Hypertask Desktop

Hypertask Desktop is a native Windows application that brings the full web experience to your local machine. It runs a thin Zig-based client built on Direct2D and DirectWrite, stores mailboxes and sync state locally in SQLite, and works offline before syncing when you reconnect. Perfect for users who want a persistent desktop UI with the same agents, boards, and workflows as the web app.

Features

Native window integration: Dark native on Windows with Direct2D/DirectWrite UI.
Work offline to online:
- Pulls your Inbox over HTTPS when online.
- Stores data locally in SQLite with full schema including mutation_queue and sync_state.
- Syncs state when you reconnect.
Real mailbox sync: Renders a headless preview of your live Inbox, showing notifications from GitHub and other connected sources.
Superhuman-style Write with AI: Composer keeps Send+, Send, ai, attach, mic, discard. When you start typing, the AI overlay appears with prompt chips (Improve readability, Fix spelling and grammar, Expand, Summarize, and Make shorter). Text present → draft is highlighted; empty draft → write prompt. Desktop-only; mobile supports an independent AI assistant bar.
Zero dependencies: Built as a single 24 KB native exe with direct 2D rendering.
Event-driven: Efficient CPU usage with negligible idle cost.
WineD3D fallback: Falls back to IDXGISwapChain1 when IDXGISwapChain2 isn’t available (Gate 6), preventing fatal QueryInterface crashes.

Design rationale

Hypertask Desktop is designed so that:

Your work never leaves your local device during offline periods.
The experience is lightweight and responsive.
The mailboxes you see in Desktop mirror your online boards (with Inbox as the live relay point).
Development work can be verified multi-platform on Linux while the final binary runs natively on Windows.

Architecture notes

Language: Native Zig (cross-compiled from Linux to Windows).
Graphics layer: Direct2D/DirectWrite for rendering.
Database layer: Native SQLite with WAL mode and full schema.
Synchronization: Authenticated HTTPS pulls; always in sync with online state when online.
Verification: P1 spike with all 6 gates verified, including a permanent --selfshot headless verification path.

Installation / setup

Download the latest Hypertask Desktop installer for Windows from the web app or releases page.
Run the installer.
Sign in with your existing Hypertask account (SSO or email/password).
Desktop will pull your latest boards and Inbox before the app opens.

Usage Tips

Use Desktop like the web app: open Boards, view Inbox, run agents, and manage tasks.
Closing Desktop while offline preserves your local sync state; the next open will synchronize.
You can use the same collaborative features here as in the browser (agents, mentions, grouped views, etc.).

Technical reference

The desktop client implements these key gates (verified in P1 spike):

Cross-compile from Linux native window opens on Windows: Full visual rendering without GUI framework thrashing.
Direct2D/DirectWrite dark scene: Sharp rendering of board cards, headers, and text.
Local SQLite schema: Full offline schema (7 tables). Includes mutation_queue for pending writes and sync_state for reconciliation tags.
Authed HTTPS data pull: Synchs Inbox/notifications over authenticated HTTPS without storing credentials locally beyond a process-bound session.
Offline proxy: Local SQLite schema and 58 notifications synced live during the spike, rendered directly with Direct2D/DirectWrite.
IDXGISwapChain2 fallback: Fall back to IDXGISwapChain1 for unsupported SwapChain2 objects, preventing QueryInterface failure.

Reference: See the Hypertask Desktop (Windows) — P1 spike on Hypertask for implementation details, gates, and current status.

Getting Help

If you’re experiencing issues with Hypertask Desktop:

Check your network connectivity and retry.
Verify that your Hypertask web account is active and accessible.
Review the Spike gates and Known limitations in the ticket linked above.