---
url: https://docs.mochiexec.io/guides/desktop.md
description: >-
  A tour of the Mochi desktop app on macOS, Linux, and Windows (experimental),
  covering the command palette, workbench tabs, runs, chats, vaults, the system
  tray, and deep links.
---

# Desktop App

The desktop app is one window for every workspace on your machine. It shares everything
with the `mochi` CLI, so the app and the terminal never disagree about what exists or what
ran.

```sh
mochi desktop
```

If the app is installed somewhere non-standard, set `MOCHI_DESKTOP_PATH`.

## Finding your way around

The sidebar lists every page, each with one job:

| Page | What it's for |
|---|---|
| **Home** | Where you start: ask the agent, quick actions, favorites and recent runs |
| **Executables** | Every executable across every workspace, and the templates that make them |
| **Workspaces** | Registered workspaces and their configuration |
| **Runs** | Every run, live and past, from the app, the CLI or an agent |
| **Chats** | Every conversation with the agent, to pick up where you left off |
| **Insights** | What needs fixing and why, success rates, and where the time goes. **Analyze** asks the model for more |
| **Views** | Pages you build from sections of executables, runs and notes |
| **Vault**, **Data**, **Settings** | Secrets, cached data, and app configuration, in the sidebar footer |

The status bar along the bottom reports state: what is running, sync, the current workspace
and theme. Its bell opens the **Inbox** (`⌘⇧A`): notifications you missed, how many insights
need attention, and anything still running, so you can stop it.

flow docs: [Core concepts](https://flowexec.io/guides/concepts)

The workspaces, executables, and vaults you see in the app are flow's, and work the same way here.

## Command palette

Press `⌘K` (`Ctrl+K` on Linux and Windows) to search executables, workspaces, and pages. Results are
ranked the same way as [`mochi search`](/guides/search-and-favorites): by name match,
favorites, and how often and how recently you've run something.

## Workbench tabs

Executables, runs, and workspaces open as tabs, like files in an editor. Tabs are kept
between sessions, and you're warned before closing one with unsaved edits.

Opening something replaces what the current tab shows, unless a tab already has it open,
in which case that tab comes to the front. Runs and chats always open in a new tab, and
`⌘`-click (`Ctrl`-click) opens anything in one.

A dot marks a tab with unsaved changes. Right-click a tab to **Close others** or **Close
to the right**, or middle-click to close it. `⌘⇧T` opens a new tab, and `⌘[` / `⌘]` go
back and forward.

## Running in the background

Closing the window can leave Mochi running in the system tray, so long-running tasks keep
going. Close-to-tray is a setting.

## Deep links

`mochi://` links open the app on a specific screen, and you can send one from the terminal:

```sh
mochi desktop open my-project/tools:lint     # an executable view
mochi desktop open mochi://open/exec/ws/ns:name
```

If the app isn't running, it's launched.

## Keyboard shortcuts

Every shortcut can be rebound in **Settings → Shortcuts**. See the
[full list](/reference/keyboard-shortcuts).

## Updates

The app checks for updates and installs them itself.