Pinac-Workspace is a minimalist-designed & lightweight secure desktop AI-chat experience built with Tauri & React and powered by python FastAPI backend. It is designed for people who want flexibility, speed, security and control over their data _with minimum load on RAM.
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Model Freedom: Bring your own API key and connect any supported model — including those with extended thinking mode. No vendor lock-in, no forced defaults.
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Security-oriented Architecture: Built desktop-first, not as a browser-based shell. The reduced attack surface means your keys and conversation data stay where they belong: on your machine.
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Local Chat History: Every conversation is persisted locally via SQLite. Pick up where you left off without relying on any cloud sync or external service.
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FastAPI Backend: The Python backend is thin, fast, and easy to extend. Swap components, add endpoints, or hook into your own tooling without fighting the architecture.
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Lightweight by Design: Low RAM footprint with minimal resource usage — runs comfortably alongside the rest of your development environment without competing for headroom.
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Cross-platform Consistency: A native feel across major desktop platforms with no platform-specific workarounds required.
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Minimalist Interface: No dashboards, no telemetry nags, no clutter. Just a focused UI that stays out of your way.
There are two ways to setup depending on your focus:
- Frontend only — No Rust or Python required. Launch the mock UI in a browser and work entirely on the desktop app's interface. Made for testing UI changes without needing to run the full desktop app.
- Full setup — Required if you are working on the backend, core desktop functionality, or want to run the full app locally.
| Requirement | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Node.js | Desktop app and mock UI |
| Python + uv | Backend and package management (full setup only) |
| Rust | Tauri desktop builds (full setup only) |
git clone https://github.com/RajeshTechForge/pinac_workspace.git
cd pinac_workspace# Desktop app dependencies
cd desktop
npm install
# Python backend dependencies
uv sync
uv pip install -e . # Install in editable modeThe backend and desktop app run as separate processes. Open two terminal panels:
Terminal 1 — FastAPI backend:
cd backend
uv run uvicorn nexus.api.app:app --reloadTerminal 2 — Desktop app:
# Full desktop app
npm run tauri dev
# Mock UI in browser (no Rust or Python needed)
npm run dev:mockCheckout build/electron branch for the old Electron-based version of Pinac-Workspace. This branch contains the previous implementation before we switched to Tauri for better performance and security. Also you can find in release section of this repository for the old releases.
Contributions are always welcome, whether you are fixing bugs, improving UX, or proposing new features.
Please read the Contributing Guidelines to get started.
Distributed under the MIT License. See LICENSE for details.
Built with ❤️ for a better AI future by @RajeshTechForge