I was able to run Claude Desktop on my Ubuntu Linux machine using Wine, but I’m running into issues configuring the claude_desktop_config.json file. I suspect the problem stems from using the Windows x86 version of Claude with Wine, which may be causing file path syntax mismatches.

Has anyone successfully set this up on Linux, or know how to resolve the file path issues?

It used to be that to us cool ML/AI stuff you needed a linux machine. Now one of the coolest things out right now, MCP, treats linux as a low class citizen.
Anyone have an easy way to use the agents on linux?

Link to repository: https://github.com/k3d3/claude-desktop-linux-flake

I got Claude Desktop running on Linux! I use NixOS which means it's packaged as a Nix flake, however the Determinate Nix installer should work on other distributions as well: https://docs.determinate.systems/getting-started/

Given the existing package, it shouldn't be super difficult (especially with Claude's help) to make build scripts for other distributions like Ubuntu. But it's a start!

Hi,

Sharing how I got it to work. It took me a day at least to get this running and I am not sure if I did it 'right', so please do let me know if you spot anything dumb.

- For the app itself, I found one in the repos that works (https://aur.archlinux.org/packages/claude-desktop-bin),

- For authentication, I had to use email (couldn't log in with Google). The link received in the email did not simply work, I had to ask for code (there's a button somewhere on the page the link takes you to),

- MCP config did not work as documented - by running the servers with npx (actually, the server-memory
server sometimes worked even that way, other times not).

What did work:
- get the code (https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main?tab=readme-ov-file)
- run tsc in the folder of the server you want to use to compile the index.ts and get dist/index.js
config needs to be a similar to this:
{
"mcpServers": {
"memory": {
"command": "<YOUR_NODE>",
"args": ["<path_to_cloned_repo>/src/memory/dist/index.js"]
},
"filesystem":{
"command": "<YOUR_NODE>",
"args": ["<path_to_cloned_repo>/src/filesystem/dist/index.js", "<some dir to share with Claude>"]
}
}
}

Note the <YOUR_NODE> thing. When I just put 'node' there, it didn't work. I think the reason is that it then uses node version bundled with electron (that was ChatGPT's guess). To fix that, give it a more specific name. I created a symlink called 'mynode' and used that (I guess giving it full path would work too...).

Inspired by k3d3's successful NixOS implementation, I had Claude create a Debian package build script that lets you run Claude Desktop natively on Debian-based Linux distributions.

Key features:

• Tested on MX Linux

• Should work on Ubuntu, Linux Mint, and other Debian derivatives

• Full support for MCP (Model Context Protocol)

• Working Ctrl+Alt+Space popup

• System tray integration

• Proper desktop integration (icons, application menu)

The build script:

• Checks system compatibility

• Handles all dependencies automatically

• Creates a proper Debian package

• Implements Linux-native keyboard handling

Repository: https://github.com/aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian

To install:

git clone 
cd claude-desktop-debian
sudo ./build-deb.sh
sudo dpkg -i build/electron-app/claude-desktop_0.7.7_amd64.deb

Big thanks to k3d3 for the original work and insights into the application structure!

Note: This is an unofficial build script - please report any issues on GitHub, not to Anthropic.

MCP Setup:

1. Click on the menu icon in the top left

2. Go to File >> Settings

3. Follow instructions at https://modelcontextprotocol.io/quickstart/user

MCP config file will be created at ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

4. Restart Claude Desktop using the tray icon

When you restart Claude Desktop, the changes to the MCP config will be picked up. Restart Claude fully each time you adjust claude_desktop_config.json

Hello, everyone!

As the title suggests, I'm looking for some help running MCP on Linux. Here's what I've accomplished so far:

• Executed Claude on Wine

• Installed the latest Node.js (23.03) in Wine

• Created the claude_desktop_config.json file and "enabled" MCP

• Made a connection to the MCP File System Server/Memory. Below is the content from the mcp.log file:

2024-12-13T07:33:28.652Z [info] Attempting to connect to MCP server filesystem...

2024-12-13T07:33:28.710Z [info] Connected to MCP server filesystem!

2024-12-13T08:25:28.988Z [info] Attempting to connect to MCP server filesystem...

2024-12-13T08:25:29.049Z [info] Connected to MCP server filesystem!

Although the logs indicate a successful connection, the MCP tools are not enabled in the chat prompt. I feel like I'm missing something, so I was wondering if anyone could point me in the right direction.

Thanks

Download and install Claude Desktop for your operating system. Claude Desktop is currently available for macOS and Windows. Linux support is coming soon.

Has anyone heard anything from Anthropic about this? I haven't managed to find anything yet. And I'm tired of using these duct-tape solutions, hopping from one unofficial client to another after they inevitably break or lose support.