cryptdesk 0.1.1

Peer-to-peer encrypted screen sharing and remote control desktop app

CryptDesk

CryptDesk is a Python + PySide6 desktop application for direct peer-to-peer screen sharing with optional remote control and end-to-end encrypted transport.

What this build includes

• Direct host/viewer connection over TCP without a central relay
• Ephemeral X25519 key exchange per session
• AES-256-GCM encrypted message transport
• Optional shared secret to harden session authentication
• Live screen streaming from the host's primary display
• Remote mouse and keyboard control gated by explicit host consent
• Session safety code shown on both ends for manual verification

Security model

• Media and control packets are encrypted end-to-end after the initial public-key exchange.
• If you set the same shared secret on both peers, it is mixed into key derivation.
• The safety code should match on both peers. If it does not, terminate the session.
• This build is a direct desktop-to-desktop MVP. It does not include relay servers, TURN/STUN, or unattended access workflows.

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11+
• Windows, macOS, or Linux desktop environment
• The host and viewer must be able to open a direct TCP connection. On LAN this usually works immediately. Across the internet you will usually need port forwarding or a VPN.

Run locally

python -m pip install -e .
python -m cryptdesk

You can also use the console entry point:

cryptdesk

Basic usage

1. Start CryptDesk on the host machine.
2. In Share this device, choose a port and optionally a shared secret, then click Start sharing.
3. Share one of the listed host IP addresses and the port with the viewer.
4. On the viewer machine, open Control a device, enter the host IP, port, and the same shared secret if used, then click Connect.
5. Verify that the safety code matches on both machines.
6. If remote control is needed, the host enables Allow remote control and the viewer enables Enable remote input.

Build a desktop executable

Install the dev dependencies and run the packaged build script:

python -m pip install -e .[dev]
powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\build.ps1

PyInstaller output will be generated in dist\CryptDesk.

For a single-file Windows executable:

powershell -ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File .\scripts\build.ps1 -OneFile

That build produces dist\CryptDesk.exe.

GitHub Actions

Two workflows are included under .github/workflows:

• python-package.yml runs compile checks, pytest, and package builds on pushes, pull requests, and manual dispatch.
• python-publish.yml builds sdist and wheel distributions and publishes the Python package to PyPI.
• github-release.yml builds a standalone Windows CryptDesk.exe and uploads it to the GitHub Release as a click-to-run asset.

The publish workflow is configured for PyPI Trusted Publishing. In PyPI, register cryptdesk with this repository and the workflow file python-publish.yml, and use the GitHub environment name pypi.

For manual release uploads, trigger github-release.yml with the release_tag input set to an existing GitHub Release tag.

Tests

python -m pytest

Limitations

• The current build streams the primary display only.
• The current transport is direct TCP; NAT traversal and relay infrastructure are not included.
• Input injection depends on OS permissions and may require accessibility permissions on some systems.
• Keyboard layout translation is best-effort and may vary across platforms.