Tidy Desk: One-click hyper-secure remote desktop.

What is Tidy Desk?

Tidy Desk is a security-first, low-latency remote desktop engine that allows you to stream your computer to any device without exposing your entire network. Built by former AWS engineers, it replaces vulnerable “network tunnels” with Atomic Event Architecture, where every click and keystroke is a signed, encrypted, and one-time-use cryptographic transaction. It’s essentially a hyper-private direct connection to your machine that prioritizes zero-trust security and bare-metal performance.

Stop Inviting Intruders onto Your Network.

Using VPN for Remote Desktop is a Security Cringe.

Existing tools require you to punch a “hole” in your firewall or rely on a “middle-man” relay server. When you use them, you aren’t just sharing a screen; you’re exposing your entire network. The Risk: A single compromised credential doesn’t just give an attacker your screen—it gives them a “lateral movement” launchpad into your home network, your NAS, and your local IoT devices.

What they don’t tell you about your VPN:

• Device Theft & Profile Extraction: Stolen devices allow thieves to extract network profiles, creating a permanent, invisible tunnel to your home.
• The “Unlocked” Threat: Anyone with physical access to your device can clone your bridge without needing a password.
• Social Engineering: AI agents can be malicious, tricking someone using your network into sharing private certificates, giving attackers full visibility into your traffic.
• Malware & Reverse Engineering: Advanced malware sitting on your remote machine can reverse-engineer keys directly from memory.
• Server-Side Compromise: If your VPN provider’s root credentials are leaked, every “secure” tunnel they manage is wide open. Note this could happen at the account level, instance level, or at the machine level.

Experience Zero-Trust remote desktop.

Tunnels are for babies who can’t network good.

No relays. No TURN servers. No extra hops. Tidy Desk utilizes direct ephemeral streams to turn every interaction into a discrete, hyper-secure event. It’s a faster, flatter, and more secure way to work.

• Atomic Security (HMAC + GCM): Every message is one-time use. We use HMAC to prove the message’s origin before the host even attempts to process it.
• Hardware-Backed Protection: We leverage Hardware-Backed Key Storage (macOS Keychain, Linux/Windows Secure Enclaves) to ensure your keys never touch the disk in plain text.
• System-Level Hardening: By utilizing the “secure heap”, we prevent sensitive data from leaking into swap or core dumps—keeping your secrets safe even if your machine is compromised by a virus. Furthermore, our internal listeners enforce Restricted Permissions (chmod 0600) to ensure local comms are locked down exclusively by their parent process.
• Nonce-Based Invalidation: Every packet is wrapped in a non-repeating “nonce.” Once a command is executed, it is immediately invalidated. Even if intercepted, it’s cryptographically dead.
• Zero Exposure: Tidy Desk doesn’t need to “see” your network. Your network stays locked; your stream stays private.

Making the juice not worth the squeeze: We don’t just encrypt; we invalidate. Intercepting a Tidy Desk stream is like catching a single-use key after the lock has already been changed. An attacker could spend a century trying to crack the encryption, but it wouldn’t matter. Every packet is signed, sealed, and expired on arrival. Replay attacks aren’t just difficult—they are mathematically impossible.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why is Tidy Desk safer than Tailscale or Rust Desk?

A: The competition relies on persistent network tunnels. If someone gets your credentials, usually just a file, they are on your network. Tidy Desk uses a “Zero-Exposure” architecture. There is no “bridge” for a hacker to walk across. Your computer is a fortress; we just provide a highly secure window.

Q: What happens if my device is stolen, while unlocked?

• With a VPN: The thief has unrestricted lateral access to your NAS, your smart home, and your local servers. They can change your passwords and kick you off your own network.
• With Tidy Desk: Don’t sweat it. Sign into tidydeskapp.com from any phone, hit “Remove Device,” and that stolen laptop becomes a useless brick. No cached sessions. No open pipes. No shared keys to the kingdom.

Q: What counts as a “License”?

A: A license is for the host computer you stream from. You can connect to that host from an unlimited number of devices (phones, tablets, browsers) at no extra cost. Netflix level uptime for the signaling servers encrypting each step.

Direct-path reliability. Because we don’t route your data through a “middle-man” relay, we’ve eliminated the most common point of failure and latency. No rate limits, no bandwidth tolling, and zero middle-man downtime—just a raw, high-performance pipe between you and your machine.

Q: Can I use a physical keyboard and mouse with my phone or tablet?

A: Absolutely. Tidy Desk is designed for true desktop-class productivity on mobile. In fact, we designed and finalized the Tidy Desk logo using a Samsung Fold 7 connected to a remote desktop running Photoshop. Because our app supports advanced zooming and panning without latency, the experience feels completely natural—like your phone just became a high-end mobile workstation.

Apples to Oranges

Previous tools like RustDesk struggle with mouse lag and overshooting targets, making it impossible to do anything more than wave a cursor—Tidy Desk virtualizes the interaction loop with sub-frame latency. Allowing the feedback and precision required for professional graphic editing, audio, and CAD software possible.

Q: Can I use Tidy Desk if I don’t have a mouse or keyboard with me?

A: Yes. We’ve spent hundreds of hours user-testing an intuitive touch-interface that replicates the full desktop experience.

• Native Gestures: Includes intuitive click + drag, dedicated scroll wheel zones, and precise text selection while scrolling.
• Pro Controls: Right-click, freeform cursor movement, and fine-tune controls are baked into the UI, so you can handle complex tasks (like CAD or video editing) even with just your thumbs.

Q: Why not just run a macOS VM using KVM or Firecracker?

A: Because macOS isn’t meant to be “simulated” or installed on anything but a mac — it violates EULAs.

Traditional remote desktop (KVM, Xen, Firecracker) is built for Linux. Trying to virtualize macOS is a performance and security nightmare:

• The GPU Gap: Most hypervisors can’t virtualize the Apple Silicon GPU. If you did, you end up with double the work needed to render making it feel like walking through mud with long pauses.
• The Security Wall: KVM can’t easily talk to the Apple Secure Enclave. Tidy Desk lives there, using hardware-backed keys to sign every instruction.
• The Networking Bloat: VMs require complex network bridges (VPC/VPN) that expose your host. Tidy Desk uses a Zero-Exposure model—no bridge, no tunnel, no lateral movement.

The Architecture Comparison

Personal Plans

For the individuals and enthusiasts building from anywhere.