slopus--happy/docs/plans/tauri-desktop-packaging.md

Tauri Desktop Packaging

Problem

Desktop app builds are manual and unsigned. macOS blocks unsigned apps. No CI pipeline exists for building cross-platform (macOS/Windows/Linux) distribution artifacts.

Current State

• pnpm tauri:build:production works locally, outputs to src-tauri/target/release/bundle/
• Frontend: Expo web export bundled into Tauri shell
• No code signing, no notarization, no CI workflow
• Three config variants: production, preview, dev

What's Needed

1. macOS Entitlements

Create src-tauri/entitlements.plist:

• com.apple.security.network.client
• com.apple.security.cs.allow-jit
• com.apple.security.cs.allow-unsigned-executable-memory

2. Signing Config (tauri.conf.json)

"bundle": {
  "macOS": {
    "signingIdentity": null,
    "minimumSystemVersion": "10.13",
    "entitlements": "./entitlements.plist"
  }
}

Signing identity provided via APPLE_SIGNING_IDENTITY env var at build time.

3. GitHub Actions Workflow (.github/workflows/tauri-release.yml)

Matrix build on tag push (v*):

• macos-latest -> .dmg, .app.tar.gz
• windows-latest -> .msi, .nsis
• ubuntu-latest -> .AppImage, .deb

Uses tauri-apps/tauri-action — handles build + sign + upload to GitHub Release.

4. GitHub Secrets Required

Secret	Platform	Purpose
APPLE_SIGNING_IDENTITY	macOS	Developer ID cert name
APPLE_TEAM_ID	macOS	10-char team ID
APPLE_ID	macOS	Email for notarization
APPLE_PASSWORD	macOS	App-specific password
APPLE_CERTIFICATE	macOS	Base64 .p12 cert
APPLE_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD	macOS	.p12 password

Windows signing optional (SmartScreen warning but installable).

5. OTA Strategy (future)

Point frontendDist at hosted web app URL instead of bundled ../dist. JS updates deploy instantly without binary rebuild. Native updater only needed when Rust shell changes.

Release Flow

1. Bump version in tauri.conf.json
2. git tag v0.2.0 && git push --tags
3. CI builds all platforms, creates GitHub Release with artifacts
4. Add download link on happy.engineering