Choose your surface
LensWord isn't one app — it's a shared backend behind five different ways to use it. This table is generated from the same evidence-based product registry used by docs/internal/repo-audit.md, so it can't drift from the audit that backs it.
| Surface | Purpose | Requires | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Application | Browser-based vocabulary learning and review interface. | apps/backend | public |
| Desktop Application | Tauri 2 desktop shell wrapping the web frontend, remote-only (no bundled backend or database). | apps/backend (remote, reachable server required) | unreleased No git tag or GitHub Release has ever been created. README states explicitly: 'No release has been published yet.' |
| Browser Extension | Chrome MV3 extension to capture selected words from any webpage into a LensWord group. | apps/backend | public-dev-mode-only Functional but not published to the Chrome Web Store; zero CI coverage. v1 scope hardcoded to Spanish, no translations. |
| MCP Server | Model Context Protocol server exposing LensWord actions to MCP clients (Claude, Codex, Cursor, etc.) over stdio by default, or Streamable HTTP when explicitly enabled. | apps/backend | public-source-install-only Not published to PyPI. No CI coverage despite having its own pytest suite. Remote HTTP transport is double-gated off by default (REMOTE_MCP_ENABLED on the backend + LENSWORD_MCP_TRANSPORT/LENSWORD_MCP_REMOTE_ENABLED on the MCP process) and has no live interop test against a real third-party MCP host. |
| Local CLI | Command-line entry point ('lensword') distinct from the MCP server, with add/explain/diagnose/review/import-context subcommands. | apps/backend (all subcommands except import-context) | public-source-install-only import-context is read-only/offline by design (never writes, never contacts the backend, redacts secrets, 50,000-char default cap). Other subcommands need the same backend env vars as the MCP server. |
Which one do I want?
- Reviewing vocabulary day to day, in a browser → Web Application
- Running LensWord for yourself or a team you're hosting for → Self-Hosting & Deployment
- A native app on your machine, not a browser tab → Desktop Application — unreleased, build from source today
- Capturing words while reading elsewhere on the web → Browser Extension — developer-mode install only
- Giving Claude, Codex, Cursor, or another MCP client access to your vocabulary → MCP Server & Local CLI
- Previewing or importing local developer context, offline, without touching the server → MCP Server & Local CLI (the
import-contextCLI command) - Local, opt-in AI mnemonic suggestions → Local AI / Ollama
None of these surfaces has a tagged release yet — see Trust & verification for exactly what has and hasn't been confirmed for each one.