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Development Builds

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Frontend Only (Vite)

Run the frontend in development mode with hot-reload: 
pnpm dev
This starts:
  • Vite dev server on http://localhost:1420
  • Hot module replacement (HMR)
  • Fast refresh for React components
Use case: Frontend-only development when you don’t need backend functionality.

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Full Tauri App

Run the complete app (frontend + backend) in development mode: 
pnpm tauri dev
This starts:
  • Vite dev server on port 1420
  • Rust backend with debug logging
  • Native app window
  • Hot-reload for frontend changes
  • Auto-restart on Rust changes
Use case: Full-stack development with backend integration.

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Production Builds

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Frontend Build

Build the frontend for production: 
pnpm build
This runs:
  1. TypeScript compiler (tsc)
  2. Vite production build
  3. Outputs to dist/
Output:
  • dist/index.html - Main window
  • dist/pill.html - Recording pill window
  • dist/toast.html - Toast notifications
  • dist/assets/ - Bundled JS/CSS

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Full Native Build

Build the complete native application: 
pnpm tauri build
This process:
  1. Builds frontend (TypeScript + Vite)
  2. Compiles Rust backend
  3. Builds platform-specific sidecars
  4. Creates native bundle
  5. Signs and notarizes (macOS)
Output (macOS):
  • src-tauri/target/release/bundle/macos/VoiceTypr.app
  • src-tauri/target/release/bundle/dmg/VoiceTypr_*.dmg
Output (Windows):
  • src-tauri/target/release/bundle/msi/VoiceTypr_*.msi
  • src-tauri/target/release/VoiceTypr.exe

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Platform-Specific Builds

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macOS Builds

pnpm tauri dev --config src-tauri/tauri.macos.conf.json
Notes:
  • Requires Xcode Command Line Tools
  • Swift sidecar auto-builds via build.rs
  • Code signing requires Apple Developer ID
  • Notarization requires app-specific password

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Windows Builds

pnpm tauri build --target x86_64-pc-windows-msvc
Notes:
  • x64 builds include Vulkan GPU acceleration
  • ARM64 builds use CPU-only Whisper
  • Code signing requires Windows certificate

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Sidecar Builds

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Parakeet Swift Sidecar (macOS)

The Parakeet sidecar builds automatically during tauri build, but you can build it manually: 
pnpm sidecar:build
Or directly: 
cd sidecar/parakeet-swift
bash build.sh release
Output:
  • sidecar/parakeet-swift/dist/parakeet-sidecar-aarch64-apple-darwin
Build process:
  1. build.rs triggers on cargo build
  2. Runs sidecar/parakeet-swift/build.sh
  3. Compiles Swift with swift build -c release --arch arm64
  4. Copies binary to dist/ with platform suffix
  5. Tauri bundles it into the app

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FFmpeg Sidecar

Ensure FFmpeg binaries are available: 
pnpm sidecar:ensure-ffmpeg
This downloads platform-specific FFmpeg/FFprobe binaries to sidecar/ffmpeg/dist/. Required for:
  • Audio format conversion
  • Cross-platform audio processing

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Build Configurations

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Development Config

src-tauri/tauri.dev.conf.json: 
{
  "build": {
    "devPath": "http://localhost:1420",
    "beforeDevCommand": "pnpm dev"
  }
}

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Production Config

src-tauri/tauri.conf.json: 
{
  "build": {
    "distDir": "../dist",
    "beforeBuildCommand": "pnpm build"
  }
}

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CI/CD Builds

Automated build scripts for continuous integration: 
pnpm ci:mac
CI scripts (scripts/):
  • ci-local-macos.sh - macOS quality checks + build
  • ci-local-windows.ps1 - Windows quality checks + build

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Build Optimization

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Release Optimizations

Rust release builds use aggressive optimizations: 
[profile.release]
opt-level = 3
lto = true
codegen-units = 1
panic = 'abort'

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Bundle Size

macOS app size: ~120MB
  • Rust binary: ~25MB
  • Frontend assets: ~5MB
  • Parakeet sidecar: ~1.2MB
  • FFmpeg sidecar: ~90MB
Windows installer size: ~100MB
  • Executable: ~30MB
  • Frontend assets: ~5MB
  • FFmpeg sidecar: ~65MB

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Reducing Build Time

  1. Use cargo build cache: 
    # First build: 8-10 minutes
# Incremental: 30-60 seconds
  2. Frontend-only mode for UI work: 
    pnpm dev  # Skip Rust compilation
  3. Parallel builds with -j flag: 
    cargo build --release -j$(nproc)

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Troubleshooting

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Build Fails with FFmpeg Error

Ensure FFmpeg sidecars exist: 
pnpm sidecar:ensure-ffmpeg

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Swift Sidecar Build Fails (macOS)

Verify Swift installation: 
swift --version
xcode-select --install
Install Visual Studio with C++ tools:
  • Visual Studio 2019 or later
  • “Desktop development with C++” workload

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Tauri Build Hangs

Clear build cache: 
cd src-tauri
cargo clean
cd ..
pnpm tauri build

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Next Steps