Qwen Code

Qwen Code is a desktop and headless agent workspace. It provides multi-session chat, source connections, skills, file previews, automations, and permission modes in a local-first application.

Backend

This fork is Qwen-only:

Agent sessions run through Qwen Code over ACP.
The app does not store third-party LLM API keys.
The built-in LLM connection is qwen-code.
Legacy multi-provider backends and package/runtime wiring have been removed.

Qwen Code CLI Runtime

The desktop app talks to the Qwen Code CLI over ACP. Treat the CLI as a runtime artifact, not as desktop source code. A packaged app must bundle a known CLI build so users can launch it without installing qwen separately.

Use one of these workflows depending on what you are developing:

Workflow	Use it when	Commands
Default desktop development	You are developing desktop only.	`bun run dev`
Published npm package	You want a specific published CLI version for dev, CI, or release builds.	`QWEN_CODE_VERSION=0.15.12-acp.0 bun run dev`
Local npm tarball	You need to verify the exact package contents before publishing.	`QWEN_CODE_TARBALL=/path/to/qwen-code-0.15.12-acp.0.tgz bun run dev`
Local qwen-code checkout	You are changing ACP or other CLI behavior while testing desktop.	`QWEN_CODE_ROOT=/path/to/qwen-code bun run dev`
Explicit CLI entry	You need to point at a specific CLI file.	`QWEN_CODE_CLI=/path/to/qwen-code/scripts/dev.js bun run dev`

electron:dev uses local overrides first. If no override is set and this repository is not inside the qwen-code monorepo, it vendors the default version from qwenCodeRuntime.version in package.json and points Electron at the vendored CLI automatically.

If you are preparing a package without publishing it, create the tarball from the Qwen Code repository and point desktop at it:

bash

cd /path/to/qwen-code
npm run build
npm run bundle
npm run prepare:package
npm pack

cd /path/to/desktop
QWEN_CODE_TARBALL=/path/to/qwen-code/qwen-code-0.15.12-acp.0.tgz bun run dist:mac

Distribution builds run electron:vendor:qwen automatically. Set QWEN_CODE_VERSION or QWEN_CODE_TARBALL when you want the packaged app to use a published or packed CLI artifact. If neither is set, this monorepo builds from the local checkout; a standalone desktop checkout uses qwenCodeRuntime.version from package.json.

Development runtime resolution checks sources in this order:

text

QWEN_CODE_CLI / QWEN_CODE_ROOT / QWEN_CODE_PATH
QWEN_CODE_TARBALL
QWEN_CODE_VERSION
local monorepo checkout
existing vendored CLI
qwenCodeRuntime.version from package.json

Distribution vendoring checks sources in this order:

text

QWEN_CODE_TARBALL
QWEN_CODE_VERSION
QWEN_CODE_ROOT / QWEN_CODE_PATH
local monorepo checkout
qwenCodeRuntime.version from package.json

Installation

bash

bun install
bun run dev

Common Commands

bash

bun run typecheck:all
bun run test:shared
bun run dev
bun run server:start

Building for Distribution

All build commands run from packages/desktop/.

Prerequisites

Bun (see .bun-version for exact version)
bun install — install all workspace dependencies

Developer Build (no code signing)

Use this for local testing. Produces an ad-hoc signed app.

bash

# macOS (arm64 + x64)
bun run electron:dist:dev:mac

# Windows
bun run electron:dist:dev:win

# Linux
bun run electron:dist:dev:linux

Release Build (with code signing)

bash

bun run electron:dist:mac
bun run electron:dist:win
bun run electron:dist:linux

Release builds require signing credentials via environment variables:

Variable	Purpose
`CSC_LINK`	Path to signing certificate
`APPLE_ID`	Apple ID for notarization
`APPLE_APP_SPECIFIC_PASSWORD`	App-specific password
`APPLE_TEAM_ID`	Team ID for notarization

Build Output

All artifacts are written to apps/electron/release/:

Platform	Artifact
macOS	`Qwen-Code-Desktop-{arm64,x64}.dmg`, `Qwen-Code-Desktop-{arm64,x64}.zip`
Windows	`Qwen-Code-Desktop-x64.exe`
Linux	`Qwen-Code-Desktop-x64.AppImage`

What the Build Does

Each electron:dist:* command runs three stages:

electron:vendor:qwen — vendors a Qwen Code CLI runtime into vendor/qwen-code/. Set QWEN_CODE_VERSION to download a published npm version, or QWEN_CODE_TARBALL to use a local npm pack tarball. If neither is set in this monorepo, it builds from the local checkout.
electron:build — compiles the app via esbuild (main + preload), Vite (renderer), and copies resources/assets.
electron-builder — downloads the Electron runtime, packages the app, signs it, and produces distributable installers (DMG, NSIS, AppImage).

CLI

bash

bun run apps/cli/src/index.ts run "Hello from Qwen"
bun run apps/cli/src/index.ts run --workspace-dir ./project "Summarize this repo"

The run command spawns a headless server, creates a temporary session, streams the response, and exits. Provider flags are accepted only for compatibility; the backend remains Qwen Code.

Repository Layout

text

apps/
  electron/     Desktop app
  cli/          Terminal client
  webui/        Web adapter
packages/
  shared/       Agent, config, prompts, sessions, sources
  server-core/  RPC handlers and session manager
  core/         Shared types
  ui/           Shared UI components
  session-tools-core/
  session-mcp-server/
scripts/        Build and packaging helpers

Capabilities

Multi-session inbox with streaming responses and tool visualization
Qwen Code model discovery through ACP
MCP, REST API, and local filesystem sources
Skills stored per workspace
Permission modes for planning, asking before edits, and autonomous execution
File attachments and in-app previews for images, PDFs, Office files, and diffs
Event-driven automations and messaging integrations

License

Apache 2.0. Third-party dependencies are listed in package manifests and are subject to their respective licenses.