QwenLM / QwenLM/qwen-code

Deprecate the Electron desktop app and rename desktop-shell to desktop

Open
#8,596 9 comments 0 reactions 1 assignee View on GitHub

@yiliang114 is already working on this.

Since Aug 5, 2026.

category/ui need-discussion priority/P2 roadmap/platform-distribution scope/web-shell type/feature-request
Dominant language
TypeScript
Stars
28k
Forks
3.1k
Avg merge
1d 2h
Merged PRs (30d)
714

Description

What would you like to be added?

Deprecate packages/desktop (the Electron app), and rename packages/desktop-shell (the Tauri shell) to packages/desktop once the old package is removed — the Tauri app is the future desktop, and it should take over the name.

Concretely, this means:

  • Freeze packages/desktop: no new features land there; it only receives fixes that are strictly necessary until it is removed.
  • Add a deprecation notice to packages/desktop/README.md pointing users to the Tauri desktop app.
  • Decide the removal timeline for the Electron package itself, its release workflows, and the live-host app it contains, followed by renaming desktop-shell to desktop.

Constraint: the sync to OpenWork (modelstudioai/openwork) must continue. OpenWork is a downstream of packages/desktop — the Model Studio team builds its customized product on top of the Qwen Code desktop — so the codebase and its sync stay alive until that downstream is migrated.

Follow-up of #8092.

Why is this needed?

#8092 set the direction: the desktop app should be a thin native shell around Web Shell, not a second product implementation. That direction has been delivered — desktop-shell shipped desktop-v0.1.0 (signed and notarized on macOS), and the one-time Electron → Tauri update bridge (#8392) lets existing Electron 0.0.5 installations cross over automatically.

Keeping packages/desktop alive alongside it no longer buys anything:

  • Two desktop codebases still diverge, and features built for one are missing from the other.
  • The Electron app carries its own release pipeline, signing setup, and Chromium security updates — ongoing maintenance cost for a product line that has been replaced.
  • Contributors need a single, unambiguous answer to "where does desktop work happen" — and packages/desktop is the natural home for the canonical desktop app.

Additional context

Open items to settle in this issue:

  • Removal and rename timing: delete the Electron packages/desktop once Tauri Windows/Linux releases are validated and the OpenWork downstream has migrated, then rename desktop-shell to desktop; or deprecate-in-place now and execute both at a fixed milestone.
  • live-host: it lives inside the Electron package — decide whether it moves out or is retired with it.
  • OpenWork migration: coordinate with the Model Studio team on when and how OpenWork migrates off the Electron codebase; until then the sync continues.

Related: #8092, #8392, #5883.

中文

希望增加什么？

废弃 packages/desktop（Electron 应用），并在旧包移除后将 packages/desktop-shell（Tauri 壳）改名为 packages/desktop——Tauri 应用才是未来的桌面端，它应当继承这个名字。

具体来说：

  • 冻结 packages/desktop：不再接收新功能，在移除之前只接受必要修复。
  • 在 packages/desktop/README.md 中添加废弃说明，引导用户使用 Tauri 桌面应用。
  • 确定 Electron 包本体、其发布 workflow 以及其中包含的 live-host 应用的移除时间表，随后将 desktop-shell 改名为 desktop。

约束：到 OpenWork（modelstudioai/openwork）的同步必须继续。OpenWork 是 packages/desktop 的下游——Model Studio 团队基于 Qwen Code 桌面应用定制其产品——因此在该下游完成迁移之前，代码库和同步流程都要保留。

作为 #8092 的后续。

为什么需要？

#8092 已经确定方向：桌面应用应当是 Web Shell 的薄原生壳，而不是第二套产品实现。该方向已经落地——desktop-shell 发布了 desktop-v0.1.0（macOS 已签名并公证），一次性的 Electron → Tauri 更新桥接（#8392）也让现有 Electron 0.0.5 安装可以自动迁移过去。

继续保留 packages/desktop 已经没有收益：

  • 两套桌面代码库仍在分化，一方实现的功能在另一方缺失。
  • Electron 应用自带独立的发布流水线、签名配置、Chromium 安全更新跟进——这些都是一条已被替代的产品线的持续维护成本。
  • 贡献者需要对"桌面相关工作在哪里做"有一个唯一、明确的答案——而 packages/desktop 正是正式桌面应用理所当然的位置。

补充说明

本 issue 需要确定的待定事项：

  • 移除与改名时机：等 Tauri 的 Windows/Linux 版本验证完成、且 OpenWork 下游完成迁移后删除 Electron 版 packages/desktop，再将 desktop-shell 改名为 desktop；还是现在就原地废弃、在固定节点一并执行。
  • live-host：它位于 Electron 包内部——需要决定是迁出还是随包一起退役。
  • OpenWork 迁移：与 Model Studio 团队协调 OpenWork 何时、如何迁出 Electron 代码库；在此之前同步继续。

相关：#8092、#8392、#5883。

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Assessment

This issue has not been assessed yet.

Get new issues in your inbox

A short digest of beginner-friendly GitHub issues.