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What you’ll build

A native app or utility that runs directly on your machine — no browser, no server, no deployment step. Local apps can be anything from a keyboard remapper or transcription tool to a file organizer, video resizer, CSV processor, or any task you find yourself doing repeatedly.
Local app development requires Workshop Desktop. Workshop Cloud does not have access to your local file system, hardware, or system APIs.

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Before you start

1

Download Workshop Desktop

Install Workshop Desktop from workshop.ai/download. No other setup is required — Workshop handles everything else, including downloading libraries and installing dependencies.
2

Choose your model

Workshop Desktop gives you the option to build with local models running on your own machine. Workshop will help you select the best fit based on your hardware. Building with a local model means no API costs, nothing leaving your machine, and no internet connection required.If you prefer to build with an online model, that works too — just select one from the model picker in the toolbar.See Local Models to get set up.
3

Know what your app needs to access

Think about what system resources your app will use — files and folders, keyboard input, microphone, camera, clipboard, or system APIs. Having this in mind before you start helps Workshop make the right architecture decisions from the beginning.

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Step-by-step flow

1

Describe your app

Start a new conversation and tell Workshop what the app should do. Be specific about what it needs to access on your system.Example prompts:
  • “Build a menu bar app for macOS that transcribes whatever I’m listening to in real time and shows it as scrolling text.”
  • “Create a folder watcher that automatically renames files in a target directory using a date-prefix format I can configure.”
  • “Build a desktop app that takes a folder of videos, lets me pick a resolution and format, and batch-converts them.”
  • “Make a utility that reads a CSV, lets me preview it, apply simple transformations, and export the result.”
  • “Build a global keyboard shortcut tool that expands text snippets as I type — e.g., typing ;addr expands to my full address.”
2

Workshop sets up the environment

Workshop installs the right libraries and frameworks for your platform — whether that’s a Python script with a native UI, an Electron app, a Swift app on macOS, or a system tray utility. You don’t need to install dependencies or configure toolchains manually.
Tell Workshop your platform upfront if it matters: “This should be a macOS app” or “It needs to work on both Windows and macOS.” Workshop will choose the right approach.
3

Build and run immediately

Local apps run directly on your machine as soon as they’re built — no deployment, no server, no URL to visit. Workshop launches the app so you can test it right away.Iterate naturally:
The file picker doesn't show hidden folders — can you include those?
Add a progress bar while it's processing.
Make the window remember its position between launches.
Workshop has full access to your file system and terminal, so it can fix issues, install missing packages, and make changes without any manual steps on your part.
4

Make it feel native

Workshop can style your app to match the platform it runs on — native macOS window chrome, Windows controls, or Linux conventions. If you want it to feel at home on your desktop rather than like a generic tool, just ask.
  • “Make this look like a native macOS app with a proper menu bar and dark mode support.”
  • “Add a system tray icon so it runs in the background.”
  • “Use the platform’s native file picker instead of a custom one.”

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Tips and best practices

Tell Workshop what system resources your app requires — files, keyboard, microphone, camera, clipboard, network. This lets it make the right architecture and permissions decisions from the start, rather than retrofitting them later.
Don’t try to pre-install libraries or frameworks. Give Workshop the task and let it choose and install what’s needed. It will resolve errors and missing packages as part of the build process.
Workshop Desktop lets you power the agent with a local model running on your machine — no API costs, fully private, works offline. This is especially useful when you’re iterating heavily and want to keep costs at zero. Switch to a frontier model when you want maximum capability.
Start with the core function, run it, verify it works, then add features:
  1. “Build the basic folder watcher that prints file names to the console”
  2. “Add the rename logic with the date prefix”
  3. “Add a config file so I can change the format without editing code”
  4. “Add a simple UI so I can toggle it on and off”
Workshop knows the conventions for each platform. If you want your app to feel native — launch at startup, live in the menu bar or system tray, use native dialogs — just describe it. You don’t need to know the implementation details.

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Next steps

Download Workshop Desktop

Build local apps that run natively on your machine — no deployment required.