Desktop window (preview)¶

tusk app opens Tusk Studio in a native window instead of a browser tab. It is marked preview: it works, but there is no installer, no code signing and no auto-update yet — you still install Tusk with pip/uv. Those arrive with the desktop release.

Install¶

uv pip install "tuskdata[app]"      # adds pywebview (~1 MB, uses the OS WebView)

macOS uses WebKit, Windows uses WebView2 (present on Windows 10/11), Linux needs GTK WebKit (gir1.2-webkit2-4.1 or your distro's equivalent).

Use¶

tusk app                       # local: starts Studio on a free port, opens the window
tusk app --port 8000           # local, fixed port
tusk app --url http://10.0.0.188:7000   # remote: a window on an existing Tusk

In local mode the server is a child process on 127.0.0.1; closing the window stops it. In --url mode nothing runs locally — it is a window on your deployment, with the same login and the same session as the browser.

Why it is cheap¶

Tusk already runs as a local web server, exactly like pgAdmin. The window is the only missing piece, so the preview is a thin wrapper: pick a port, start tusk studio, wait for /api/health, open the window.

Known limits¶

No dock/taskbar icon or menu bar integration yet.
On Windows the console window stays open behind the app; the signed release will ship a windowless launcher.
One window; open a second Tusk in the browser if you need it.
Set TUSK_APP_VERBOSE=1 to see the server log in the terminal.