| name | init-tauri-app |
| description | Scaffold a new Tauri v2 project with the cenno/cull house conventions — delegates boilerplate to `npm create tauri-app`, then layers an opinionated core plus opt-in modules (CLI+MCP, SQLite, tray/updater, release/preflight, Swift sidecar). Use when the user wants to start a new Tauri desktop app, "init a tauri project", or "scaffold a tauri app". |
init-tauri-app
Scaffolds a new Tauri v2 project pre-loaded with conventions proven in two production apps
(cenno, cull). Delegates version-current boilerplate to the official scaffolder, then applies
a durable convention layer and any opt-in modules the user selects.
When to use
- "Start a new Tauri app", "init a tauri project", "scaffold a tauri desktop app".
Prerequisites (verify before scaffolding)
node + npm on PATH (node --version)
cargo + rustc on PATH (cargo --version)
- macOS + Xcode CLT only required if the Swift-sidecar module is selected
Procedure
1. Gather inputs (AskUserQuestion)
Ask, in one batch:
- App name (kebab-case). Validate
^[a-z][a-z0-9-]*$.
- Identifier (reverse-DNS, default
com.glebkalinin.<name>).
- Target directory (default
~/ai_projects/<name>). Abort if it exists and is non-empty.
- Frontend framework:
react-ts | svelte-kit | vanilla-ts.
- Modules (multi-select): CLI+MCP · SQLite · Tray/Updater · Release/Preflight · Swift sidecar.
- JTBD artifact (optional): a path to a
jtbd.json. If not given, the skill auto-discovers
./jtbd.json then ~/jtbd/<name>/jtbd.json. See Step 1.5.
If Swift sidecar selected but host is non-macOS or xcrun --find swift fails: warn and drop it.
1.5 Ingest JTBD (optional, additive)
- Resolve the artifact, first hit wins: explicit path →
./jtbd.json → ~/jtbd/<name>/jtbd.json.
If none found, skip this whole step (the scaffold proceeds with empty product context — no error).
- Confirm: echo the artifact's
hook and ask the user to confirm before using it. On decline, skip.
- Validate: the artifact must parse and have
name, hook, jtbd. If not, warn and skip
ingestion (never abort the scaffold). render-jtbd.sh exits 3 on invalid input — treat that as "skip".
- Pre-fill: if valid, default the app name to
name and identifier to com.glebkalinin.<name>
(still confirm with the user in Step 1 if not already chosen).
- The artifacts are written during Step 3 (core layer) — see the JTBD block there.
2. Scaffold base
cd <parent-of-target>
npm create tauri-app@latest <name> -- --template <framework> --manager npm --yes
Then cd <target> && npm install.
Known upstream fix (current rustc + Tauri 2.11.x): a bare scaffold's first cargo check
can fail with error[E0119] on cookie/time (transitive cookie 0.18.1 vs time 0.3.48).
This is not a skill bug — it hits any fresh create-tauri-app. If it occurs, run once in
src-tauri/: cargo update -p time --precise 0.3.47, then re-check.
3. Apply core layer
Copy every file from assets/core/ into the project, applying the renames in the table below,
then run a baseline gate. Substitute <name> (and <identifier> where the token appears) in
AGENTS.md and README.
| asset | destination |
|---|
core/AGENTS.md | AGENTS.md |
core/CLAUDE.md | .claude/CLAUDE.md |
core/gitignore | .gitignore (merge: append only house lines not already present; skip lines — including comment headers — that already exist) |
core/rust-toolchain.toml | src-tauri/rust-toolchain.toml |
core/node-version | .node-version |
core/mcp.json | .mcp.json |
core/capabilities/default.json | src-tauri/capabilities/default.json (overwrite) |
core/scripts/check-versions.sh | scripts/check-versions.sh (chmod +x) |
core/README.md | README.md |
core/CONTRIBUTING.md | CONTRIBUTING.md |
If a JTBD artifact was confirmed in Step 1.5, also:
- Render
assets/jtbd/PRODUCT.md.template → docs/PRODUCT.md via
scripts/render-jtbd.sh <artifact> assets/jtbd/PRODUCT.md.template <artifact-path>.
- Render
assets/jtbd/guardrails-check.md.template → docs/internal/guardrails-check.md.
- Render
assets/jtbd/agents-product-section.md.template and insert it into AGENTS.md
immediately after the first heading (so product context leads the file).
- Copy the artifact verbatim to project-root
jtbd.json (never modify the source).
- Field→destination details:
assets/jtbd/jtbd-map.md.
Create empty tracked dir docs/internal/.gitkeep and docs/.gitkeep.
Enable TS strict: ensure tsconfig.json has strict, noUnusedLocals, noUnusedParameters true.
Gate: cd src-tauri && cargo check and cd .. && npm run build. Both must pass before modules.
4. Compose selected modules
For each selected module, in this order — cli-mcp, sqlite, tray-updater, swift-sidecar,
release-preflight — open assets/modules/<m>/INSERT.md and follow it exactly: it lists files to
copy, Cargo deps to merge into src-tauri/Cargo.toml [dependencies], and insertion points in
src-tauri/src/lib.rs (tauri::generate_handler![...]) and src-tauri/src/main.rs.
After EACH module: cd src-tauri && cargo check. If it fails, fix the just-applied merge
before continuing (failures localize to the current module). For modules with a frontend/script
part, also run the relevant check named in that INSERT.md.
5. Final verification + handoff
cd src-tauri && cargo check → must pass
npm run build → must pass
bash scripts/check-versions.sh → must pass
- Offer
git init && git add -A && git commit -m "chore: scaffold via init-tauri-app".
- Print a summary: framework, modules applied, modules skipped (with reason), next commands
(
npm run tauri dev).