diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 21244765491..dbe82d5384b 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -491,7 +491,7 @@ The dashboard embeds the real `hermes --tui` — **not** a rewrite.  See `hermes
 
 ### Electron Desktop Chat App (`apps/desktop/`)
 
-A **separate** chat surface from both the classic CLI and the dashboard's embedded TUI. It is an Electron + React + nanostore renderer (`@assistant-ui/react`) that talks to a `tui_gateway` backend over JSON-RPC (`requestGateway(method, params)`). It does NOT embed `hermes --tui` — it has its own composer, transcript, and slash-command pipeline. Route desktop bugs to the `hermes-desktop-app-work` skill, not `hermes-dashboard-work`.
+A **separate** chat surface from both the classic CLI and the dashboard's embedded TUI. It is an Electron + React + nanostore renderer (`@assistant-ui/react`) that talks to a `tui_gateway` backend over JSON-RPC (`requestGateway(method, params)`). The WebSocket/JSON-RPC transport lives in the framework-agnostic `apps/shared` package (`@hermes/shared` — `JsonRpcGatewayClient` + WS URL helpers), which the web dashboard (`web/`) also consumes; **desktop has no build/runtime dependency on the dashboard frontend** — it only spawns a headless `hermes dashboard --no-open` backend server, never the browser dashboard UI. It does NOT embed `hermes --tui` — it has its own composer, transcript, and slash-command pipeline. Route desktop bugs to the `hermes-desktop-app-work` skill, not `hermes-dashboard-work`.
 
 **Slash commands in the desktop app are curated client-side, then dispatched to the backend.** The pipeline:
 
diff --git a/apps/desktop/README.md b/apps/desktop/README.md
index 8a6d3efe9bf..3df212feacb 100644
--- a/apps/desktop/README.md
+++ b/apps/desktop/README.md
@@ -85,7 +85,7 @@ Installers are built and uploaded to GitHub Releases manually. macOS/Windows sig
 
 ### How it works
 
-The packaged app ships the Electron shell and a native React chat surface. On first launch it can install the Hermes Agent runtime into `HERMES_HOME` (`~/.hermes`, or `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes` on Windows) — the **same layout a CLI install uses**, so the two are interchangeable. Backend resolution first honours `HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES_ROOT`, then a completed managed install, then a probed `hermes` on `PATH` (unless `HERMES_DESKTOP_IGNORE_EXISTING=1` is set), and finally an explicit `HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES` command override for packagers/troubleshooting. The renderer (React, in `src/`) talks to a `hermes dashboard` backend over the `tui_gateway`/dashboard APIs and reuses the agent runtime rather than embedding `hermes --tui`. The install, backend-resolution, and self-update logic all live in `electron/main.cjs`.
+The packaged app ships the Electron shell and a native React chat surface. On first launch it can install the Hermes Agent runtime into `HERMES_HOME` (`~/.hermes`, or `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes` on Windows) — the **same layout a CLI install uses**, so the two are interchangeable. Backend resolution first honours `HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES_ROOT`, then a completed managed install, then a probed `hermes` on `PATH` (unless `HERMES_DESKTOP_IGNORE_EXISTING=1` is set), and finally an explicit `HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES` command override for packagers/troubleshooting. The renderer (React, in `src/`) talks to a headless backend the app launches for you — a `hermes dashboard --no-open` process that serves the `tui_gateway` JSON-RPC/WebSocket API — through the framework-agnostic client in [`apps/shared`](../shared/) (the same client the web dashboard consumes), and reuses the agent runtime rather than embedding `hermes --tui`. The app is **self-contained**: `dashboard` here is just the name of the backend server it manages, **not** the browser dashboard UI — you never run or open the web dashboard to use the desktop app. The install, backend-resolution, and self-update logic all live in `electron/main.cjs`.
 
 ### Verification
 
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/desktop.md b/website/docs/user-guide/desktop.md
index 1f022b58f66..ae803d8a949 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/desktop.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/desktop.md
@@ -144,7 +144,7 @@ To launch via the CLI, simply run `hermes desktop`. By default it installs works
 
 ## How it works
 
-The packaged app ships the Electron shell and a native React chat surface. On first launch it can install the Hermes Agent runtime into `HERMES_HOME` (`~/.hermes`, or `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes` on Windows) — **the same layout a CLI install uses**, which is why the two are interchangeable. Backend resolution first honours `HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES_ROOT`, then a completed managed install, then a probed `hermes` on `PATH` (unless `--ignore-existing` / `HERMES_DESKTOP_IGNORE_EXISTING=1` is set), and finally an explicit `HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES` command override for packagers such as Nix. The React renderer talks to a `hermes dashboard` backend over the `tui_gateway`/dashboard APIs and reuses the agent runtime rather than embedding `hermes --tui`. Install, backend-resolution, and self-update logic live in the Electron main process.
+The packaged app ships the Electron shell and a native React chat surface. On first launch it can install the Hermes Agent runtime into `HERMES_HOME` (`~/.hermes`, or `%LOCALAPPDATA%\hermes` on Windows) — **the same layout a CLI install uses**, which is why the two are interchangeable. Backend resolution first honours `HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES_ROOT`, then a completed managed install, then a probed `hermes` on `PATH` (unless `--ignore-existing` / `HERMES_DESKTOP_IGNORE_EXISTING=1` is set), and finally an explicit `HERMES_DESKTOP_HERMES` command override for packagers such as Nix. The React renderer talks to a headless backend the app launches for you — a `hermes dashboard --no-open` process that serves the `tui_gateway` JSON-RPC/WebSocket API — and reuses the agent runtime rather than embedding `hermes --tui`. The desktop app is **self-contained**: `dashboard` here is just the name of that backend server, **not** the browser dashboard UI — you never need to run or open the [web dashboard](./features/web-dashboard.md) to use the app. Install, backend-resolution, and self-update logic live in the Electron main process.
 
 ## Connecting to a remote backend