# Anytype Desktop
> **Local‑first, peer‑to‑peer & end‑to‑end‑encrypted knowledge OS for macOS, Windows & Linux.**
[](https://github.com/anyproto/anytype-ts/releases)
[](https://github.com/anyproto/anytype-ts/actions/workflows/build.yml)
[](https://crowdin.com/project/anytype-desktop)
[](LICENSE.md)
Anytype is a **personal knowledge base**—your digital brain—that lets you gather, connect and remix all kinds of information. Create pages, tasks, wikis, journals—even entire apps—and *define your own data model* while your data stays **offline‑first, private and encrypted** across devices.
## ✨ Key Features
- **Offline‑first, local storage** with optional peer‑to‑peer sync.
- **Zero‑knowledge encryption** powered by *any‑sync*.
- **Composable blocks**: text, databases, kanban, calendar & custom Types.
- **Cross‑platform desktop client** built with Electron + TypeScript.
- **Extensible** through a gRPC API and AI "Agents" (see [`AGENTS.md`](./AGENTS.md)).
- **Open code** under the Any Source Available License 1.0.
## 📚 Table of Contents
- [Quick Start](#-quick-start)
- [Prerequisites](#-prerequisites)
- [Building from Source](#-building-from-source)
- [Development Workflow](#-development-workflow)
- [Updating Middleware](#updating-middleware)
- [Updating Protobuf Bindings](#updating-protobuf-bindings)
- [Localisation](#-localisation)
- [Contributing](#-contributing)
- [Community & Support](#-community--support)
- [License](#-license)
## 🚀 Quick Start
Just want to try it? Grab the latest installer from the [releases page](https://github.com/anyproto/anytype-ts/releases) or head to **[download.anytype.io](https://download.anytype.io)** and log in with your *Any‑ID*.
## 🏗 Building from Source
On ARM systems, node package `keytar` needs to be rebuilt during installation, so make sure that your system has a C++ compiler, Python3 and Python package `setuptools`. E.g. on Debian/Ubuntu: `sudo apt install python3-setuptools`. Alternatively, on any system, create a Python virtual environment (venv) and inside the venv: `pip install setuptools`. Then build from source inside the venv.
**Linux** also needs the protobuf compiler **with** the well-known `.proto` files (used to generate the gRPC bindings in step 5):
- **Fedora:** `sudo dnf install protobuf-compiler protobuf-devel jq`
- **Debian / Ubuntu:** `sudo apt install protobuf-compiler libprotobuf-dev jq`
```bash
# 1 – Clone & open this repository
git clone https://github.com/anyproto/anytype-ts.git && cd anytype-ts
# 2 - Install JavaScript dependencies
bun install
# 3 – Fetch the prebuilt middleware binary + proto/JSON assets into dist/
./update.sh <macos-latest|ubuntu-latest|windows-latest> <arm|amd>
# 4 – Build the core engine
cd .. && git clone https://github.com/anyproto/anytype-heart.git && cd anytype-heart
make install-dev-js CLIENT_DESKTOP_PATH=../anytype-ts && cd ../anytype-ts
# 5 – Generate protobuf bindings (middleware/) + service registry (src/ts/lib/api/service.ts)
# From the anytype-heart checkout built in step 4:
bun run generate:protos
# …or, to skip the anytype-heart checkout entirely, generate from the assets fetched in step 3:
# bash scripts/generate-protos.sh --from-dist
# 6 - Update locale
bun run update:locale
# 7 – Build the Electron desktop app (see package.json for more options)
bun run dist:<linux|win|mac>
```
> Steps 3–5 produce `middleware/` and `src/ts/lib/api/service.ts`, which are git-ignored. Skipping step 5 causes `Failed to resolve import "./service" from src/ts/lib/api/dispatcher.ts`. See [Updating Protobuf Bindings](#updating-protobuf-bindings) and [`scripts/README.md`](scripts/README.md#protobuf-generation) for details.
### Environment flags
| Variable | Effect |
|--------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|
| `ELECTRON_SKIP_NOTARIZE` | Skip macOS / Windows signing & notarizing |
| `ELECTRON_SKIP_SENTRY` | Don’t upload sourcemaps to Sentry |
## 🧑💻 Development Workflow
You can use [nix](https://nix.dev/install-nix) to install all the required dependencies at once.
