Install Element Desktop

This guide has been tested with Tails OS versions 6.6 and will not work on Tails 5.xx, so please make sure you are using an up to date Tails OS.

This howto uses Flatpak to install Signal and keep it confined.

Notes:

• Many steps happen in the Terminal. To paste content in the terminal, either right-click in the terminal and choose Paste, or use CTRL-SHIFT-V (not CTRL-V).
• Do NOT use the Root Terminal or instructions won't work!
• A working internet connection is required at every step of the howto.
• The packages included in Tails are carefully tested for security. Installing additional packages might break the security built in Tails, so be careful with what you install.

Persistent Storage

If you want to keep Element Desktop persistent, we need to set up the Persistent storage accordingly: (if you want to use Element Desktop only once and lose everything after shutdown/reboot skip to section Install)

0. Make sure you are using an up to date Tails OS, check out https://tails.boum.org/doc/upgrade/.
1. Create persistent storage, follow the steps on https://tails.boum.org/doc/persistent_storage/create/, skip to step 2 if you already have a persistent storage
2. Configure persistent storage with Additonal software enabled and features according to your other needs (mail, pgp, additional software) follow the steps on https://tails.boum.org/doc/persistent_storage/configure/, skip to step 3 if you already have configured your persistent storage with additional software enabled.
3. (Re)start your Tails and setup an administration password, follow section Set up an administration password at https://tails.boum.org/doc/first_steps/welcome_screen/administration_password/.
4. Choose Applications ▸ System Tools ▸ Root Terminal and use the password set in step 3.
5. In order to create persistent storage for Flatpak, a package manager we're going to use for installing Element Desktop and keeping the software, settings, keys, messages etc. persistent, execute

sed -i '$ a /home/amnesia/.local/share/flatpak source=flatpak\n/home/amnesia/.var/app source=var_app\n/home/amnesia/.local/share/applications source=applications' /live/persistence/TailsData_unlocked/persistence.conf

7. Shutdown Tails.

Install

Flatpak

0. If you already have Flatpak installed with Flathub repo configured, skip to Element Desktop

1. Start your Tails with persistent storage unlocked and setup an administration password, follow section Set up an administration password at https://tails.boum.org/doc/first_steps/welcome_screen/administration_password/.

2. Choose Applications ▸ System Tools ▸ Terminal

3. Install the package manager Flatpak with executing

sudo apt update && sudo apt install -y flatpak xdg-desktop-portal-gtk

4. Make the installation persistent (Install every time) following step 3. at https://tails.boum.org/doc/persistent_storage/additional_software/#index4h2
5. No we add the Flathub repository to Flatpak, executing

torsocks flatpak remote-add --user --if-not-exists flathub https://flathub.org/repo/flathub.flatpakrepo

Ignore WARNING torsocks[33952]: [syscall] Unsupported syscall number 315.

Element-Desktop

1. Using the Terminal install element-desktop, executing

torsocks flatpak install -y flathub im.riot.Riot

2. For running element-desktop on Tails via Tor and access to audio devices, we need to set parameters running element-desktop.
   Further details

   Outside the unsafe browser, Tails is configured to limit network use to the Tor network only. Therefore we need to tell element-desktop using Tor's SOCKS proxy by exporting export HTTP_PROXY=socks://127.0.0.1:9050 and export HTTPS_PROXY=socks://127.0.0.1:9050.
   This can be achieved using an executable shell script + creating a desktop file for a more convenient launch of Element, executing:

echo -e '#!/bin/sh\nenv /usr/bin/flatpak run --branch=stable --arch=x86_64 --command=/app/bin/element --file-forwarding im.riot.Riot --proxy-server=socks5://127.0.0.1:9050 @@u %U @@' | tee -a /home/amnesia/Persistent/element-desktop.sh && chmod +x /home/amnesia/Persistent/element-desktop.sh && echo -e '[Desktop Entry]\nType=Application\nName=Element\nIcon=/home/amnesia/.local/share/flatpak/app/im.riot.Riot/current/active/files/share/icons/hicolor/256x256/apps/im.riot.Riot.png\nExec=bash -c '\''/home/amnesia/Persistent/element-desktop.sh'\''\nTerminal=true\nCategories=Network\nMimeType=x-scheme-handler/element;\nStartupWMClass=element\nKeywords=Matrix;Element;' | tee -a ~/.local/share/applications/Element.desktop

4. If you haven't done it already while installing another Flatpak from this HowTo, create a Desktop shortcut for conveniently updating and uninstalling unused Flatpak managed applications, executing the following in the terminal:

   echo -e '[Desktop Entry]\nType=Application\nName=Flatpak-Update-Uninstall-unused\nExec=bash -c "/usr/bin/torsocks /usr/bin/flatpak update -y && /usr/bin/flatpak uninstall --unused -y"\nTerminal=true\nCategories=Network\nStartupWMClass=flatpak\nKeywords=flatpak;update;uninstall;unused' | tee ~/.local/share/applications/Flatpak-Update-Uninstall-Unused.desktop

   A new application called "Flatpak-Update-Uninstall-Unused" is now visible in the Activities Overview. You should run it regularly to update your Flatpak applications.
5. Close the terminal

Start

1. Start Tails with persistent storage unlocked.
2. Wait until additional software is installed successfully.
3. Go to Activities Overview, type Element and click the icon to start.

Persistent/element-desktop.sh