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Welcome to nteract Desktop

nteract Desktop is a native desktop application for Jupyter notebooks built for speed and collaboration. It features instant startup, realtime sync across windows and agents, and intelligent environment management that automatically handles Python and Deno dependencies. Built on runtimelib and jupyter-protocol, nteract Desktop provides a modern foundation for interactive computing.

Instant Startup

Launch notebooks immediately with prewarmed environment pools. No waiting for virtual environments to spin up.

Realtime Collaboration

Open the same notebook in multiple windows or from AI agents. Changes sync instantly via Automerge.

Smart Environments

Automatic environment detection from pyproject.toml, environment.yml, or pixi.toml. Supports both UV and Conda backends.

Background Daemon

The runtimed daemon manages kernels, environments, and sync in the background. Notebooks persist across app restarts.

Python & Deno

First-class support for Python (ipykernel) and Deno (TypeScript/JavaScript) notebooks with automatic runtime detection.

Command Line Interface

Full CLI access with runt commands for managing notebooks, kernels, and the daemon from your terminal.

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What’s Included

The desktop app bundles everything you need:
ComponentDescription
nteractDesktop notebook editor (Tauri + React)
runtimedBackground daemon — environment pools, notebook sync, kernel execution
runtCLI for managing kernels, notebooks, and the daemon
sidecarViewer for Jupyter kernel outputs

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Key Features

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Intelligent Environment Management

No manual virtual environment creation. nteract Desktop automatically:
  • Detects project files (pyproject.toml, environment.yml, pixi.toml)
  • Creates and caches environments using UV or Conda
  • Supports inline dependencies stored in notebook metadata
  • Maintains prewarmed environment pools for instant startup

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Realtime Document Sync

Multiple clients can edit the same notebook simultaneously:
  • Changes propagate instantly via Automerge CRDT
  • AI agents can collaborate with you in the same document
  • Conflict-free merging of concurrent edits
  • Binary outputs stored as content-addressed blobs

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Background Daemon Architecture

The runtimed daemon runs as a system service:
  • Kernels persist when you close windows
  • Environment pools stay warm between sessions
  • Notebook state syncs automatically
  • Check daemon status with runt daemon status

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Quick Example

Open a notebook and run code immediately: 
# Open a notebook in the desktop app
runt notebook path/to/notebook.ipynb

# Or launch an interactive console
runt console
The app automatically detects your environment and starts the appropriate kernel. No configuration needed.

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Architecture Highlights

The daemon is the source of truth for all runtime state. The desktop app and CLI are views into daemon state, not independent state holders.
  • Automerge documents are the canonical notebook state
  • On-disk .ipynb files are checkpoints saved periodically
  • Blob store keeps binary outputs out of the sync protocol
  • Environment pools enable instant kernel startup

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Get Started

Installation

Download and install nteract Desktop for macOS, Windows, or Linux.

Quickstart

Get from install to your first notebook execution in minutes.

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Python Bindings

The daemon is also available as a Python package for programmatic access: 
pip install runtimed
See the Python Bindings guide for usage examples.

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Open Source

nteract Desktop is open source and built on published Rust crates: Contributions welcome at github.com/nteract/desktop.

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