--- title: "Use Amazon Bedrock from a desktop app" description: "Chat with Claude and other Amazon Bedrock models from a free desktop app on Mac, Windows and Linux, signed with your AWS profile or SSO login." author: "Foxl Team" date_published: "2026-10-06" date_modified: "2026-10-06" canonical_url: "https://foxl.ai/blog/amazon-bedrock-desktop-client" markdown_url: "https://foxl.ai/blog/amazon-bedrock-desktop-client/index.md" image: "https://foxl.ai/blog/amazon-bedrock-desktop-client-cover.png" social_image: "https://foxl.ai/blog/social/amazon-bedrock-desktop-client.png" content_type: "Deep dive" topics: ["Amazon Bedrock","AWS credentials","Models"] products: ["Foxl Desktop"] --- # Use Amazon Bedrock from a desktop app > Chat with Claude and other Amazon Bedrock models from a free desktop app on Mac, Windows and Linux, signed with your AWS profile or SSO login. - Author: Foxl Team - Published: 2026-10-06 - Last reviewed: 2026-10-06 - Reading time: 3 minutes - Canonical HTML: [https://foxl.ai/blog/amazon-bedrock-desktop-client]() ![A blueprint of a desktop window reading a credentials file and signing a request to a cloud region beside it.]() Amazon Bedrock is an AWS API, not an app. To chat with Claude or other Bedrock models on your computer, you need a client that signs requests with your AWS credentials. Foxl is a free desktop AI agent for Mac, Windows and Linux that uses the AWS profile, SSO login or access keys you already have in `~/.aws`. ## Before you start: model access in your AWS account AWS enables access to many Bedrock foundation models by default, given the right AWS Marketplace permissions. Some models need extra account-level access, and Anthropic’s models need the one-time First Time Use form before the first call. Your AWS identity also needs permission to invoke Bedrock models. ## Step 1: Put your AWS credentials on the computer Foxl reads credentials the same way the AWS CLI and SDKs do, so set them up with the AWS CLI: - **Access keys**: run `aws configure`. The CLI stores them in the `credentials` file in the `.aws` folder in your home directory. - **IAM Identity Center (SSO)**: run `aws configure sso` to create a profile, then `aws sso login` to sign in. Foxl’s **SSO Login** button runs the same sign-in for you, and needs the AWS CLI installed. Foxl also accepts `credential_process` profiles, environment variables and instance roles. ## Step 2: Connect Foxl to Bedrock 1. Download Foxl from [foxl.ai]() and sign in. It runs on macOS 13 or later, Windows 10 or later (64-bit) and Linux x86-64 (AppImage). 2. Open Settings, then **Model & provider**, and under **AI Provider** set **Provider** to Amazon Bedrock. 3. Under **AWS Authentication**, pick a **Profile**. **Default (env / instance)** uses the standard AWS lookup; a named profile uses that profile. For an SSO profile, press **SSO Login**. 4. Press **Check** to confirm Foxl can sign requests. 5. Pick a **Region** (us-west-2 is the default), choose a **Default Model**, and press **Save Provider Settings**. ## Regions and model IDs Foxl offers seven Regions: us-west-2, us-east-1, us-east-2, ap-northeast-1, eu-west-2, ap-south-1 and ap-southeast-2. Its model list is built in, not read from your account, and most of its models use cross-Region inference profile IDs: `us.` profiles keep requests within US Regions, while `global.` profiles may use any commercial AWS Region. If a `us.` model returns an error outside the US, switch the Region to us-west-2 or us-east-1. ## What about Bedrock API keys? Bedrock API keys come in two kinds: short-term keys that last up to 12 hours, and long-term keys that AWS recommends only for exploration. Tools read them from the `AWS_BEARER_TOKEN_BEDROCK` environment variable. Foxl’s settings have no field to paste one, so a profile or SSO login is the straightforward setup. ## Questions people ask ### Do I pay Foxl for Bedrock usage? No. Foxl is free and calls Bedrock with your own AWS credentials, so usage is billed to your AWS account at Bedrock prices. ### Can I paste a Bedrock API key into Foxl? Foxl’s settings have no field for one. Foxl uses the standard AWS credential chain, so the simplest setup is an AWS profile or an SSO login in ~/.aws. ### Which Bedrock models can I use? Foxl lists a built-in catalogue of Bedrock models, Claude included. Which ones answer depends on the model access enabled in your AWS account. ### Does it run on Windows and Linux? Yes. Foxl Desktop runs on macOS 13 or later, Windows 10 or later (64-bit) and Linux x86-64 as an AppImage. ## References and further reading 1. [AWS: access Amazon Bedrock foundation models]() - Documentation 2. [AWS: Amazon Bedrock API keys]() - Documentation 3. [AWS: cross-Region inference]() - Documentation 4. [AWS CLI: configure IAM Identity Center (SSO)]() - Documentation 5. [AWS CLI: configuration and credential files]() - Documentation