Development Setup

Prerequisites

Required Tools

Install Node.js 18+

Download from nodejs.org or use a version manager:

macOS/Linux (nvm)

nvm install 18
nvm use 18

Windows (nvm-windows)

nvm install 18
nvm use 18

Install pnpm 10.28.2

Fast, disk-efficient package manager:

npm install -g pnpm@10.28.2

Verify installation:

pnpm --version
# Should output: 10.28.2

Install Rust (latest stable)

Install via rustup:

macOS/Linux

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Windows

# Download and run rustup-init.exe from https://rustup.rs/

Verify installation:

rustc --version
cargo --version

Install Tauri system dependencies

macOS
Linux (Ubuntu/Debian)
Windows

# Install Xcode Command Line Tools
xcode-select --install

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
  build-essential \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  libssl-dev \
  libayatana-appindicator3-dev \
  librsvg2-dev

Clone Repository

git clone https://github.com/YourOrg/Glyph.git
cd Glyph

Install Dependencies

Install frontend dependencies

pnpm install

This installs all packages from package.json.

Install Rust dependencies

Rust dependencies are automatically downloaded during first build.To verify Rust setup:

cd src-tauri
cargo check

Editor Setup

VS Code (Recommended)

Install recommended extensions:

.vscode/extensions.json

{
  "recommendations": [
    "rust-lang.rust-analyzer",      // Rust language support
    "tauri-apps.tauri-vscode",      // Tauri tooling
    "biomejs.biome",                // Linting + formatting
    "bradlc.vscode-tailwindcss"    // Tailwind IntelliSense
  ]
}

Settings

.vscode/settings.json

{
  "editor.defaultFormatter": "biomejs.biome",
  "editor.formatOnSave": true,
  "editor.codeActionsOnSave": {
    "quickfix.biome": "explicit",
    "source.organizeImports.biome": "explicit"
  },
  "[rust]": {
    "editor.defaultFormatter": "rust-lang.rust-analyzer",
    "editor.formatOnSave": true
  },
  "rust-analyzer.check.command": "clippy"
}

Environment Variables

Optional: AI Provider Keys

Create .env in project root for development API keys:

.env

# OpenAI
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...

# Anthropic
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Google Gemini
GEMINI_API_KEY=...

These are optional. Glyph stores API keys in the user’s space via the settings UI. .env is only for testing during development.

Verify Setup

Run these commands to verify everything is working:

Frontend typecheck

pnpm build
# Should complete without errors

Rust typecheck

cd src-tauri
cargo check
# Should complete without errors

Linting

pnpm check
# Should pass all Biome checks

Tests

pnpm test
# Should pass all Vitest tests

Running the App

Development Mode

Full Desktop App (Recommended)
Frontend Only

pnpm tauri dev

This:

Starts Vite dev server with HMR
Compiles Rust backend
Opens native desktop window
Auto-reloads on file changes

pnpm dev

Opens Vite dev server at http://localhost:5173.

Tauri commands will not work in this mode. Use for UI-only development.

Hot Reload Behavior

Frontend changes (TypeScript/React/CSS): Instant HMR
Rust changes: Full recompile (~5-30s depending on changes)

Troubleshooting

”pnpm: command not found"

npm install -g pnpm

"rustc: command not found”

Restart terminal after installing Rust, or run:

source $HOME/.cargo/env

Tauri dev fails with “webkit2gtk not found” (Linux)

sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev

“error: linker `cc` not found” (Linux)

sudo apt install build-essential

macOS: “xcrun: error: invalid active developer path”

xcode-select --install

Windows: “error: the `cargo` binary is missing”

Ensure %USERPROFILE%\.cargo\bin is in your PATH. Restart terminal after installing Rust.

pnpm install fails with EACCES

# Fix npm global permissions
sudo chown -R $(whoami) ~/.npm
sudo chown -R $(whoami) /usr/local/lib/node_modules

Biome errors in VS Code

Ensure Biome extension is installed and enabled:

code --install-extension biomejs.biome

Next Steps

Building

Learn how to build production releases

Testing

Run tests and write new ones

Architecture

Understand the codebase structure

Tauri Commands

Learn IPC communication

​Prerequisites

​Required Tools

​Clone Repository

​Install Dependencies

​Editor Setup

​VS Code (Recommended)

​Settings

​Environment Variables

​Optional: AI Provider Keys

​Verify Setup

​Running the App

​Development Mode

​Hot Reload Behavior

​Troubleshooting

​”pnpm: command not found"

​"rustc: command not found”

​Tauri dev fails with “webkit2gtk not found” (Linux)

​“error: linker cc not found” (Linux)

​macOS: “xcrun: error: invalid active developer path”

​Windows: “error: the cargo binary is missing”

​pnpm install fails with EACCES

​Biome errors in VS Code

​Next Steps

Building

Testing

Architecture

Tauri Commands

Prerequisites

Required Tools

Clone Repository

Install Dependencies

Editor Setup

VS Code (Recommended)

Settings

Environment Variables

Optional: AI Provider Keys

Verify Setup

Running the App

Development Mode

Hot Reload Behavior

Troubleshooting

”pnpm: command not found"

"rustc: command not found”

Tauri dev fails with “webkit2gtk not found” (Linux)

“error: linker `cc` not found” (Linux)

macOS: “xcrun: error: invalid active developer path”

Windows: “error: the `cargo` binary is missing”

pnpm install fails with EACCES

Biome errors in VS Code

Next Steps