Desktop
Desktop is Nimi's own native app for your computer. It can do things the browser version can't safely offer: a built-in Runtime, local AI, real windows and menus, and workflows that need access to a real OS.
This section covers what you can do in Desktop, how Web mode differs, and where each feature's data actually lives.
What This Section Contains
- Web Mode — a smaller, browser-based way to use selected Desktop surfaces.
Desktop And Web Are Different
Nimi runs on both Desktop and Web, but the two don't offer the same capabilities. Web mode is a deliberately smaller experience. Desktop carries the native and local features.
| Capability area | Desktop | Web |
|---|---|---|
| Native runtime bootstrap | Available | Disabled |
| Local AI capability surfaces | Available when admitted | Disabled |
| Native window and shell behavior | Available | Disabled |
| Sensitive token persistence | Native-secure | Constrained |
| Public product reads (browse, chat, world view) | Available | Available when admitted as projection |
Keep this in mind when you choose where to run Nimi. A page that works in the browser doesn't automatically come with the desktop-only features behind it, even when the two look the same.
What Desktop Owns
Desktop handles the shell itself: windows, menus, native bridging, local integration, and the first-party workflows you use every day. It builds on Runtime and SDK contracts rather than replacing them.
Reader Scenario: A Surface That Is "Available On Both"
Suppose a public read surface (for example, browsing a world) is admitted on both Desktop and Web. Even then:
- Desktop renders the surface inside the native shell with native navigation and (when admitted) local enhancement.
- Web renders the surface inside the browser without native bootstrap and without sensitive token persistence beyond what browsers can safely offer.
A reader who is making a distribution decision needs to understand that "available on both" does not mean "identical on both."