Desktop app
Querylab.io Desktop is the same IDE as app.querylab.io packaged as a native macOS app. It exists for two things the browser can't do: keep your Google tokens in the OS keychain (or reuse the gcloud credentials already on your machine) and talk to local AI CLI tools. Everything else, including your tabs, settings, and queries, works the same as on the web.
Download and install
Download from querylab.io/desktop. The app runs on macOS 10.15 or later on Apple Silicon; Windows and Linux builds are coming.
Open the .dmg and drag Querylab.io to Applications.
First launch
The app opens on Step 1 of 2 · Authentication with two cards: Local gcloud (ADC) and Google OAuth. Which one to pick, and what each does, is on Connecting to BigQuery; the sign-in screens and scopes are on Authentication. The gcloud route in detail: Use existing gcloud auth.
Updates
The app updates itself. When a new version is out, a bar appears at the top of the window — click Install update and the app restarts on the new version. Close the bar to postpone; it comes back later. To check by hand, use Help → Check for Updates.
What’s different from the web app
| Desktop | Web | |
|---|---|---|
| Google token | OS keychain, or gcloud’s own credential file | Encrypted on Querylab.io servers |
| Sign-in without a browser round-trip | Yes, with local gcloud (ADC) | No |
| Prism AI providers | Querylab.io Cloud, your own API keys (BYOK), local CLI tools | Querylab.io Cloud |
| Menu bar and app shortcuts | Native, see Native experience | Browser’s |
Details on token storage: Local credentials. CLI tools: CLI integration. Connecting external AI tools: Local MCP server. Running bq or the python client against the app’s local engine: Local BigQuery API.