Community patch adds RTL language support to Claude Desktop on Windows

What this patch fixes

Claude Desktop currently has no native RTL support, causing Hebrew, Arabic, and other right-to-left languages to render completely broken. The issues include text starting from the wrong side, mixed LTR/RTL content appearing jumbled, and the input box not respecting text direction at all.

How the patch works

This is a workaround patch built using Claude Code throughout the development process. The developer used Claude Code to help with ASAR manipulation logic, RTL detection algorithm implementation, and debugging the Electron renderer injection.

The patch specifically:

• Injects a JavaScript snippet into Claude's renderer that auto-detects RTL text and applies the correct direction
• Keeps code blocks strictly LTR to prevent broken formatting
• Works on both the response area and the input box
• Creates full backups of all modified files before making changes, with a one-click restore option

Technical implementation details

Claude Desktop is Electron-based. The patch:

• Extracts app.asar
• Injects the RTL logic into the renderer JavaScript
• Repacks the ASAR file
• Updates the ASAR hash hardcoded in claude.exe
• Swaps the certificate in cowork-svc.exe to keep integrity checks functional

Installation

Installation is done via PowerShell with this command:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/shraga100/claude-desktop-rtl-patch/main/install.ps1 | iex

The patch is completely free and the repository is available at: https://github.com/shraga100/claude-desktop-rtl-patch

Current limitations and future

The developer notes this is a workaround until Anthropic adds native RTL support. The RTL detection isn't perfect yet, and pull requests are open for improvements. The full technical explanation is available in the repository's README.