On Tue, Oct 6, 2026 at 18:02 Stefano L <[email protected]> wrote: > Hello, > I use OpenBSD as my daily driver and would like to ask whether anyone > would consider porting a Signal client. > Signal is the messenger many people around me use, and right now I have to > keep another system or a phone at hand just for it. A native client on > OpenBSD would remove that need. > I understand Signal Desktop has a heavy dependency chain, so a lighter > client would also be welcome if that is more realistic. > If someone has already looked into this, I would like to know what blocks > it. I am willing to test on amd64 (ThinkPad T490) and report back. > Thank you for your work on OpenBSD. > Best regards, >
The Signal Desktop app is an Electron app. Being a complex node/npm/yarn dependency chain, it's very difficult to maintain a port. That said, some folk have been working on an unofficial OpenBSD Electron port and required patching/tooling: <https://github.com/opencrew-tech/openbsd-electron> I believe the Signal Desktop app is included in that project, but I haven't tested it nor am I familiar with the current state/functionality. (There were commits last week, so it's at least active.) Beyond that, I believe that 'flare-messenger' (GUI) is packaged for OpenBSD 7.9-stable and that 'nchat' (TUI) is in -current, so should be packaged for 8.0, once released. Morgan
