AniTail Desktop

Native YouTube Music desktop client for Windows, macOS and Linux.

Why AniTail Desktop

AniTail Desktop brings YouTube Music to desktop with a native UI, local downloads, deep playback controls, account integrations, and first-class update/backup workflows.

Features

• Native Compose Desktop interface with fast navigation
• Playback via VLC engine for better stream compatibility
• Songs, artists, albums, playlists, charts, and explore pages
• Search, queue controls, mini player, and full player experience
• Local downloads for offline listening
• Lyrics from multiple providers with configurable priority and styling
• YouTube account login and library sync (liked tracks + playlists)
• Last.fm support (now playing + scrobbling)
• Spotify playlist import
• Discord profile/avatar integration
• Proxy support (HTTP / SOCKS)
• Backup/restore with optional Google Drive sync
• Built-in updater linked to GitHub Releases

Download

Published package formats:

• windows-x64.msi
• windows-arm64.msi
• macos-arm64.dmg
• linux-x64.deb
• linux-x64.rpm

Warning

If YouTube Music is not available in your region, playback may require a proxy or VPN.

VLC Media Player must be installed on the system for native playback.

Build From Source

Requirements:

• Java 21
• VLC Media Player

Run the app:

./gradlew runDesktop
# or
./gradlew :desktop:run

Build for current OS:

./gradlew packageDistributionForCurrentOS

Build specific installers:

./gradlew :desktop:packageReleaseMsi
./gradlew :desktop:packageReleaseDmg
./gradlew :desktop:packageReleaseDeb
./gradlew :desktop:packageReleaseRpm

Artifacts:

• desktop/build/compose/binaries/

Auto Update

• Source: https://github.com/Animetailapp/Anitail-Desktop/releases/latest
• Frequency: daily, weekly, monthly, never
• Platform-aware installer selection
• In-app download and installer launch

Local Data Paths

~/.anitail
~/.anitail/downloads.json
~/.anitail/credentials.json
~/.anitail/preferences.json
~/.anitail/database
~/Music/Anitail
~/Downloads/AniTail/AutoBackup

Security

• Sensitive values are stored encrypted
• Windows: DPAPI
• Other OSes: AES-GCM local encrypted storage

Optional Google Drive Backup

To enable Google Drive backup sync, provide one of:

• ANITAIL_GOOGLE_CLIENT_SECRET (env var with path to OAuth JSON)
• client_secret.json
• client_secret_*.json in project root

License

GNU GPL v3. See LICENSE.

Disclaimer

This project is independent and is not affiliated with or endorsed by YouTube or Google LLC.