docs: deduplicate install instructions — make the website the authoritative source for end users

[jarrodcolburn]

Problem

Installation instructions currently live in three places:

1. README.md (lines 45–131) — full APT/DNF/AUR/Nix/AppImage steps
2. CI release note templates (.github/workflows/ci.yml ~lines 274–357) — same steps hardcoded in both the AI-generated and fallback release note blocks
3. https://aaddrick.github.io/claude-desktop-debian/ — a polished static HTML landing page with APT steps and a link to a DNF subpage

Three sources means three places to update when commands change, and three opportunities for drift. The issue that prompted this: the GitHub Pages site doesn't appear in the repo's About section (homepageUrl is blank), so most visitors never find it.

Two Audiences, One README

The repo serves two distinct groups:

• End users — just want to install and run Claude Desktop on Linux (e.g., for Claude Code, MCP tooling, etc.)
• Contributors — want to build, patch, or improve the Linux packaging

Right now the README tries to serve both. With a proper website, it could focus on contributors while the site handles end users.

Proposed Actions

1. Set the website as the repo homepage (quick win)

Set homepageUrl to https://aaddrick.github.io/claude-desktop-debian/ in the repo About section. This surfaces the install page to every visitor without any code changes.

2. Expand the website to cover all install methods

The site's index.html is a static file committed directly to the gh-pages branch — no build system, no Jekyll, no templating. The CI only writes package metadata (deb/rpm); it never touches the HTML. Expanding the site is just editing one file.

Currently the site covers APT and DNF only. Add:

• AUR — yay -S claude-desktop-appimage
• Nix Flake — nix profile install github:aaddrick/claude-desktop-debian
• Pre-built releases — link to the GitHub Releases page

This makes the website the single canonical install reference for end users, matching the scope already in the README.

3. Slim the README to developer-focused content

Once the website is authoritative:

• Replace the full install section (lines 45–131) with a short "Installation" section that points to the website
• Keep build instructions, contributing info, and packaging details where they are
• README audience = contributors; website audience = end users

This also removes the hardcoded install steps from the CI release note templates, which are a maintenance burden and the most likely to drift.

Notes

• The site rename from "Claude Desktop APT Repository" to something like "Claude Desktop for Linux" would better reflect its expanded scope
• The docs/ directory (BUILDING.md, CONFIGURATION.md, TROUBLESHOOTING.md) fits naturally under the contributor-focused README

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Written by Claude Sonnet 4.6 via Claude Code

[github-actions]

Good call on this. The install instructions are in at least three places right now: the README, the release note template, and the GitHub Pages site. Keeping them in sync manually is a maintenance burden, and they'll drift.

The approach makes sense. Make the website the canonical reference for end users, trim the README down to build and development instructions, and set the repo homepage URL so new visitors land in the right place. The release note template can just link out instead of duplicating the steps.

One thing to keep in mind: the README still gets rendered on the GitHub repo page, so a short "install via the website" pointer with a link covers that surface without removing all user-facing content entirely.

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This is an automated triage comment. A maintainer will review this issue and may provide further guidance.

Written by Claude Sonnet via Claude Code