Desktop Framework Tauri

Tauri 2.x Desktop & Mobile Apps

Quick Guide: Tauri 2.x uses system webviews (not bundled Chromium) with a Rust backend. Define Rust commands with #[tauri::command], invoke from frontend via invoke() from @tauri-apps/api/core. Every sensitive operation requires an explicit permission grant in a capability file. Plugins follow a dual-install pattern: Cargo crate + npm package. Tauri 2 supports desktop (Windows, macOS, Linux) and mobile (iOS, Android).

Current version: Tauri 2.x (stable, 2024+). Tauri 1.x is legacy and uses a fundamentally different security model (allowlist vs capabilities).

CRITICAL: Before Using This Skill

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, import type, named constants)

(You MUST use the Tauri 2.x capability/permission system -- the v1 allowlist is removed)

(You MUST register every command in tauri::generate_handler![] -- unregistered commands silently fail on invoke)

(You MUST add plugin permissions to a capability file -- plugins with missing permissions throw runtime errors)

(You MUST use #[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)] on pub fn run() for mobile support)

(You MUST use @tauri-apps/api/core for invoke() -- not the removed @tauri-apps/api/tauri path from v1)

Auto-detection: Tauri, tauri.conf.json, src-tauri, tauri::command, tauri::Builder, invoke, @tauri-apps/api, tauri-plugin, capabilities, #[tauri::command], generate_handler, AppHandle, WebviewWindow, TrayIconBuilder

When to use:

• Building desktop apps with system webview + Rust backend
• Defining Rust commands and invoking them from frontend JavaScript/TypeScript
• Configuring the capability/permission security model
• Using official Tauri plugins (fs, dialog, http, notification, store, shell, etc.)
• System tray, window management, menus
• Packaging and distributing desktop or mobile apps
• Migrating from Tauri v1 to v2

When NOT to use:

• Frontend framework patterns (component architecture, state management, routing -- use respective framework skills)
• General Rust programming not related to Tauri APIs
• Build tool configuration (bundler, dev server -- separate tooling skill)
• If you need full Chromium features (WebRTC, Chrome DevTools Protocol, Chrome extensions -- evaluate alternatives)

Key patterns covered:

• Rust commands + frontend invoke bridge (examples/core.md)
• State management via app.manage() + tauri::State<T> (examples/core.md)
• Event system: emit/listen between frontend and backend (examples/core.md)
• Permission/capability system (examples/security.md)
• Official plugin installation and usage (examples/plugins.md)
• Window management, system tray, menus (examples/platform.md)
• Packaging and distribution (examples/packaging.md)

Detailed resources:

• examples/core.md - Commands, invoke, state, events, async commands, error handling
• examples/security.md - Capabilities, permissions, scopes, CSP, custom permissions
• examples/plugins.md - Official plugin registry, installation pattern, common plugins
• examples/platform.md - Windows, system tray, menus, multi-window, webview management
• examples/packaging.md - Build config, platform targets, updater, CI/CD
• reference.md - CLI commands, config reference, path variables, migration checklist

Philosophy

Tauri is security-first, small, and native. It uses the OS system webview instead of bundling Chromium, producing binaries 10-100x smaller than alternatives. The Rust backend provides memory safety and native performance. The permission system enforces least-privilege access -- nothing is allowed unless explicitly granted.

Tauri vs alternatives -- when Tauri is the right choice:

• You want small binary sizes (5-15 MB vs 150+ MB)
• You want native OS integration without bundling a browser engine
• You need a strong security model with granular permissions
• You are comfortable with Rust for backend logic
• You need mobile support (iOS/Android) from the same codebase

When Tauri may NOT be the right choice:

• You need guaranteed identical rendering across platforms (Tauri uses the OS webview, which varies)
• You need Chrome-specific APIs (WebRTC, Chrome extensions, Pepper plugins)
• Your team has no Rust experience and cannot invest in learning it
• You need WebView2 features not available in older Windows WebView2 versions

Core Patterns

Pattern 1: Rust Commands + Frontend Invoke

Define commands in Rust with #[tauri::command], register them with generate_handler![], invoke from frontend. Commands support arguments, return values, async, and error handling.

