Desktop App Guide

The Nocarta Desktop app runs the work that must happen on your machine: browser automations and document interpretation on your own local or vault-protected LLMs.

Why Desktop?

Automation uses Playwright to control a real browser, and local-LLM interpretation needs to reach endpoints only your machine can see. These must run on your desktop for:

Security: Tier 2 credentials stay on your device; Tier 1 credentials are fetched securely for automation
Visibility: Watch automation in real-time
Reliability: No server timeout limits
Access: Automate sites that block server IPs; call localhost LLMs (Ollama, local vLLM) the server can never reach

Installation

macOS

Download the DMG from /downloads
Open the DMG file
Drag Nocarta to Applications
First launch: Right-click → Open (to bypass Gatekeeper)

Windows

Download the installer from /downloads
Run the NSIS installer
Follow the installation wizard
Launch from Start Menu

Linux

Download AppImage or .deb from /downloads
For AppImage: chmod +x nocarta-linux-<version>.AppImage && ./nocarta-linux-<version>.AppImage
For .deb: sudo dpkg -i nocarta.deb

First Launch

Open Nocarta Desktop
The app connects to your Nocarta web account
Sign in with your existing credentials (passkey or magic link)
Your automations and secrets sync automatically

Features

Automation Execution

Run automations with live browser view
See each step execute in real-time
Automatic screenshot capture
Pause/resume/retry capabilities

Secret Injection

Tier 1 and Tier 2 secrets work seamlessly
Credentials injected locally, never sent to server during execution
Master password prompt for Tier 2 secrets

Mobile Dispatch

Start automations from your phone
Execution happens on your desktop
Notifications when complete

LLM Worker — run document interpretation on your own LLM

When a scan area or bulk fill is bound to an LLM that only your machine can reach — a local Ollama/vLLM, or a cloud key protected by your vault's master password — the interpretation is queued and the desktop app executes it:

Trigger work from any browser; jobs wait durably until the desktop is open
Consent first: jobs queued while the desktop was offline never run silently — at app open a dialog details each waiting job (template, scan area, instance, dispatch source, target LLM, queue time) before anything executes
Jobs drain in parallel (2 at a time); results land back on the instances with provenance ("interpreted by your LLM, on your desktop")
Watch and cancel jobs in Settings → Preferences → LLM Configuration — the queue panel works from any device
Vault-protected (Tier 2) keys are decrypted only on this machine; if the vault is locked, jobs wait without penalty
Crash-safe: interrupted jobs are re-queued and retried; navigating around the app never loses work

See AI Assistant & LLM Configuration for the routing rules and privacy options.

Keeping the App Updated

The desktop app auto-updates when new versions are available:

Update notification appears
Click to download and install
Restart the app

Troubleshooting

Issue	Solution
App won't connect	Check internet connection, try logout/login
Automations don't appear	Ensure you're logged into the same account
Browser doesn't launch	Reinstall app to restore bundled browser
Execution hangs	Check if site requires manual CAPTCHA