diff --git a/packages/desktop/scripts/dev.ts b/packages/desktop/scripts/dev.ts
index b4173ca9804..beca28dfb64 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/scripts/dev.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop/scripts/dev.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,6 @@
 import { $ } from "bun"
-import { homedir } from "node:os"
 import { join } from "node:path"
-import { buildCliToResources, downloadCliToResources, windowsify } from "./utils"
+import { downloadCliToResources, windowsify } from "./utils"
 
 type ServerSource = { type: "build" } | { type: "download"; version: string }
 type DevOptions = { server: ServerSource; electron: string[] }
@@ -38,18 +37,9 @@ function selectOptions(): DevOptions {
 }
 
 async function prepareServer(source: ServerSource) {
-  const destination = windowsify("resources/opencode-cli-dev")
-  if (source.type === "download") return downloadCliToResources(source.version, destination)
-  return buildCliToResources(destination, developmentStateHome())
-}
-
-function developmentStateHome() {
-  const appData = (() => {
-    if (process.platform === "darwin") return join(homedir(), "Library", "Application Support")
-    if (process.platform === "win32") return process.env.APPDATA ?? join(homedir(), "AppData", "Roaming")
-    return process.env.XDG_CONFIG_HOME ?? join(homedir(), ".config")
-  })()
-  return join(appData, "ai.opencode.desktop.dev")
+  if (source.type === "download")
+    return downloadCliToResources(source.version, windowsify("resources/opencode-cli-dev"))
+  process.env.OPENCODE_DESKTOP_CLI_DEV = join(import.meta.dirname, "../../cli")
 }
 
 async function startDesktop(args: string[]) {
diff --git a/packages/desktop/scripts/utils.ts b/packages/desktop/scripts/utils.ts
index 34a215327c9..a5f85e11f5f 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/scripts/utils.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop/scripts/utils.ts
@@ -86,34 +86,6 @@ export async function downloadCliToResources(version = CLI_VERSION, dest = windo
   console.log(`Copied ${cli.package}@${version} to ${dest}`)
 }
 
-export async function buildCliToResources(dest = windowsify("resources/opencode-cli"), stateHome?: string) {
-  const directory = await mkdtemp(join(tmpdir(), "opencode-cli-"))
-  const target = `cli-${process.platform === "win32" ? "windows" : process.platform}-${process.arch}`
-  try {
-    await $`bun ${join(import.meta.dirname, "../../cli/script/build.ts")} --single --skip-install --skip-web-ui --outdir=${directory}`.env(
-      {
-        ...process.env,
-        OPENCODE_VERSION: process.env.OPENCODE_VERSION,
-      },
-    )
-    if (stateHome && (await Bun.file(dest).exists())) {
-      const child = Bun.spawn([dest, "service", "stop"], {
-        env: { ...process.env, XDG_STATE_HOME: stateHome },
-        stdout: "inherit",
-        stderr: "inherit",
-      })
-      const exitCode = await child.exited
-      if (exitCode !== 0) throw new Error(`Failed to stop development service: ${exitCode}`)
-    }
-    await copyFile(join(directory, target, "bin", windowsify("opencode2")), dest)
-  } finally {
-    await rm(directory, { recursive: true, force: true })
-  }
-  await prepareCli(dest)
-
-  console.log(`Built local CLI at ${dest}`)
-}
-
 async function prepareCli(dest: string) {
   if (process.platform !== "win32") await chmod(dest, 0o755)
   if (process.platform === "win32" && process.env.GITHUB_ACTIONS === "true") {
diff --git a/packages/desktop/src/main/background-cli.ts b/packages/desktop/src/main/background-cli.ts
index 9e739bf15cf..65ff6f6a5b4 100644
--- a/packages/desktop/src/main/background-cli.ts
+++ b/packages/desktop/src/main/background-cli.ts
@@ -17,29 +17,31 @@ type Logger = {
 
 export async function startBackgroundCli(logger: Logger) {
   const isolated = !app.isPackaged && process.env.OPENCODE_DESKTOP_ISOLATED_SERVER === "1"
-  const bundled = app.isPackaged
-    ? join(process.resourcesPath, executableName())
-    : join(root, "../../resources", isolated ? developmentExecutableName() : executableName())
-  logger.log("v2 CLI executable resolved", { bundled, packaged: app.isPackaged })
-  const version = parseVersion(await run(bundled, ["--version"], logger))
-  const binary = app.isPackaged || isolated ? await installCli(bundled, version, logger) : bundled
+  const development = !app.isPackaged && process.env.OPENCODE_DESKTOP_CLI_DEV
+  const cli = development
+    ? {
+        version: "local",
+        command: ["bun", "run", "--cwd", development, "dev", "--"],
+        binary: undefined,
+      }
+    : await resolveBundledCli(isolated, logger)
   if (isolated) process.env.XDG_STATE_HOME = app.getPath("userData")
   const service = await Service.ensure({
     file:
       isolated && process.env.OPENCODE_DESKTOP_SERVER_CHANNEL === "local"
         ? join(app.getPath("userData"), "opencode", "service-local.json")
         : undefined,
-    version,
-    command: [binary, "serve", "--service"],
+    version: cli.version,
+    command: [...cli.command, "serve", "--service"],
     onStart: (reason, previousVersion) => logger.log("v2 CLI background service starting", { reason, previousVersion }),
   })
   if (service.auth?.type !== "basic") throw new Error("V2 CLI background service did not provide authentication")
   logger.log("v2 CLI background service ready", {
     username: service.auth.username,
-    version,
+    version: cli.version,
     ...endpoint(service.url),
   })
-  if (isolated) await cleanCliStages(binary, logger)
+  if (isolated && cli.binary) await cleanCliStages(cli.binary, logger)
   return {
     url: service.url,
     username: service.auth.username,
@@ -47,6 +49,16 @@ export async function startBackgroundCli(logger: Logger) {
   }
 }
 
+async function resolveBundledCli(isolated: boolean, logger: Logger) {
+  const bundled = app.isPackaged
+    ? join(process.resourcesPath, executableName())
+    : join(root, "../../resources", isolated ? developmentExecutableName() : executableName())
+  logger.log("v2 CLI executable resolved", { bundled, packaged: app.isPackaged })
+  const version = parseVersion(await run(bundled, ["--version"], logger))
+  const binary = app.isPackaged || isolated ? await installCli(bundled, version, logger) : bundled
+  return { version, binary, command: [binary] }
+}
+
 async function cleanCliStages(binary: string, logger: Logger) {
   const current = dirname(binary)
   const root = dirname(current)