#[tauri::command]
fn greet(name: &str) -> String {
    format!("Hello, {}!", name)
}

// Register in main.rs or lib.rs
tauri::Builder::default()
    .invoke_handler(tauri::generate_handler![greet])
    .run(tauri::generate_context!())
    .expect("error while running tauri application");

import { invoke } from "@tauri-apps/api/core";
const greeting = await invoke<string>("greet", { name: "World" });

Key point: Arguments are passed as a single object. The Rust parameter names must match the object keys. Forgetting to register a command in generate_handler![] causes silent failure. See examples/core.md for async commands, error handling, and state access.

Pattern 2: Permission / Capability System

Every Tauri 2 app needs at least one capability file granting permissions. Without permissions, plugin and core API calls fail at runtime.

{
  "$schema": "../gen/schemas/desktop-schema.json",
  "identifier": "main-capability",
  "description": "Capability for the main window",
  "windows": ["main"],
  "permissions": [
    "core:default",
    "shell:allow-open",
    "dialog:default",
    {
      "identifier": "fs:allow-write-text-file",
      "allow": [{ "path": "$APPDATA/*" }]
    }
  ]
}

Key point: Permissions are scoped to specific windows. Use path variables ($APPDATA, $HOME, etc.) to restrict filesystem access. The v1 allowlist is completely removed. See examples/security.md for the full permission model.

Pattern 3: State Management

Share state between commands using app.manage() and tauri::State<T>. For mutable state, wrap in Mutex or RwLock.

use std::sync::Mutex;

struct AppState {
    counter: Mutex<i32>,
}

#[tauri::command]
fn increment(state: tauri::State<AppState>) -> i32 {
    let mut counter = state.counter.lock().unwrap();
    *counter += 1;
    *counter
}

Key point: tauri::State<T> is injected automatically when declared as a command parameter. The type must implement Send + Sync. See examples/core.md for full patterns.

Pattern 4: Event System

Bidirectional events between frontend and backend. Frontend uses emit()/listen(), backend uses app.emit()/app.listen().

import { listen } from "@tauri-apps/api/event";

const unlisten = await listen<string>("download-progress", (event) => {
  console.log(`Progress: ${event.payload}`);
});
// Clean up when done
unlisten();

// Emit from backend to all windows
app.emit("download-progress", "50%").unwrap();

Key point: Always call the unlisten function to prevent memory leaks. Events are string-typed -- use consistent naming conventions. See examples/core.md for targeted window events and channels.

Pattern 5: Plugin Installation Pattern

All official plugins follow a dual-install pattern: Rust crate + npm package. Each plugin needs permissions in a capability file.

# 1. Add Rust crate
cargo add tauri-plugin-store

# 2. Add JS bindings
npm add @tauri-apps/plugin-store

# 3. Register plugin in Rust
tauri::Builder::default()
    .plugin(tauri_plugin_store::Builder::new().build())

# 4. Add permission to capability file
# "store:allow-get", "store:allow-set"

Key point: Missing any of the four steps (crate, npm, registration, permission) causes runtime errors, not compile errors. See examples/plugins.md for the full plugin list.

Pattern 6: System Tray

Build system tray icons with menus and event handlers.

use tauri::tray::{MouseButton, MouseButtonState, TrayIconBuilder, TrayIconEvent};
use tauri::menu::{MenuBuilder, MenuItemBuilder};

tauri::Builder::default()
    .setup(|app| {
        let toggle = MenuItemBuilder::with_id("toggle", "Toggle").build(app)?;
        let menu = MenuBuilder::new(app).items(&[&toggle]).build()?;
        TrayIconBuilder::new()
            .menu(&menu)
            .on_menu_event(move |_app, event| match event.id().as_ref() {
                "toggle" => println!("toggle clicked"),
                _ => (),
            })
            .on_tray_icon_event(|tray, event| {
                if let TrayIconEvent::Click {
                    button: MouseButton::Left,
                    button_state: MouseButtonState::Up, ..
                } = event {
                    let app = tray.app_handle();
                    if let Some(window) = app.get_webview_window("main") {
                        let _ = window.show();
                        let _ = window.set_focus();
                    }
                }
            })
            .build(app)?;
        Ok(())
    })

Key point: In Tauri 2, SystemTray is replaced by TrayIconBuilder. Menu events and tray icon events are handled separately. See examples/platform.md for full tray patterns.

