A minimal, lightweight WhatsApp Web client for Ubuntu built with pure C, GTK3, and WebKit2GTK.
Leaf Chat is an ultra-minimal WhatsApp Web client designed for Ubuntu. It provides a native desktop experience for WhatsApp Web with the smallest possible binary size and clean, distraction-free interface.
Leaf Chat is a lightweight desktop application that wraps WhatsApp Web in a native GTK3 window. Built entirely in C without any object-oriented wrappers or external dependencies beyond GTK3 and WebKit2GTK, it offers:
- Minimal footprint: Optimized for the smallest possible binary size with aggressive compiler and linker optimizations
- Native integration: Seamless desktop experience with proper window management and system integration
- Data persistence: Automatic storage of cookies, local storage, IndexedDB, and cache in
~/.local/share/leaf-chat/ - File downloads: Full support for downloading files from WhatsApp with native file chooser dialogs
- Progress tracking: Real-time download progress displayed in a status bar
- Modern user-agent: Configured to prevent WhatsApp Web misidentification issues
- Clean interface: Single window, no menus, no headerbars - just WhatsApp Web
The application is designed to be as lightweight as possible while maintaining full functionality. The entire codebase is under 130 lines of well-commented C code, making it easy to understand and modify.
- CMake (3.10 or higher)
- pkg-config
- GCC or compatible C compiler
- GTK3 development libraries (
libgtk-3-dev) - WebKit2GTK development libraries (
libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev)
- GTK3 runtime libraries
- WebKit2GTK runtime libraries
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y cmake pkg-config libgtk-3-dev libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev- Clone or download the project:
git clone <repository-url>
cd Leaf-Chat- Build the project:
cmake -B build
cmake --build buildThe optimized binary will be created at build/whatsapp.
The project is configured for minimal binary size by default with the following optimizations:
-Os- Optimize for size-s- Strip symbols-ffunction-sections -fdata-sections- Enable dead code elimination-Wl,--gc-sections- Remove unused sections-g0- No debug information
After building, run the application:
./build/whatsappThe application will:
- Open a 1920x1080 window titled "🌿 Leaf Chat 🌿"
- Automatically load WhatsApp Web
- Store all data in
~/.local/share/leaf-chat/
If you have an app.png file in the project directory, it will be automatically used as the window icon. The application will continue to work normally if the icon file is missing.
To create a minimal Debian package, follow these steps:
sudo apt-get install -y devscripts debhelper dh-makemkdir -p leaf-chat-1.0.0
cd leaf-chat-1.0.0
mkdir -p debian/usr/bin
mkdir -p debian/usr/share/applications
mkdir -p debian/usr/share/pixmaps# Copy the binary
cp ../build/whatsapp debian/usr/bin/leaf-chat
# Create desktop entry (optional)
cat > debian/usr/share/applications/leaf-chat.desktop << EOF
[Desktop Entry]
Name=Leaf Chat
Comment=Minimal WhatsApp Web client
Exec=leaf-chat
Icon=leaf-chat
Type=Application
Categories=Network;InstantMessaging;
EOF
# Copy icon if available (optional)
# cp ../app.png debian/usr/share/pixmaps/leaf-chat.pngmkdir -p debian/DEBIAN
cat > debian/DEBIAN/control << EOF
Package: leaf-chat
Version: 1.0.0
Section: net
Priority: optional
Architecture: amd64
Depends: libgtk-3-0, libwebkit2gtk-4.1-0
Maintainer: Hasan <hasanimroz.personal@gmail.com>
Description: Minimal WhatsApp Web client
A lightweight desktop application that wraps WhatsApp Web
in a native GTK3 window. Built with pure C for minimal
binary size and maximum performance.
EOFchmod 755 debian/usr/bin/leaf-chat
chmod 644 debian/usr/share/applications/leaf-chat.desktopdpkg-deb --root-owner-group --build Leaf-Chatsudo dpkg -i Leaf-Chat.debIf there are missing dependencies, install them with:
sudo apt-get install -f-
Conversation list and main UI:
-
Chat window with messages:
-
Chat themes:
-
Keyboard shortcuts:
[MIT License]