Build the desktop app

Set up and package the Tauri desktop shell.

Part of Build Guide.

Desktop app (macOS / Windows / Linux)

Prerequisites

Rust toolchain:

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
rustup update

Tauri CLI (Node package - installed per-shell):

cd shells/tauri-desktop
pnpm install

Platform build tools:

Full list: https://tauri.app/start/prerequisites/

Icons

Production icons are committed under src-tauri/icons/. To regenerate the fallback sizes from new artwork:

cd shells/tauri-desktop
npx @tauri-apps/cli icon path/to/icon-1024.png

This writes all required sizes and formats (32x32.png, 128x128.png, 128x128@2x.png, icon.icns, icon.ico, etc.) to src-tauri/icons/.

The macOS bundle also carries the branded asset catalog and document icon. Keep these consistent with any replacement artwork.

Development

From the repository root:

pnpm run dev:desktop

Inside shells/tauri-desktop, pnpm run dev does the same.

Tauri opens a native window. The Vite dev server runs in the background; hot reload works. The state bridge uses the filesystem override (bridge-overrides/state.ts) - saved states go to <AppData>/saved-state/, where <AppData> is the app's data directory under the identifier tools.lolly.Desktop (for example ~/Library/Application Support/tools.lolly.Desktop/ on macOS).

Production build

Provide LOLLY_CATALOG_SIGNING_KEY and VITE_CATALOG_PUBLIC_KEY_JWK through your private credential store. These sign the catalog embedded in the app; operating-system code signing uses a separate identity.

From the repository root:

export LOLLY_PROFILE=lolly-start
export LOLLY_EMBED_CATALOG=profile
pnpm run build:desktop

Inside shells/tauri-desktop, pnpm run build does the same, with the same two variables set.

Tauri first builds and signs its frontend, builds the native CLI sidecar, and builds the Quick Look extensions on macOS. It then compiles and packages the application. Output:

The complete macOS package requires macOS 13.5 or later, matching the bundled Node CLI runtime. Set APPLE_SIGNING_IDENTITY for a Developer ID build, then notarise and staple the app and DMG before distribution.

For Intel Macs, use .github/workflows/macos-intel.yml. It builds the pinned ONNX Runtime 1.28.0 from source, verifies API 28, and bundles the resulting x86_64 library with the application. The matching Node CLI and native SVG addon are built on the Intel runner. The collected app still needs distribution signing and notarisation.

For a rebuild using the same runtime, supply runtime_run_id from a previous successful Intel build and runtime_sha256 for its bundled libonnxruntime.dylib. The workflow checks that digest, the x86_64 architecture, runtime version and API before reuse. Leave both inputs empty to compile the runtime again.

For an authorised private SUSE build, mount brands/suse and set LOLLY_PROFILE=suse with LOLLY_EMBED_CATALOG=profile. Use a separate app identifier, such as tools.lolly.SUSE.Desktop, so its state and cached CLI catalog do not share the public edition's directory. Match the Quick Look extension identifiers to that app identifier on macOS. RPM source preparation additionally requires rpm/make-sources.sh --private --out <private-build-directory> and CLI resources built for the target Linux architecture. Source archives omit macOS extended-attribute files. Keep the sources and packages in private storage. Public workflows, S3 download buckets and OBS must continue using lolly-start.

Cross-compilation

Tauri does not support cross-compilation out of the box. Build each platform on its native OS, or use a CI matrix (GitHub Actions macos-latest / windows-latest / ubuntu-latest).

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