```shell
# open a shell with all the required dependencies
nix develop --command $SHELL
```
Start the dev server with hot‑reload (builds Electron bundle, starts Vite, then launches Electron):
```bash
bun run start:dev # Windows: bun run start:dev-win
# add --user-data-dir=./my_dir to electron(-win) script in package.json if you want to use custom user data directory
```
When you close Electron, the Vite dev server is automatically stopped.
For browser-based development without Electron:
```bash
bun run start:web
```
See [Web Mode](./docs/src/ts/lib/web/README.md) for details.
### Useful commands
```bash
bun run build # Production build (Vite)
bun run build:dev # Development build (Vite)
bun run typecheck # TypeScript type checking
bun run lint # Run linters (Biome + ESLint)
```
### Environment variables
| Name | Purpose |
|--------------|---------------------------------------------------|
| `SERVER_PORT`| Vite dev server port (default: `8080`) |
| `ANYPROF` | Expose Go `pprof` on `localhost:<port>` |
### Web Clipper Extension
Build and switch manifest for different browsers:
```bash
bun run build:ext
bun run ext:manifest:firefox
bun run ext:manifest:chromium
```
### Updating Middleware
The middleware version is pinned in `middleware.version`. To fetch a pre-built middleware binary and its protobuf/JSON assets:
```bash
./update.sh <macos-latest|ubuntu-latest|windows-latest> <arm|amd>
```
This downloads the `anytype-heart` release matching the version in `middleware.version`, extracts the `anytypeHelper` binary into `dist/`, and copies protobuf definitions and generated JSON into `dist/lib/`.
For CI environments (requires GitHub credentials):
```bash
./update-ci.sh --user=<GITHUB_USER> --token=<GITHUB_TOKEN> --os=<OS> --arch=<ARCH> --middleware-version=<VERSION>
```
### Updating Protobuf Bindings
The TypeScript protobuf bindings (`middleware/`) and the gRPC service registry (`src/ts/lib/api/service.ts`) are **generated and git-ignored** — a fresh checkout has neither, and the dev/build will fail with `Failed to resolve import "./service" from src/ts/lib/api/dispatcher.ts` until you generate them.
**From a local [anytype-heart](https://github.com/anyproto/anytype-heart) checkout** (expected at `../anytype-heart`, requires the Go toolchain):
```bash
bun run generate:protos
```
**Without an anytype-heart checkout** (uses the `.proto` files downloaded by `./update.sh` into `dist/lib/protos/`):
```bash
./update.sh <macos-latest|ubuntu-latest|windows-latest> <arm|amd>
bash scripts/generate-protos.sh --from-dist
```
**Prerequisites:** `bun install` must have been run (for `ts-proto`), and `protoc` **plus the well-known `google/protobuf/*.proto` files** must be installed:
- **Fedora:** `sudo dnf install protobuf-compiler protobuf-devel`
- **Debian / Ubuntu:** `sudo apt install protobuf-compiler libprotobuf-dev`
- **macOS:** `brew install protobuf`
> The `-devel` / `-dev` package is required on Linux — without it `protoc` reports `google/protobuf/struct.proto: File not found`. See [`scripts/README.md`](scripts/README.md#protobuf-generation) for the full Linux first-time setup and troubleshooting.
## 🌍 Localisation
Translations live on [Crowdin](https://crowdin.com/project/anytype-desktop). Pull the latest locale files with:
```bash
bun run update:locale
```
## 🤝 Contributing
We ♥ contributors! Please read our [Contributing Guide](https://github.com/anyproto/.github/blob/main/docs/CONTRIBUTING.md) and follow the [Code of Conduct](https://github.com/anyproto/.github/blob/main/docs/CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md).
> **Security issues?** Don’t open public issues—email **security@anytype.io** and see our [Security Guide](https://github.com/anyproto/anytype-ts?tab=security-ov-file).
## 💬 Community & Support
- **Forum** – <https://community.anytype.io>
- **Docs** – <https://doc.anytype.io>
- **Blog** – <https://blog.anytype.io>
## 📝 License
Made by **Any** — a Swiss association 🇨🇭
Licensed under the **Any Source Available License 1.0**.
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