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Platform & Availability

OpenHuman is a native desktop application built with React + Tauri v2, paired with a Rust core that is small, fast, and doesn't disrupt your workflow.

Supported Platforms​

PlatformArchitectureDistribution
macOSIntel, Apple Silicon.dmg installer, Homebrew
Windowsx64, ARM64.msi installer
Linuxx64AppImage, .deb, AUR package (openhuman-bin)

Linux AppImage Note​

The Linux AppImage is built for x64 desktops and may fail to launch on newer distributions with stricter unprivileged user namespaces or AppArmor defaults enabled. Common symptoms:

  • unlink: write failed /proc/self/uid_map: Operation not permitted
  • Interpreter not found!
  • cannot execute binary file

When this occurs, prefer the .deb package on Debian/Ubuntu systems.

Why Native App​

OpenHuman chose native desktop over web wrapper for three reasons:

Small size. Much smaller than typical communication tools. Starts in under a second with minimal memory footprint.

Fast startup. No need to initialize a browser engine. Immediately ready to accept requests.

System-level security. Credentials are stored in the platform keychain — macOS Keychain, Windows Credential Manager, Linux Secret Service. Sensitive data is never stored in browser storage or plaintext files.

System Architecture Overview​

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Tauri shell - window management, system integration │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
  │ JSON-RPC ↕
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Rust core (`openhuman` sidecar) │
│ • Memory tree, integrations, auto-fetch │
│ • Model routing, TokenJuice, native tools │
│ • Voice (STT input, TTS output, meeting assistant) │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
  │
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ React frontend - interface, navigation │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The shell is the delivery vehicle (windowing, process lifecycle, IPC). All product logic lives in the Rust core. The React frontend communicates with the core via JSON-RPC.

Remote/Headless Usage​

Linux servers can host the Rust core without a desktop session. The production form is a remote openhuman-core JSON-RPC service, plus a local desktop client configured with that core's URL and bearer token.

A private browser UI can be implemented via the Vite frontend dev/preview server, but desktop-only features (system tray, native deep links, CEF account scanning, system keychain access, window/screen integration) still require the Tauri app.

Real-time Communication​

The desktop app maintains a persistent connection to the OpenHuman backend. Responses stream as they're generated; output is displayed progressively rather than waiting for completion.

Offline Behavior​

Your local state is saved on device. Preferences, configuration, and connection source configuration remain available offline. The memory tree is fully accessible; you can browse your Obsidian vault and read existing notes without network connectivity.

Auto-fetch and real-time LLM calls require network. After network recovery, the next 20-minute tick resumes from where it left off.

Auto Updates​

The desktop shell auto-updates via Tauri's updater plugin against a manifest published on GitHub Releases. The OpenHuman core sidecar is bundled in the same package, so shell updates upgrade both simultaneously.

Next Steps​