Decision Framework

Tauri 2 App Architecture

Where does this logic belong?
|-- Pure UI rendering, user interaction?
|   +-- Frontend (JavaScript/TypeScript in webview)
|-- File system, network, OS integration, heavy computation?
|   +-- Rust backend (Tauri commands)
|-- Sensitive operation (file write, shell exec, HTTP)?
|   +-- Rust command + explicit permission in capability file
+-- Shared state between commands?
    +-- app.manage() with Mutex/RwLock wrapper

Command Design

How to structure the command?
|-- Returns data synchronously?
|   +-- Regular #[tauri::command] fn
|-- Needs I/O, network, or long computation?
|   +-- async #[tauri::command] with Result<T, E>
|-- Needs to access managed state?
|   +-- Add tauri::State<T> parameter
|-- Needs app handle (emit events, manage windows)?
|   +-- Add app: tauri::AppHandle parameter
+-- Needs to stream data to frontend?
    +-- Use tauri::ipc::Channel<T> parameter

Plugin Selection

Need OS integration?
|-- File system access?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-fs
|-- File/folder picker dialog?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-dialog
|-- HTTP requests from backend?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-http
|-- Persistent key-value storage?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-store
|-- System notifications?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-notification
|-- Run external processes?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-shell
|-- Auto-update?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-updater
|-- Clipboard?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-clipboard-manager
|-- Deep links (custom URL scheme)?
|   +-- tauri-plugin-deep-link
+-- Launch on system startup?
    +-- tauri-plugin-autostart

See reference.md for CLI commands and config reference.

RED FLAGS

High Priority Issues:

• Using @tauri-apps/api/tauri import path (removed in v2 -- use @tauri-apps/api/core)
• Using the v1 allowlist in tauri.conf.json (replaced by capability files in v2)
• Forgetting to register commands in generate_handler![] (silent failure, no compile error)
• Missing plugin permissions in capability file (runtime error, not compile error)
• Using SystemTray API (removed in v2 -- use TrayIconBuilder from tauri::tray)
• Using tauri::api::* (removed in v2 -- functionality moved to plugins)
• Calling invoke() without awaiting (returns a Promise, not the value)
• Missing #[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)] on run() (breaks mobile builds)

Medium Priority Issues:

• Not cleaning up event listeners (memory leaks from listen() without calling unlisten)
• Using unwrap() in commands instead of returning Result (crashes the command, no error to frontend)
• Granting overly broad permissions (fs:allow-read-file without path scope)
• Hardcoding paths instead of using Tauri path variables ($APPDATA, $HOME, $RESOURCE)
• Not using Mutex/RwLock for mutable managed state (data races)

Common Mistakes:

• Command argument name mismatch between Rust parameter and JS invoke object key
• Forgetting the npm package when installing a plugin (only adding the Cargo crate)
• Using window.__TAURI__ without setting app.withGlobalTauri: true in config
• Expecting identical webview rendering across platforms (Windows WebView2 vs macOS WebKit vs Linux WebKitGTK)
• Not handling the Result error variant in async commands (unhandled promise rejection in frontend)

Gotchas & Edge Cases:

• Capability scoping: permissions are per-window -- a secondary window needs its own capability or must be listed in windows
• Path variables: $APPDATA, $RESOURCE, $HOME etc. are Tauri-specific, not environment variables
• Mobile differences: some plugins are desktop-only (shell, autostart, global-shortcut), check plugin docs
• WebView2 on Windows: requires WebView2 runtime (bundled by default in installer, but not guaranteed on older Windows 10)
• Serialization: command arguments and return values must be serde::Serialize/Deserialize -- complex types need derive macros
• Dev server: tauri dev proxies your frontend dev server -- configure devUrl in tauri.conf.json, not in the frontend build tool
• Build size: Tauri binaries are 5-15 MB, but Rust compilation is slow -- expect 2-5 min clean builds

CRITICAL REMINDERS

All code must follow project conventions in CLAUDE.md (kebab-case, named exports, import ordering, import type, named constants)

(You MUST use the Tauri 2.x capability/permission system -- the v1 allowlist is removed)

(You MUST register every command in tauri::generate_handler![] -- unregistered commands silently fail on invoke)

(You MUST add plugin permissions to a capability file -- plugins with missing permissions throw runtime errors)

(You MUST use #[cfg_attr(mobile, tauri::mobile_entry_point)] on pub fn run() for mobile support)

(You MUST use @tauri-apps/api/core for invoke() -- not the removed @tauri-apps/api/tauri path from v1)

Failure to follow these rules will cause silent command failures, runtime permission errors, or broken mobile builds.