A beautiful, native macOS wrapper for GitHub.com
Features • Installation • Building • Screenshots • Contributing
GitHub Desktop Wrapper is an unofficial, lightweight macOS application that brings GitHub.com to your desktop as a native app experience. Built with both Swift (WebKit) and Electron options, it provides a seamless, distraction-free way to access GitHub without opening a browser.
⚠️ Disclaimer: This is an unofficial client and is not affiliated with or endorsed by GitHub, Inc.
✨ Native macOS Experience — Feels like a first-class macOS citizen with proper window management
🚀 Lightweight & Fast — Minimal resource footprint compared to running in a browser
🎨 Beautiful macOS Big Sur Icon — Custom-designed squircle icon following Apple's design guidelines
🔒 Clean & Focused — No browser tabs, extensions, or distractions
⚡ Two Build Options — Choose between Swift (native WebKit) or Electron wrapper
📦 Easy Distribution — Comes with DMG packaging for simple installation
The app displays GitHub.com in a native WebKit view with a clean, seamless browsing experience.
The About dialog shows basic app info and credits.
Note: See screenshots/README.md for instructions on capturing actual screenshots.
- Go to the Releases page or check GitHub Actions artifacts
- Download the latest
.dmgfile - Open the DMG and drag
GithubApp.appto your Applications folder - Launch from Applications or Spotlight
If macOS shows a security warning:
- Right-click
GithubApp.app→ Open - Or allow it in System Settings → Privacy & Security
This app is built for Intel (x86_64). On Apple Silicon Macs:
softwareupdate --install-rosetta# Install dependencies
npm ci
# Run in development mode
npm start
# Build macOS app bundle & DMG
npm run build# Build the app bundle
./build.sh
# Package as DMG
./package-dmg.shThis creates GithubApp-Intel-Mac.dmg in the repository root.
# Run the built app
open GithubApp.app
# Or with verbose output for debugging
open -a ./GithubApp.app| Requirement | Version |
|---|---|
| macOS | 10.13 (High Sierra) or later |
| Architecture | Intel x86_64 (Rosetta 2 on Apple Silicon) |
| Node.js | 16+ (for Electron build) |
| Xcode CLT | Required for Swift build |
├── Sources/
│ └── main.swift # Native Swift/WebKit wrapper
├── main.js # Electron main process
├── preload.js # Electron preload script
├── index.html # Electron renderer
├── styles.css # UI styles
├── assets/
│ ├── icon.svg # App icon source
│ └── icon.png # Rasterized icon
├── build.sh # Swift build script
├── package-dmg.sh # DMG packaging script
└── .github/workflows/ # CI/CD workflows
The app features a custom macOS Big Sur style icon with the GitHub Octocat mark. To regenerate from SVG:
./create-icon.shRequires
rsvg-convert(librsvg) or ImageMagick.
- Build and run the app on macOS
- Follow instructions in screenshots/README.md
- Replace placeholder SVG files with actual screenshots
This project uses GitHub Actions for continuous integration:
| Workflow | Purpose |
|---|---|
build-mac-app.yml |
Builds Swift native app |
build.yml |
Builds Electron app + creates releases |
ci.yml |
Runs tests and linting |
Built artifacts are available in the Actions tab after each push.
Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.
- Fork the repository
- Create your feature branch (
git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature) - Commit your changes (
git commit -m 'Add amazing feature') - Push to the branch (
git push origin feature/amazing-feature) - Open a Pull Request
Developed by Sumit Duster
This project is licensed under the MIT License — see the LICENSE file for details.
Made with ❤️ for the GitHub community