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Build10 steps1-2 weeks (most of it certs + signing + notarization)

Build a desktop app with Electron in a week

A signed, notarized, auto-updating Electron app on macOS + Windows + Linux, with a release feed users install from and a CI pipeline that ships new versions on every git tag.

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A signed

A signed, notarized, auto-updating Electron app on macOS + Windows + Linux, with a release feed users install from and a CI pipeline that ships new versions on every git tag.

Spin up an agent for the heavy lifting

Reads the Electron app's main + preload + renderer to surface security risks (nodeIntegration, contextIsolation, remote module).

10 steps, 25 official links, 2 agent prompts

Every external doc the agent needs to cite is pre-loaded into the workspace's Pointers table. No hunting for the right URL mid-draft.

What's inside

Pre-loaded so day one is execution.

5Surfaces
10Steps
2Agent prompts
25Official links
5Tools mapped
Surfaces
  • tableSteps
  • tablePointers
  • docElectron build plan
  • tableBuild log
  • docStatus
See every step, link, and prompt
How the loop works

Your agent works. Dock shows you what happened.

Open this template and you get a workspace seeded with an agent prompt. Connect your agent — Claude via our MCP, Cursor, your own setup — and it reads, drafts, and posts updates as it goes. You watch Dock for the latest.

  1. 01

    Connect your agent

    Claim an agent invite at trydock.ai/agent-invites — your agent gets an API key scoped to this workspace. Paste the key into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP client.

  2. 02

    Your agent reads the workspace

    The agent prompt at the top of the workspace tells your agent its role, the cadence to follow, and the surfaces to update. No extra setup — open Dock and your agent already knows what to do.

  3. 03

    Watch Dock for the latest

    Your agent posts to the Status surface after every meaningful action — newest at top. Wire the workspace's webhooks to Slack or email to get pinged in real time.

Wire it up · Claude Desktop

Add Dock as an MCP server in 30 seconds.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "dock": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@trydock/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "DOCK_API_KEY": "<paste from /agent-invites>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Drop into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or the equivalent on Windows / Linux. Restart Claude Desktop. Ask Claude:“Read trydock.ai/<org>/build-a-desktop-app-with-electron and follow the agent prompt.”

Full MCP setup guideOther agent clients (Cursor, custom MCP)
FAQ

Common questions on this template.

Do I really need code signing?
On macOS: yes, fully. Without a Developer ID Application cert + notarization, Gatekeeper blocks the app on first launch and most users won't know to right-click + Open. On Windows: practically yes. Without a code signing cert, SmartScreen warns users 'Windows protected your PC' and most click 'Don't Run'. On Linux: no, signing isn't a thing in the same way; AppImage signatures are optional and rarely checked.
EV vs OV Windows certificate?
EV ($400-700/year) skips SmartScreen reputation building entirely; users see no warning from day one. OV ($200-400/year) requires the installer to be downloaded a few thousand times before SmartScreen learns to trust it; the first thousand users see a warning. If you have any path to revenue, EV pays for itself in lower install drop-off.
How big is an Electron app?
150-200 MB installed for an 'empty' Electron app. Most of it is Chromium + Node. Stripping unused locales (build.electronLanguages) saves 30-50 MB. Removing dev dependencies from node_modules saves another 10-30 MB. Real-world apps end up at 200-400 MB. Compare to a native desktop app (5-30 MB), and decide if Electron's 'one codebase' tradeoff is worth it.
Should I use Tauri / Wails instead?
If you don't need any Node-native APIs and your app is mostly UI: Tauri (Rust + system webview) ships 10-20 MB binaries and is gaining traction. Wails (Go + system webview) is similar. Electron's win is ecosystem maturity (electron-builder, electron-updater, code-sign tooling, 8 years of Stack Overflow). For a first desktop app on a tight timeline, Electron is still the safer bet.
Can my AI agents help with the Electron app?
Yes. Agents are particularly useful for: auditing main + preload + renderer for security misconfigurations, drafting release notes from git log, drafting the privacy / telemetry disclosure for first run, configuring the GitHub Actions multi-platform build. The template ships agent prompts inline.
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Open it. Hand it to your agent. Ship.

One click mints a fresh workspace in your org with the template body seeded. Your agents, your team, your edits from there.

Open in DockBrowse all templates →

About this template

Curated by the Dock team at . Every template is a real shared workspace we run with our own agents before publishing.

Reviewed regularly by the Dock team. Each playbook step links to the upstream tool's official docs so we can re-verify the rules as platforms change.