nf
claude-desktop --force-device-scale-factor=1.5
.fi
.SH TRAY BEHAVIOR
Claude Desktop includes system tray integration. Behavior is controlled by the application, not command-line flags:
.PP
.IP \(bu 2
Minimizing sends window to tray (if tray enabled in settings)
.IP \(bu 2
Closing window may minimize to tray (configurable)
.IP \(bu 2
Right-click tray icon for menu options
.IP \(bu 2
Click tray icon to restore window
.PP
.B Note:
No command-line flag exists to start minimized to tray. This must be configured in application settings or by modifying the launcher script.
.SH KDE INTEGRATION
To create a launcher that minimizes to tray on startup, modify the desktop entry:
.PP
.nf
Exec=claude-desktop %U
.fi
.PP
Or create a custom launcher script at
.I ~/bin/claude-tray
that launches and immediately minimizes the window using xdotool or wmctrl.
.SH MODEL CONTEXT PROTOCOL
MCP servers are configured in:
.PP
.I ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
.PP
Example configuration:
.PP
.nf
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/home/user/Documents"]
    }
  }
}
.fi
.SH NOTES
.IP \(bu 2
Claude Desktop is officially unsupported on Linux
.IP \(bu 2
Community builds repackage the Windows Electron app
.IP \(bu 2
AppImage builds require \-\-no-sandbox flag
.IP \(bu 2
Window scaling issues may require clean exit via tray menu
.IP \(bu 2
Configuration changes require application restart
.SH SECURITY
Running with \-\-no-sandbox reduces security isolation. Only use when necessary and understand the risks.
.SH BUGS
Report issues to the community package maintainer:
.PP
.IP \(bu 2
Debian/Ubuntu: https://github.com/aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian
.IP \(bu 2
Arch Linux: https://github.com/aaddrick/claude-desktop-arch
.IP \(bu 2
NixOS: https://github.com/k3d3/claude-desktop-linux-flake
.PP
For Claude service issues, contact Anthropic support at https://support.claude.com
.SH SEE ALSO
.BR electron (1),
.BR claude (1)
.PP
Official documentation: https://support.claude.com
.br
MCP documentation: https://modelcontextprotocol.io
.br
Electron CLI switches: https://www.electronjs.org/docs/latest/api/command-line-switches
.SH AUTHOR
Claude Desktop is developed by Anthropic.
.br
Linux community packages maintained by various contributors.
.SH COPYRIGHT
Claude Desktop application is proprietary software by Anthropic.
.br
Community build scripts are open source (MIT/Apache 2.0).