Desktop Overview
What the Reeve Desktop App includes, system requirements, and how it works.
Desktop App Overview
The Reeve Desktop App is a native macOS application that bundles the full Reeve platform into a single install. No terminal, no server setup — double-click and your agents are running.
What's Included
The desktop app packages three components:
| Component | What it does | Port |
|---|---|---|
| Reeve Gateway | Agent runtime, session management, tool execution | 18789 |
| Cockpit Frontend | Next.js dashboard for agents, analytics, connectors | 3100 |
| Electron Shell | Native window, menubar tray, auto-updates | — |
All three start automatically when you launch the app. The Cockpit opens in a native window — it's the same web UI you'd access in a browser, wrapped in a desktop experience.
System Requirements
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| macOS | 13.0 (Ventura) or later |
| Architecture | Apple Silicon (arm64) or Intel (x64) |
| RAM | 4 GB minimum, 8 GB recommended |
| Disk | ~500 MB for the app + models cache |
| Internet | Required for LLM API calls (unless using local models) |
| LLM Key | At least one provider API key (Anthropic, OpenAI, or OpenRouter) |
The desktop app is fully functional offline if you use local models via Ollama. Cloud features (connectors, billing, analytics) require internet.
How It Works
Reeve Desktop (Electron)
├── Spawns: Reeve Gateway (Node.js child process)
├── Spawns: Cockpit Frontend (Next.js standalone server)
└── Opens: Native window → http://localhost:3100/cockpitThe desktop app is a thin wrapper — the gateway and frontend are identical to cloud and self-hosted deployments. Your configuration, agents, and memory are all local on your machine.
Desktop vs CLI vs Cloud
| Feature | Desktop App | CLI | Cloud |
|---|---|---|---|
| Installation | Download DMG | npm install -g | None (browser) |
| Gateway | Bundled, auto-starts | Manual start | Managed |
| UI | Native window | Terminal + browser | Browser |
| Auto-updates | ✅ Built-in | reeve update | Automatic |
| Local models | ✅ Via Ollama | ✅ Via Ollama | ❌ |
| Connectors | ✅ Via Cloud account | ✅ Via Cloud account | ✅ Built-in |
| Menubar tray | ✅ | ❌ | ❌ |
All three deployment modes use the same gateway code and configuration format. You can switch between them or use them together.
Menubar Tray
After launching, a rooster icon appears in the macOS menubar:
- Open Cockpit — Show or focus the main window
- Gateway Status — Running / stopped indicator
- Quit — Stop the gateway and exit
Platform Roadmap
| Platform | Status |
|---|---|
| macOS (Apple Silicon) | ✅ Primary |
| macOS (Intel) | ✅ Supported |
| Windows | 🔜 Coming soon |
| Linux | 🔜 Coming soon |