Choosing a desktop surface
Harriet Desktop is the workspace for most rollouts: one app for the whole company. Two Claude Desktop modes exist for teams that need them, and Harriet manages skills and connectors on all three.
The three surfaces
Harriet Desktop is the default: Harriet's own AI workspace app for macOS, Windows, and Linux. People sign in with their Harriet account, and models come through Harriet's LLM proxy with no monthly per-seat AI subscription. In the setup wizard this option lists: no monthly subscription, advanced MCPs and skills, all models, no vendor lock-in.
Claude Desktop with a Claude account keeps the Claude subscriptions your people already pay for. Harriet syncs assigned skills and MCP connectors into Claude Desktop; Anthropic supplies the models and bills the individual account. The wizard lists: use existing subscription, basic MCP control, Anthropic-only models.
Claude Desktop without a Claude account gives people the Claude Desktop app with models supplied through Harriet's gateway, so nobody needs an individual Anthropic account. The wizard lists: no monthly subscription, advanced MCPs and skills, EU and non-Anthropic models. Model access follows your organization's allowlist and is billed through BYOK or managed credits.
Comparison
| Harriet Desktop | Claude Desktop, Claude account | Claude Desktop, no Claude account | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Who supplies the app | Harriet | Anthropic | Anthropic |
| Who supplies the models | Harriet's LLM proxy (BYOK or managed credits) | Anthropic, billed to the person's Claude subscription | Harriet's gateway (BYOK or managed credits) |
| What Harriet manages | Skills, connectors, model access, sign-in, and device wipe | Skills, MCP connectors, and the audit of proxied tool calls | Managed policy, org plugin skills, MCP connectors, and the model allowlist |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | macOS, Windows | macOS, Windows |
| How it syncs | The app itself, every 5 minutes while open; background agent for headless or MDM installs | Background agent | Background agent |
You do not have to pick one for everyone. In Endpoint AI, Settings has a Default app target for newly enrolled devices — Harriet Desktop only, Claude Desktop only, or both — and each device can override it. Existing devices keep their current target until you change them.
The helpers that keep devices in sync
One smaller piece sits underneath the Claude Desktop surfaces. The background agent is the terminal-installed piece that writes configuration to disk; it checks in every 5 minutes and is the route for macOS, Windows, MDM rollouts, and automation. Harriet Desktop does not need it while the app is open, because it syncs on its own timer.
Read next
The full AI workspace app: sign in with Harriet, chat, skills, and the model picker.
Keep individual Claude subscriptions; Harriet adds skills and connectors.
Harriet supplies the models through its gateway; no Anthropic accounts needed.
The install-script route for Windows, headless machines, and MDM.