Claude Code GUI for Windows and Linux

Search for a Claude Code GUI and most of what you find has a small line at the bottom: macOS only. Conductor is Mac only. Superset is built for macOS first. That’s fine if you work on a MacBook, but a lot of developers write code on a Windows desktop or a Linux workstation, and they want the same thing Mac users have: several Claude Code agents in one window, each on its own branch, with a clear view of who is doing what.

This post covers both halves: getting Claude Code itself running on Windows (native and WSL) and Linux, and then using a desktop app that runs there. I build AgentVera, which is one of those apps, so I’ll be specific about what it does on each platform.

Is there a Claude Code GUI for Windows and Linux?

Yes, a few:

• Anthropic’s Claude Code desktop app runs Claude sessions, including parallel ones in worktrees. It only runs Claude.
• AgentVera runs natively on macOS, Windows and Linux. It opens Claude Code and 17 other coding agents in real terminals, side by side, per project.
• Nimbalyst (the successor of Crystal) is a free, MIT-licensed app for macOS, Windows and Linux with Claude Code, Codex and OpenCode.
• Claude Squad is a terminal UI on tmux, so it runs on Linux and inside WSL.

For a wider comparison, see best tools to run multiple AI coding agents in parallel. If you came here from a Mac-only tool, our comparisons with Conductor and Superset go into detail.

Whatever GUI you pick, it needs Claude Code installed first. Let’s start there.

Can I run Claude Code on Windows without WSL?

Yes. Claude Code has a native Windows install; WSL is no longer required.

Native Windows install

Open PowerShell and run Anthropic’s installer:

irm https://claude.ai/install.ps1 | iex

If you prefer npm and already have Node.js:

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Then check the install and sign in:

claude --version
claude doctor
claude

The first claude run opens your browser to sign in with your Claude account.

Git for Windows. On native Windows, Claude Code’s docs ask for Git for Windows, because Claude uses Git Bash to run shell commands. Install it with the defaults. If Claude can’t find Git Bash, point it there with the CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH environment variable, for example C:\Program Files\Git\bin\bash.exe. Install steps change from time to time, so check Anthropic’s current setup docs if something here doesn’t match.

Should I use WSL instead?

WSL is still a good choice when:

• your project is a Linux project (Docker-heavy, shell scripts, Linux-only tooling),
• your code already lives in the WSL filesystem, where file access is much faster than on /mnt/c,
• you want the same environment as your Linux servers.

Install WSL and Ubuntu from an admin PowerShell, then install Claude Code inside it like on Linux:

wsl --install

# inside the Ubuntu shell
curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
claude

The trade-off: a Claude Code inside WSL is a Linux program. Windows apps don’t see it on their PATH. Keep that in mind when you pick a GUI (more below).

How do I install Claude Code on Linux?

On Linux, the native installer is a single command:

curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | bash
claude --version
claude

npm works too (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code). Avoid sudo npm install -g; if npm complains about permissions, use a Node version manager such as nvm so global packages live in your home folder.

On a headless server with no browser, claude prints a sign-in link you can open on another machine.

Why do most Claude Code GUIs only run on macOS?

There are a few reasons, none of them about Claude Code itself:

• Terminal handling differs. macOS and Linux share Unix pseudo-terminals. Windows uses ConPTY, which behaves differently with colors, resizing and signals.
• Windows CLI shims. npm installs claude.cmd, codex.cmd and similar .cmd files on Windows. These only run through cmd.exe, which re-parses every argument. JSON settings, &, |, % and the line breaks in a role prompt get mangled.
• Packaging and signing. Every platform needs its own installer, update channel and testing.
• Who builds them. Many of these tools started as a weekend project on a MacBook.

Using AgentVera on Windows

AgentVera has a native Windows build, not a port running through WSL. Download the x64 installer (.exe) and run it. The installer isn’t signed with a Microsoft certificate yet, so SmartScreen shows a warning the first time: click “More info”, then “Run anyway”. After that, new versions download in the background and install when you restart.

What it does specifically on Windows:

• Unwraps .cmd shims. When it finds claude.cmd, codex.cmd or gemini.cmd, AgentVera reads the shim and starts the script it wraps directly, instead of going through cmd.exe. Roles, JSON settings and special characters arrive intact.
• Finds your shell. A Terminal agent opens PowerShell 7 if installed, then Windows PowerShell, then cmd.exe. If SHELL points at a real program such as Git Bash, that wins.
• Real terminals. Every agent runs in a real terminal session, so Claude Code’s own interface, slash commands and prompts look the way they do in Windows Terminal.

What about Claude Code inside WSL?

AgentVera starts the Windows-native claude it finds on your PATH. If Claude Code lives only inside WSL, either install it natively on Windows as well (your projects can stay where they are), or open a Terminal agent and run wsl claude in it. The second option gives you a terminal pane, not AgentVera’s Claude-specific features such as session resume and account switching.

Using AgentVera on Linux

Two packages: an AppImage for any x86_64 distro, and a .deb for Debian and Ubuntu.

# AppImage
chmod +x AgentVera-linux-x86_64.AppImage
./AgentVera-linux-x86_64.AppImage

# or the .deb
sudo apt install ./AgentVera-linux-amd64.deb

The AppImage updates itself in the background. If it doesn’t start on a recent Ubuntu, install libfuse2, which AppImages need and newer releases don’t ship by default.

AgentVera finds CLIs installed through Homebrew, nvm, Volta and asdf, so a claude installed with a version manager is picked up even when the app is started from the desktop launcher rather than a shell.

What you get on every platform

Once Claude Code is installed, the experience is the same on Windows, Linux and macOS:

• 18 coding agents. Claude Code, Codex, Gemini CLI, Copilot, Cursor, opencode, Qwen Code, Kiro, Amp, Aider and others, each with its own page. Anything else runs in a Terminal agent.
• Their own logins. AgentVera uses Claude Code’s login; no API key. Every extra account you add gets its own CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR folder and signs in with claude auth login in the app’s terminal.
• A grid per project. Layouts from 1×1 to 5×4, status and live context size in each pane. See the workspace.
• Worktrees. Create one from the Git panel and start an agent directly in it, so parallel agents don’t edit the same files.
• Limits. Account switching (Pro) moves an agent to the next Claude account when a limit runs out; /compact can run automatically at a context threshold.
• Remote machines. SSH lets you run Claude Code on a saved server with that server’s own Claude login, useful when your Windows laptop talks to a Linux build box.

Step-by-step parallel setups are in how to run multiple Claude Code agents in parallel.

Common problems on Windows and Linux

claude is not recognized. The install folder isn’t on PATH yet. Open a new terminal, or sign out and back in. On Windows, where claude shows what PowerShell finds; on Linux, which claude.

Claude can’t run shell commands on Windows. Git for Windows is missing or Claude can’t find Git Bash. Install it, or set CLAUDE_CODE_GIT_BASH_PATH.

Slow file access in WSL. Projects under /mnt/c are slow from WSL. Keep WSL projects in the Linux filesystem (~/code).

Line endings. Mixed teams see noisy diffs when Windows tools write CRLF. Add a .gitattributes with * text=auto and let Git normalize.

Two agents, one dev server port. Applies everywhere: give each worktree its own port.

Wrapping up

You don’t need a Mac to work with several Claude Code agents. Claude Code runs natively on Windows (or in WSL) and on Linux with one install command. For the GUI, Anthropic’s app covers Claude alone; if you want Claude Code next to Codex and other agents, in a grid with worktrees and limit handling, AgentVera is free to download for Windows, Linux and macOS. See the plans when you need Pro features.