Desktop App
Form Forge also ships as a desktop app (built with Tauri) that bundles the backend on your machine. There's no Docker and no server to run. It works offline, and your PDFs stay local.
Install
Download the build for your operating system from the Releases page.
Run the .msi or .exe installer.
Microsoft SmartScreen may show a "Windows protected your PC" warning because the app isn't code-signed. Click More info, then Run anyway.
Open the .dmg and drag Form Forge to your Applications folder.
Gatekeeper says the app "can't be opened because it is from an unidentified developer," because the app isn't code-signed. Open System Settings > Privacy & Security, find the blocked app, and click Open Anyway (or right-click the app and choose Open).
Use the .AppImage (portable: chmod +x it, then run it), or the .deb
/ .rpm for your package manager. No signing step is needed.
If the app opens to a blank window, see Linux + NVIDIA below.
Why the binaries are unsigned
Code signing certificates are costly for an open-source project, so the binaries ship unsigned. The app is safe to use, and you can verify it yourself by building from source.
Linux + NVIDIA: blank window
On Linux with an NVIDIA GPU, the app may open to a blank or white window. This is a known WebKitGTK issue with NVIDIA's driver, not a Form Forge bug. Launch it with the DMABUF renderer disabled:
WEBKIT_DISABLE_DMABUF_RENDERER=1 ./Form\ Forge_*.AppImage
If you installed the .deb / .rpm, set the same variable before launching,
or add it to the app's .desktop launcher Exec= line so it sticks:
WEBKIT_DISABLE_DMABUF_RENDERER=1 form-forge
If a blank window persists, try WEBKIT_DISABLE_COMPOSITING_MODE=1 instead.
Using the app
The desktop app works the same as the web version. Follow Using Form Forge to upload a character sheet, attach calculations, and export. The one difference: when you export, the desktop app saves the finished PDF straight to a folder you pick, instead of downloading it through a browser.
Building from Source
Building from source produces the Tauri desktop binary. Ensure you have the prerequisites installed, including the Tauri v2 system dependencies for your platform.
git clone https://github.com/maikbasel/form-forge.git
cd form-forge
pnpm install
cd apps/native
pnpm tauri build
The compiled binaries will be in apps/native/src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.