HELIX Desktop (v0.6.8)

Local-first, 100% private desktop AI chat shell built with Tauri 2, Rust, Vue 3, and native llama.cpp engine.

HELIX provides a standalone, private desktop chat environment. Run local GGUF models directly on your hardware without needing external cloud services, API keys, or third-party background daemons.

[!NOTE]
Release Notice: HELIX Desktop v0.6.8 is the latest stable release. If you encounter any bugs or feature requests, please report them on the GitHub Issues Page.

⚡ What's New in v0.6.8

• 🛡️ Process Lifecycle & OS Error 32 Resolution:

  • Bound llama-server.exe to Tauri RunEvent::Exit lifecycle hooks so background engine processes exit cleanly when closing HELIX.
  • Implemented orphan process cleanup (kill_orphan_llama_servers) and a handle-release delay on Windows to eliminate file lock errors (os error 32) during app restarts.
  • Hardened MCP bridge subprocess stream extractions against backend thread panics.

• 🎨 Model Manager & HuggingFace UI Enhancements:

  • Compacted card layout with dynamic grid column sizing (minmax(185px, 1fr)) preventing card bleeding off the right border.
  • Fixed action button clipping on HuggingFace repository rows (VIEW FILES ▼ / HIDE FILES ▲).
  • Added horizontal scroll support (overflow-x: auto) and word-wrapping (overflow-wrap: anywhere) so long GGUF model names and quant tags remain fully visible.

• 💻 Professional Code & File Creation:

  • Auto-generated language tags (PYTHON, TYPESCRIPT, RUST, HTML, CSS, VUE, JSON, POWERSHELL, SQL, BASH) and file extension suggestions.
  • One-click Copy button on code blocks with animated feedback (Copied ✓).
  • One-click Download / Save File button prompting native Windows File Save Dialog via Tauri (save_text_file).

• 🔌 In-Chat /mcp Slash Commands & Composer Menu:

  • /mcp list: Live status overview of all configured MCP plugins, connection state (🟢 Connected / 🔴 Offline), and endpoints.
  • /mcp enable <id> & /mcp disable <id>: Activate or deactivate plugins directly inside chat prompts.
  • /mcp open: Instantly open the Plugin Manager modal.

• 🌐 Dual Stdio & SSE MCP Plugin Support:

  • Command-based (stdio) and URL-based (SSE) MCP plugin forms with live toggle tabs in the Plugin Manager.
  • Real-time Connected / Offline status badges linked directly to active sidecar processes.

• ⚡ Standalone Native llama-server Engine:

  • Built-in llama.cpp integration with Vulkan GPU acceleration and FlashAttention (-fa auto) for fast prompt processing.

• 📦 HuggingFace GGUF Search & Parallel Chunk Downloads:

  • Direct search for open-source GGUF models on HuggingFace.
  • Multi-threaded 8-stream parallel downloads with resume support and accurate file size metadata.

📦 Latest Stable Release

• Current Stable: v0.6.8
• Windows Installer (NSIS): HELIX-Setup.exe
• Windows Installer (MSI): HELIX_0.6.8_x64_en-US.msi
• Checksums: SHA256SUMS.txt

📥 Installation

Download & Install

Download the latest installer (HELIX-Setup.exe or HELIX_0.6.8_x64_en-US.msi) directly from the GitHub Releases page.

🖼️ Interface Showcase

Chat Dashboard

Model Manager & HuggingFace Pulls

MCP Plugin Manager

✨ Core Features

🖥️ 100% Local & Private

• Native desktop shell powered by Rust & Tauri 2.
• Direct execution via built-in llama-server engine.
• Hardware monitoring displaying real-time CPU, RAM, and VRAM usage.
• All prompts, chats, and models stay 100% on your machine.

📦 GGUF Model Management

• Browse & search HuggingFace open-source GGUF models.
• Parallel multi-threaded chunked downloads with resume support.
• One-click import for custom local .gguf files.
• Active model switching and real-time disk usage analytics.

🔌 Model Context Protocol (MCP)

• Built-in MCP Plugin Manager supporting stdio binaries & SSE URLs.
• In-chat /mcp slash commands for instant plugin management.
• Connect filesystem tools, Web APIs, and custom agent skills.
• Automatic tool calling loop with reasoning trace.

🚀 How to Activate & Manage MCP Plugins

1. Activating Built-in HELIX Skills:

   • Open the Plugin Manager by clicking MCP Plugins in the sidebar or entering /mcp open in chat.
   • Locate the pre-configured HELIX Skills card (bundled MCP server providing local file manipulation and tool execution).
   • Click Activate (toggle power button). The status badge will turn 🟢 Connected.

2. In-Chat /mcp Slash Commands:

   • /mcp list: View all configured plugins and connection status.
   • /mcp enable <name|id>: Activate an MCP plugin directly in chat (e.g., /mcp enable helix-skills).
   • /mcp disable <name|id>: Deactivate an active MCP plugin.
   • /mcp open: Instantly open the MCP Plugin Manager UI.

3. Adding Custom MCP Servers:

   • Command (stdio): Add local executable/script servers (e.g. npx, python) with custom CLI arguments.
   • URL (SSE): Connect to remote Server-Sent Events endpoints (e.g., https://example.com/mcp/sse).
   • Config Import: Load existing configuration files by providing the path to a .mcp.json file.
   • Awesome-Skills Directory: Search and install community skills from awesome-skills.com under the Awesome-Skills tab.

💻 Development

Prerequisites

• Node.js (v18+)
• Rust (v1.77+)
• Tauri CLI (npm install -g @tauri-apps/cli)

Run Locally

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Launch app in development mode
npm run tauri:dev

Production Build

# Build desktop installer executable
npm run tauri:build

🛠️ Technology Stack

• Desktop Framework: Tauri 2 (Rust)
• Frontend Logic: Vue 3, Vite, TypeScript
• Local Engine: llama-server (Vulkan GPU offload + FlashAttention)
• Design System: Windows 11 Fluent Glassmorphism (CSS Tokens)
• Distribution: GitHub Releases & Actions Automation

📜 License & Releases

Stable releases and changelogs are published automatically at:
github.com/tjcrims0nx/Helix/releases