Desktop App

Relate Mail's desktop client is built with Tauri 2, combining a React frontend with a Rust backend to deliver a native desktop email experience. The app integrates deeply with operating system features including the system tray, native notifications, and the OS credential manager.

Technology Stack

Layer	Technology
Framework	Tauri 2 (Rust backend + web frontend)
Frontend	React 19, Vite 7, TypeScript 5.9
Styling	Tailwind CSS 4.1
Server State	TanStack Query v5
Client State	Jotai v2 (atoms backed by Tauri commands)
Real-time	SignalR client + fallback polling
Icons	Lucide React (via @relate/shared)
Notifications	tauri-plugin-notification

Platform Support

The desktop app builds for all three major platforms:

Platform	Package Formats
Windows	NSIS installer (.exe), MSI installer
macOS	DMG disk image
Linux	AppImage, Debian package (.deb)

Window Configuration

Setting	Value
Default size	1200 x 800 px
Minimum size	800 x 600 px
Centering	Enabled (opens centered on screen)
Decorations	Native window decorations
Transparency	Disabled

Content Security Policy

The app enforces a strict CSP to prevent code injection:

default-src 'self';
script-src 'self';
style-src 'self' 'unsafe-inline';
img-src 'self' data: blob:;
font-src 'self';
connect-src 'self' https: wss:;
frame-src 'none';
object-src 'none'

This allows the React frontend to function normally while blocking inline scripts, external frames, and plugin objects. WebSocket connections (wss:) are allowed for SignalR real-time communication.

App Identity

• Identifier: com.relate.mail.desktop
• Product name: Relate Mail
• Version: 0.1.0

Tauri Plugins

The app uses two Tauri plugins:

• tauri-plugin-shell -- Opens external URLs in the system browser (used for OIDC authentication and help links)
• tauri-plugin-notification -- Delivers native OS notifications for new email alerts

Project Structure

desktop/
  src/                          # React frontend source
    hooks/                      # Custom hooks (window state, shortcuts, theme, SignalR, polling)
    lib/                        # Jotai atoms, Tauri API wrappers
  src-tauri/
    src/
      lib.rs                    # Tauri builder, plugin registration, setup
      main.rs                   # Entry point
      commands/
        mod.rs                  # Module declarations, AppState
        auth.rs                 # Account & credential management via OS keyring
        api.rs                  # HTTP proxy commands
        oidc.rs                 # OIDC authentication flow
        settings.rs             # App preferences persistence
        tray.rs                 # System tray creation and management
    tauri.conf.json             # Tauri configuration (window, CSP, icons, bundle)
    icons/                      # App icons for all platforms
    Cargo.toml                  # Rust dependencies
  package.json                  # Frontend dependencies and scripts

Quick Start

# From the repository root
npm run dev:desktop

# Or from the desktop directory
cd desktop
npm run tauri:dev

This starts the Vite dev server for the frontend and the Tauri development window simultaneously. Changes to both the React frontend and Rust backend trigger hot reloads.

For production builds and platform-specific packaging, see Building.

Screenshot

[Screenshot placeholder: Desktop window]

TODO: Add screenshot of the desktop application window showing the main email interface