tauri-ui

tauri-ui is a scaffolding tool designed to build modern Tauri desktop applications. It combines the official shadcn/ui CLI with create-tauri-app and layers in desktop-ready defaults that are typically added manually later in the development process.

Key features include:

• Upstream-first approach: Avoids maintaining a large local template tree, staying in sync with official tools.
• Desktop-aware defaults: Handles window behavior, startup flash prevention, scrolling, and selection out of the box.
• Practical batteries: Provides small, composable defaults focused on real-world application setup.

The @tauri-ui/docs application is built using Next.js and Fumadocs. Key files and routes include:

• lib/source.ts: Contains the code for the content source adapter. Use the loader() interface to access your content.
• lib/layout.shared.tsx: Contains shared options for layouts.
• app/(home): Route group for the landing page and other top-level pages.
• app/docs: The documentation layout and pages.
• app/api/search/route.ts: The Route Handler responsible for search functionality.

When using tauri-ui, you can choose from several framework adapters (templates). While they all follow an upstream-first philosophy, the specific patch surface applied to your project will vary depending on the framework you select.

Supported Frameworks and Stability

A tauri-ui scaffolded project includes three main layers:

1. A frontend scaffold generated from the official shadcn/ui CLI.
2. A src-tauri native shell generated from create-tauri-app.
3. Desktop defaults and 'batteries' (pre-configured features) layered on top.

The tauri-ui ecosystem provides several 'batteries'—composable features that can be included during scaffolding or added later via the CLI.

Default batteries (included by default)

• startup flash prevention: Prevents visual flashing during app startup.
• external link guard: Manages how external links are handled.
• desktop scroll behavior: Configures standard desktop scrolling.
• desktop selection behavior: Configures standard desktop text/element selection.
• debug panel: A development-only desktop inspector.

Optional batteries (can be added/removed)

• starter dashboard: A pre-built dashboard UI.
• invoke example: Example code for Tauri invokes.
• GitHub release workflow: GitHub Actions setup for package releases and smoke builds.
• size optimization: Tuning Tauri release profiles for smaller binaries.

When using create-tauri-ui, keep the following in mind:

• Bun Dependency: Generated applications assume that Bun is used within the project.
• Scaffolding Location: Scaffolding directly into the current directory (.) is not currently supported.

When using tauri-ui templates, certain core features remain consistent across all supported frameworks, while others vary based on the specific template adapter.

Consistent Features

• shadcn/ui setup: Always uses the official CLI.
• Native shell: Provided by create-tauri-app.
• Batteries: Applied automatically after the scaffolding process is complete.

Framework-Specific Variations

Depending on the template you choose, the following implementation details will change:

• Mount points: Where the UI is attached to the DOM.
• Root layout patching: How the framework's base layout is modified.
• Route/app shell integration: How the application shell interacts with the routing system.
• Development helpers: How development-only tools are mounted within the framework's lifecycle.

The tauri-ui scaffold includes a built-in Debug Panel accessible via Cmd / Ctrl + D.

This tool is for development only and has zero production impact. It allows you to:

• Inspect app state, routes, windows, tracked invokes, runtime events, plugin logs, and system paths.
• View live host diagnostics including theme & a11y, locale, display, input, and network.
• Click on fields to copy the source snippet with a web or tauri origin chip.

If you need to add the debug panel to an existing project, upgrade it, or uninstall it, use the create-tauri-ui CLI.

• To install the debug panel: bunx create-tauri-ui@latest add debug-panel
• To upgrade the debug panel in place: bunx create-tauri-ui@latest update debug-panel (this is idempotent and preserves existing wiring like mount points and plugin registrations).
• To uninstall the debug panel: bunx create-tauri-ui@latest remove debug-panel

bunx create-tauri-ui@latest add debug-panel       # install
bunx create-tauri-ui@latest update debug-panel    # upgrade in place
bunx create-tauri-ui@latest remove debug-panel    # uninstall

When running your application for the first time, perform these checks to ensure the environment is correctly configured:

• Startup Flash: Confirm the window opens smoothly without a visual flash.
• External Links: Click an external link to verify it opens correctly in the system browser.
• Debug Panel: Toggle the development debug panel using Cmd/Ctrl + D.
• Production Build: Run a production build once to verify the project structure is stable before committing changes.