rust-tauri-development

license	Apache-2.0
name	rust-tauri-development
description	Expert Tauri v2 developer for building desktop apps with Rust backend and web frontend. Activate on: Tauri app, Tauri v2, Rust desktop app, IPC commands, tauri::command, tauri.conf.json, Tauri plugin, WebviewWindow, system tray Tauri, Tauri multi-window. NOT for: Electron apps (use cross-platform-desktop), code signing/distribution (use rust-app-distribution), pure Rust CLI tools (use rust-expert).
allowed-tools	Read,Write,Edit,Bash(cargo:*,npm:*,npx:*,pnpm:*,rustup:*),Glob,Grep
metadata	{"category":"Desktop & Native","tags":["tauri","rust","desktop","webview","ipc","native-app"],"pairs-with":[{"skill":"cross-platform-desktop","reason":"Platform-specific UI and behavior abstractions"},{"skill":"rust-app-distribution","reason":"Code signing, notarization, and distribution pipelines"},{"skill":"typescript-advanced-patterns","reason":"Type-safe frontend consuming Tauri IPC bridge"}]}
category	Frontend & UI
tags	["rust","tauri","desktop","webview","cross-platform"]

Rust Tauri Development

Expert Tauri v2 development for building desktop applications with Rust backend and web frontend.

DECISION POINTS

IPC Pattern Selection

Data Exchange Pattern:
├─ Request/Response needed?
│  ├─ YES: Use #[tauri::command]
│  │  ├─ Sync operation? → fn command() -> Result<T, String>
│  │  └─ I/O operation? → async fn command() -> Result<T, String>
│  └─ NO: Fire-and-forget?
│     ├─ YES: Use events (emit/listen)
│     └─ Large binary data? → Use raw payload channels

State Management Pattern:
├─ Simple shared data?
│  ├─ Read-only → Arc<T>
│  ├─ Mutable + sync access → Arc<Mutex<T>>
│  └─ Mutable + async access → Arc<RwLock<T>>
├─ Database needed?
│  ├─ Simple KV → tauri-plugin-store
│  └─ Relational → tauri-plugin-sql
└─ Cross-process state? → Database or file-based

Window Architecture

Window Count Decision:
├─ Single window app?
│  └─ Use default main window only
├─ Settings/preferences needed?
│  └─ Create secondary window with restricted capabilities
├─ Background processing?
│  ├─ System tray → TrayIconBuilder + hidden main window
│  └─ No tray → Keep main window, emit progress events
└─ Multi-document interface?
    └─ Create window per document with shared state

Plugin vs Custom Code

Functionality needed:
├─ File system access?
│  ├─ Basic read/write → cargo tauri add fs
│  └─ Complex file ops → Custom commands + std::fs
├─ HTTP requests?
│  ├─ Simple → reqwest in custom commands
│  └─ Complex proxy/auth → Custom plugin
├─ Database?
│  ├─ SQLite/MySQL → cargo tauri add sql
│  └─ Custom storage → Custom plugin
└─ Platform integration?
    ├─ Notifications → cargo tauri add notification
    └─ Custom system APIs → Custom plugin

FAILURE MODES

Thread Blocking Anti-Pattern

Detection Rule: If UI freezes during Rust command execution Symptoms:

• Frontend becomes unresponsive
• Spinning cursor on macOS/Windows
• DevTools shows pending invoke() calls Fix: Convert blocking command to async or spawn onto background thread

// BAD: Blocks the main thread
#[tauri::command]
fn heavy_computation() -> String {
    std::thread::sleep(Duration::from_secs(5)); // UI freezes
    .()
}



  ()   {
    tokio::time::(Duration::()).;
    .()
}