Why desktop changes the workflow
Three things become possible when the workspace runs on your computer. It can read local files without an upload, it can keep a task running while you do something else, and it can hold the project between sessions.
Those are small-sounding advantages with a large effect on research and reporting, because both are made of files and long waits.
Keep the work with the files
Point the workspace at the folder that already holds the source files, rather than copying them into a new system. Fewer copies means fewer versions and less confusion about which file is current.
When a file must not leave the machine, say so and keep it local. The point of a desktop workspace is that you can decide this file by file.
Run long tasks without watching
Work that takes minutes is fine in a session. Work that takes an hour belongs in a task you can leave. Schedule it, close the window, and read the result when it is done.
Check the first runs by hand. A long task that is wrong is expensive, and the first two runs are where you learn whether the prompt and the inputs are right.
Keep a session you can return to
The session history is part of the workspace, not a chat log you scroll. Name sessions for the job, and return to the same one when the work continues. This is what makes a month-long project manageable.
Write a short state note at the end of each session: what changed, what is open, what to do next. The next session starts from that note instead of from memory.
Where this breaks
Desktop workspaces break when the machine sleeps, when a task depends on a network path that is not available, and when two people expect to use the same local files. Local is a choice, and it has limits.
For shared work, keep the sources in the shared system and the local workspace for the processing. Say which one is the source of truth.
How to run it on Sigla
Download Sigla for Windows or macOS, sign in with the same account, and create the workspace there. Keep local files in place, schedule the long tasks, and return to the same session when the work continues.
For the first build, read how to build your first app with AI. To make the repeat automatic, continue with schedule AI tasks daily.
FAQ
Does the desktop app work offline?
It works with local files and keeps the workspace on your machine. Steps that need a network, such as opening a web page, still need one.
Where are my files stored?
Where you already keep them. The workspace reads from the folder you point it at, and you decide which files stay local.
Can tasks run while the app is closed?
A scheduled task needs the app running to execute. Leave the machine on and the app open for a run you cannot supervise.
Is this a replacement for a shared drive?
No. Use it for processing and for long runs, and keep the shared source of truth where your team already keeps it.
Next step
Download the app, point one workspace at a real folder, and run a task you would otherwise do by hand.