The desktop app is completely optional. It runs the exact same Studio server under the hood, just wrapped in a native window instead of your browser. Pick whichever you prefer.
Why use the desktop app?
The CLI version works great. The desktop app adds a few quality-of-life improvements:- Always running in the background. Studio lives in your system tray. The OTLP endpoint stays active even when you close the window. No terminal tab to keep open.
- One click to open. Click the tray icon instead of switching to a terminal and running a command.
- Auto-updates. New versions are downloaded and installed silently. No
npm updateneeded. - Dedicated window. Studio gets its own window in your taskbar/dock instead of being a browser tab you might accidentally close.
No telemetry
The desktop app does not collect any telemetry, analytics, or usage data. Your traces and logs stay on your machine in~/.config/monocle/studio.db, exactly like the CLI version.
Download
macOS (Apple Silicon)
M1, M2, M3, M4
macOS (Intel)
Intel-based Macs
Linux
AppImage (x64)
Windows
Installer (x64)
How it works
The desktop app runs the same Studio server asmonocle studio dev, an AdonisJS HTTP server with DuckDB storage listening on localhost:4200. Your instrumented app sends OTLP data to that port, and the Studio UI renders it.
When you close the window, the app stays in the system tray and the OTLP endpoint keeps running. Click the tray icon to reopen the window, or right-click to quit entirely.
System requirements
| Platform | Minimum version |
|---|---|
| macOS | 11 (Big Sur) |
| Linux | Ubuntu 20.04 / Fedora 38 / any distro with glibc 2.31+ |
| Windows | 10 (64-bit) |