Development Setup

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

Node.js and pnpm

Install Node.js 18+ and pnpm 10.13.1+

# Check versions
node --version
pnpm --version

# Install pnpm if needed
npm install -g pnpm

Rust

Install Rust 1.70+ via rustup

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

# Verify installation
rustc --version
cargo --version

Platform-Specific Dependencies

macOS

Xcode Command Line Tools
Swift 5.9+ (for Parakeet sidecar)

xcode-select --install
swift --version

Windows

Visual Studio 2019+ with C++ build tools
WebView2 (usually pre-installed on Windows 10/11)

Clone Repository

Clone the VoiceTypr repository and navigate to the project directory:

git clone https://github.com/moinulmoin/voicetypr.git
cd voicetypr

Install Dependencies

Install frontend and backend dependencies:

Install Frontend Dependencies

pnpm install

This installs all npm packages including React, Tauri, and development tools.

Build Rust Dependencies

cd src-tauri
cargo build
cd ..

First build downloads and compiles all Rust crates. This may take 5-10 minutes.

Setup FFmpeg Sidecars (macOS)

pnpm sidecar:ensure-ffmpeg

Downloads platform-specific FFmpeg binaries required for audio processing.

Development Environment

Editor Setup

We recommend VS Code with the following extensions:

rust-analyzer - Rust language support
Tauri - Tauri development tools
ESLint - JavaScript/TypeScript linting
Prettier - Code formatting
Tailwind CSS IntelliSense - Tailwind autocomplete

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root (optional):

# Optional: Enable Rust backtrace
RUST_BACKTRACE=1

# Optional: Enable verbose logging
RUST_LOG=debug

Verify Installation

Run the development server to verify everything works:

pnpm tauri dev

The app should launch with:

Frontend hot-reload on port 1420
Rust backend with debug logging
Working system tray icon

Troubleshooting

FFmpeg Missing

If you see FFmpeg errors:

pnpm sidecar:ensure-ffmpeg

Rust Build Fails

Clear Cargo cache and rebuild:

cd src-tauri
cargo clean
cargo build

Port 1420 Already in Use

Kill the process using the port:

# macOS/Linux
lsof -ti:1420 | xargs kill

# Windows
netstat -ano | findstr :1420
taskkill /PID <PID> /F

Swift Sidecar Build Fails (macOS)

Ensure Swift toolchain is properly installed:

swift --version
xcode-select --install

Next Steps

Now that your environment is set up:

Learn about the architecture
Start building the app
Run tests
Check the code style guide

Getting Started

Building

Contributing

Prerequisites

macOS

Windows

Clone Repository

Install Dependencies

Development Environment

Editor Setup

Environment Variables

Verify Installation

Troubleshooting

FFmpeg Missing

Rust Build Fails

Port 1420 Already in Use

Swift Sidecar Build Fails (macOS)

Next Steps

​Prerequisites

​macOS

​Windows

​Clone Repository

​Install Dependencies

​Development Environment

​Editor Setup

​Environment Variables

​Verify Installation

​Troubleshooting

​FFmpeg Missing

​Rust Build Fails

​Port 1420 Already in Use

​Swift Sidecar Build Fails (macOS)

​Next Steps

Prerequisites

macOS

Windows

Clone Repository

Install Dependencies

Development Environment

Editor Setup

Environment Variables

Verify Installation

Troubleshooting

FFmpeg Missing

Rust Build Fails

Port 1420 Already in Use

Swift Sidecar Build Fails (macOS)

Next Steps