veritas-kanban/desktop/README.md

Veritas Kanban Desktop

This package is the v5 native desktop scaffold. It uses Electron with electron-vite, starts the existing Veritas server as the local backend, and loads the existing web UI.

Development

pnpm desktop:dev
pnpm desktop:dev:fresh

desktop:dev launches a loopback-only local server and a Vite web renderer without requiring a separate terminal. The desktop runtime chooses available ports and isolates data by profile and workspace: .veritas-desktop-dev/profiles/<profile>/workspaces/<workspace>/.

desktop:dev:fresh uses the fresh profile so onboarding and startup behavior can be tested without reusing the default development home.

Runtime Boundaries

• Electron main owns window lifecycle, process supervision, app paths, native URL opening, status pages, and future native capabilities.
• Closing the last desktop window quits the app and stops supervised local processes. Native menu/background behavior belongs in the dedicated menus work.
• The renderer uses the existing Veritas web app and has no Node, filesystem, process, or secret access.
• The preload bridge exposes only typed desktop operations. The current v5 contract covers app/setup diagnostics, local server lifecycle, connection validation, update status, native command dispatch, upload/import picking, diagnostics bundles, notification actions, work product export, external URL opening, and desktop event subscriptions.
• Bridge methods, event channels, validation, and redaction live in the shared desktop bridge contract module so main and preload cannot drift silently.
• Dangerous bridge methods require typed request objects and contract validators before native execution. Unsupported native features return explicit placeholder results until their dedicated v5 issues implement the backing behavior.
• Fresh packaged installs store desktop data below the OS app data directory returned by Electron app.getPath('userData'), then under profiles/<profile>/workspaces/<workspace>/.
• Desktop runtime secrets are created through Electron safeStorage, which uses the OS credential backend on macOS. The encrypted metadata file lives at <appHome>/config/desktop-secrets.json; plaintext admin/JWT secrets are only passed to the supervised local server process environment.
• Legacy desktop data is copied forward into the profile/workspace app home when a new isolated app home is first initialized. The legacy source is left in place for manual rollback.
• Local development mode disables app auth only for the supervised loopback runtime. Packaged mode keeps auth enabled and uses the keychain-backed bootstrap secrets for admin and JWT signing.

Recovery Notes

If Keychain or encrypted desktop secret state breaks, quit the app, move desktop-secrets.json out of the affected workspace config directory, and restart. The app will regenerate the desktop bootstrap secrets for that profile/workspace. Existing database files, exports, backups, and debug bundles remain on disk in the workspace app home.

Native Commands

The desktop shell owns a single command registry for menu items, keyboard shortcuts, deep links, notification actions, and renderer bridge dispatch. Menu commands are forwarded to the renderer through typed bridge events when the web app owns the business logic, and handled in main only for native operations such as restarting the local server, opening logs, checking update status, showing a local notification test, copying redacted diagnostics, and quitting.

Supported veritas:// deep-link resources include task, workflow, run, invite/pairing, settings, command center, search, and work product destinations. Notification previews support a private mode that replaces task/run details with generic copy while preserving the durable target for click-through.

Window size, position, and maximized state are persisted per profile/workspace in config/window-state.json.

Release Packaging

Unsigned PR artifacts, macOS signed/notarized release artifacts, update metadata, and platform smoke steps are documented in docs/DESKTOP-RELEASE.md. Use the root desktop:package:mac:unsigned script for Mac release validation. The desktop:package:linux:unsigned and desktop:package:windows:unsigned scripts produce preview-only, non-GA artifacts for post-GA readiness checks. Use desktop:release:mac only for v5 GA; use desktop:release:linux or desktop:release:windows only after the platform release prerequisites in the release guide are promoted.

Production Scaffold

pnpm desktop:build compiles the Electron main, preload, and fallback renderer. Packaging, signing, notarization, updater metadata, and bundled server/web asset layout are handled by later v5 desktop issues. Packaged mode expects a built server entry at server/dist/index.js unless VERITAS_DESKTOP_SERVER_ENTRY is provided.