diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/ui_models/application_group.ts b/app/assets/javascripts/ui_models/application_group.ts
index 1db1a977b..34f8ec82d 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/ui_models/application_group.ts
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/ui_models/application_group.ts
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
 } from '@/services';
 import { AppState } from '@/ui_models/app_state';
 import { Bridge } from '@/services/bridge';
+import { isDesktopApplication } from '@/utils';
 
 export class ApplicationGroup extends SNApplicationGroup {
 
@@ -42,8 +43,7 @@ export class ApplicationGroup extends SNApplicationGroup {
       applicationCreator: this.createApplication
     });
 
-    /** FIXME(baptiste): rely on a less fragile method to detect Electron */
-    if ((window as any).isElectron) {
+    if (isDesktopApplication()) {
       Object.defineProperty(window, 'desktopManager', {
         get: () => (this.primaryApplication as WebApplication).getDesktopService()
       });
diff --git a/app/assets/javascripts/utils.ts b/app/assets/javascripts/utils.ts
index dcac3d380..dfc719a46 100644
--- a/app/assets/javascripts/utils.ts
+++ b/app/assets/javascripts/utils.ts
@@ -74,10 +74,6 @@ export function debounce(this: any, func: any, wait: number, immediate = false)
   };
 };
 
-export function isDesktopApplication() {
-  return (window as any).isElectron;
-}
-
 // https://tc39.github.io/ecma262/#sec-array.prototype.includes
 if (!Array.prototype.includes) {
   // eslint-disable-next-line no-extend-native
@@ -148,3 +144,15 @@ export async function preventRefreshing(
     window.onbeforeunload = onBeforeUnload;
   }
 }
+
+/** Platform-detection functions */
+declare const __WEB__: boolean;
+declare const __DESKTOP__: boolean;
+
+if (!__WEB__ && !__DESKTOP__) {
+  throw Error('Neither __WEB__ nor __DESKTOP__ is true. Check your configuration files.');
+}
+
+export function isDesktopApplication() {
+  return __DESKTOP__;
+}
diff --git a/webpack.config.js b/webpack.config.js
index 3ffaf0aba..a8765035c 100644
--- a/webpack.config.js
+++ b/webpack.config.js
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ module.exports = (env = {
     new webpack.DefinePlugin({
       __VERSION__: JSON.stringify(require('./package.json').version),
       __WEB__: JSON.stringify(env.platform === 'web'),
+      __DESKTOP__: JSON.stringify(env.platform === 'desktop'),
     }),
     new MiniCssExtractPlugin({
       // Options similar to the same options in webpackOptions.output