Getting Started

This guide covers setting up a local development environment for DragonFly.

Prerequisites

Tool Minimum version Notes
Node.js 20 LTS recommended
Rust stable rustup install stable
CMake any Required by whisper-rs for bindgen

Windows

Install CMake and make sure it is in your PATH: 

winget install cmake

Or download the installer from cmake.org.

Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y \
  libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev \
  patchelf clang libclang-dev cmake build-essential

Linux (Fedora)

sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1-devel libappindicator-gtk3-devel \
  librsvg2-devel clang clang-devel cmake

Clone & Run

git clone https://github.com/Limozacloud/dragonfly.git
cd dragonfly
npm install
npm run dev:tauri

This opens the full desktop app with hot-reload for the frontend.

Frontend only (browser, no native features): 

npm run dev
# → http://localhost:1420

Build for Release

npm run tauri build

Outputs are placed in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/.

For a Docker-based build that requires no local toolchain, see building.md.

Project Structure

dragonfly/
├── src/                   # React + TypeScript frontend
│   ├── components/        # UI pages and components
│   ├── components/ui/     # Shadcn/ui base components
│   ├── services/          # Business logic, DB, API
│   ├── stores/            # Zustand state
│   ├── editor/            # BlockNote extensions
│   ├── i18n/              # Translation JSON files
│   └── types/             # TypeScript types
├── src-tauri/
│   └── src/commands/      # Rust Tauri commands
├── docs/                  # Documentation
└── .github/               # Workflows, templates

First Steps for Contributors

  1. Check CONTRIBUTING.md for the contribution workflow
  2. Read architecture.md for the system overview
  3. Browse open issues for something to work on

Common Issues

CMake not found during cargo build → Install CMake and restart your terminal so PATH is updated.

libwebkit2gtk not found on Linux → Run the apt/dnf install command above.

App shows blank screen on dev:tauri → Make sure Vite dev server started on port 1420 before Tauri opens the window. It usually retries automatically.