Skip to content

Desktop App

Semaphore Chat provides an Electron-based desktop app for Windows and Linux with native features like system tray integration, auto-updates, and enhanced screen sharing.

Download

Download the latest release for your platform from GitHub Releases.

Platform Format File
Windows NSIS installer SemaphoreChat-Setup-X.X.X.exe
Linux Universal binary SemaphoreChat-X.X.X.AppImage
Linux Debian/Ubuntu semaphore-chat_X.X.X_amd64.deb
Linux Fedora/RHEL semaphore-chat-X.X.X.x86_64.rpm

macOS

macOS builds are not yet available. macOS support is planned for a future release.

Install

  1. Download SemaphoreChat-Setup-X.X.X.exe from Releases
  2. Run the installer — you can choose the install directory
  3. Launch Semaphore Chat from the Start Menu or desktop shortcut
  1. Download SemaphoreChat-X.X.X.AppImage from Releases
  2. Make it executable and run: 
    chmod +x SemaphoreChat-*.AppImage
./SemaphoreChat-*.AppImage

sudo dpkg -i semaphore-chat_*_amd64.deb
sudo apt-get install -f  # resolve any missing dependencies

sudo rpm -i semaphore-chat-*.x86_64.rpm

Connect to your instance

On first launch, Semaphore Chat will prompt you to enter your server URL (e.g. https://semaphore-chat.example.com). This is the address where your self-hosted Semaphore Chat instance is running.

Auto-updates

The desktop app checks for updates automatically on startup and periodically while running. When a new version is available, you'll see a notification with the option to install and restart.

Updates are served from GitHub Releases — no additional infrastructure required.

The desktop app registers the semaphore:// URL scheme, so links can open the app directly to a specific community, channel, direct message, or invite instead of your browser:

Link form Opens
semaphore://community/<communityId> A community
semaphore://community/<communityId>/channel/<channelId> A specific channel
semaphore://direct-messages Your direct messages inbox
semaphore://direct-messages/<dmGroupId> A specific DM/group DM
semaphore://join/<inviteCode> An invite (works even if you're signed out — you'll be prompted to sign in or register, then join)

If you're signed out when you click a community, channel, or DM link, the app takes you to sign-in first and opens the link automatically once you're signed in.

Links open in your active server

Semaphore Chat's desktop app can be connected to multiple self-hosted instances. Deep links don't encode which server they belong to — they always open within whichever server is currently active. If a link is meant for a different server than the one you have active, switch servers first.

Desktop-only features

The desktop app includes capabilities not available in the browser:

  • Screen source picker — choose specific windows or monitors to share (on X11)
  • System audio capture — share desktop audio during screen sharing (Windows)
  • System tray — minimize to tray, quick access controls
  • Auto-start — optionally launch Semaphore Chat on system startup
  • Native notifications — OS-level notification integration