NanoChat Desktop

A modern, native Linux desktop client for the NanoChat API, built with Python, GTK4, and Libadwaita.

Features

• Native UI: Clean, modern interface designed for GNOME (Libadwaita).
• Persistent Chat: Local caching (SQLite) allows you to view conversations offline.
• Model Selection: Choose from available AI models; your selection is remembered.
• Secure: API keys are stored safely in your system's keyring (Libsecret).
• History: Manage your conversation history (view, delete).
• Cross-Distro: Available as Flatpak for all Linux distributions.

Installation

Flatpak (Recommended)

The recommended way to install NanoChat Desktop is via Flatpak:

# Install from Flathub (once available)
flatpak install flathub com.nanogpt.NanoChat

# Or install from a downloaded .flatpak file
flatpak install com.nanogpt.NanoChat-<version>.flatpak

# Run the application
flatpak run com.nanogpt.NanoChat

Development Setup

If you want to contribute or run from source:

Prerequisites:

• Python 3.11 or higher
• GTK4 and Libadwaita development headers
• Libsecret development headers

Fedora:

sudo dnf install python3-devel gtk4-devel libadwaita-devel libsecret-devel

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt install python3-dev libgtk-4-dev libadwaita-1-dev libsecret-1-dev

From Source:

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/nanogpt-community/nanochat-desktop.git
   cd nanochat-desktop
   

2. Create a virtual environment:

   python3 -m venv venv
   source venv/bin/activate
   

3. Install dependencies:

   pip install -e .
   

4. Run the application:

   nanochat
   

Roadmap

See the plans/ folder for detailed development plans and upcoming features:

Phase 3 - Assistants and Projects:

• Custom AI assistants with system prompts
• Project folders for organizing conversations
• Enhanced conversation management

Phase 4 - Advanced Features:

• Web search integration
• File attachments
• Usage analytics

Phase 5 - Polish:

• Additional themes and customization
• Accessibility improvements
• Store submission preparation

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Packaging

Building the Flatpak

To build the Flatpak package locally:

# Install flatpak-builder
sudo dnf install flatpak-builder  # Fedora
sudo apt install flatpak-builder  # Ubuntu/Debian

# Install the GNOME runtime and SDK (if not already installed)
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.Platform//45
flatpak install flathub org.gnome.Sdk//45

# Build the Flatpak
flatpak-builder --user --install --force-clean build flatpak/com.nanogpt.NanoChat.yml

# Export as a single file
flatpak build-export export build
flatpak build-bundle export com.nanogpt.NanoChat-<version>.flatpak com.nanogpt.NanoChat

The Flatpak manifest is available at flatpak/com.nanogpt.NanoChat.yml.

License

MIT