deskify/README.md

deskify

Turn websites into first-class Linux desktop applications with Rust, Tauri, and the system WebView.
Build native-feeling, standalone web app wrappers with CLI-first Linux integration.

_{Screenshots: KDE Plasma on Arch Linux (alpha MVP workflow).}

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Why Deskify Exists

Web apps are now core tools, but Linux desktops still treat them like second-class citizens.

• Electron-based wrappers solve distribution, but often at high RAM/disk cost.
• PWAs help in some browsers, but desktop integration is inconsistent across environments.
• The original Nativefier proved the need, but it is now unmaintained.

deskify takes a Linux-first approach: it turns a website into a native-feeling desktop app using Tauri and the system webview (for example webkit2gtk) instead of bundling a full browser engine per app.

Problem Fit (Why Deskify vs. Other Approaches)

Deskify is optimized for Linux users who want native desktop integration and CLI-friendly automation for web apps, without shipping a bundled browser runtime per app.

The comparison below is intentionally rough and practical (not benchmark marketing). It describes tradeoffs, not winners in every category.

Approach	Runtime model	Desktop integration	Automation / scripting	Isolation / sandbox	Setup complexity	Offline capability
Electron / Nativefier	Bundled Chromium per app	Good	Low to medium	Per-app process, app-bundled runtime	Easy to medium	Depends on the site
PWA	Browser runtime	Limited / browser-dependent	Low	Shared browser context	Very easy	Depends on browser + site
Flatpak web app models	Sandbox-oriented runtime model	Good	Limited	Strong sandbox model	Medium	Depends on runtime + site
Deskify	System WebView	Native (.desktop, icons, WMClass)	High (CLI-first)	Medium (shared system WebView security model)	Medium (Tauri prerequisites)	Depends on the site

Deskify Focus (Today)

Deskify focuses on:

• system-native Linux desktop integration
• minimal runtime overhead by relying on the system WebView
• automation-friendly CLI workflows
• straightforward local install/remove lifecycle management

Deskify intentionally does not aim to:

• replace full browser sandbox products
• provide a cross-platform abstraction layer
• ship bundled browser runtimes per generated app

How Deskify Works Today (Alpha / MVP)

deskify is ready for public use and testing as an early MVP, but it is not production-hardened yet.

• Platform scope: Linux only
• Current architecture: one generated Tauri wrapper project per app
• Build model: deskify compiles the wrapper locally on your machine
• Why this MVP design: simpler debugging, isolated failures, low contributor complexity
• Tradeoff: build time and distro-specific setup issues become user-facing
• Test coverage: currently limited (core behavior is implemented, automated coverage is growing)

MVP Architecture (Today)

flowchart TD
    A[deskify CLI] --> B[Generate temporary Tauri wrapper project]
    B --> C[Fetch or copy icon]
    C --> D[Write tauri.conf.json + source files]
    D --> E[Run cargo tauri build locally]
    E --> F[Install binary to local executable dir]
    F --> G[Install icon + .desktop entry]
    G --> H[Launch from Linux app menu]

Known Limitations

• Requires Tauri/Linux system dependencies to be installed locally before deskify build
• Generated app build success can vary by distro/system setup (WebKitGTK/Tauri prerequisites)
• No official cross-platform support (Windows/macOS) yet
• GitHub Releases / binary automation for deskify itself may lag behind source updates during early MVP

Where Deskify Is Going

Deskify aims to make web applications first-class Linux desktop applications.

Planned evolution (direction, not promise):

• Shared runtime model for multiple apps
• Per-app config and icon installs without full rebuilds
• Stronger Linux desktop integration (deployment, automation, kiosk/admin workflows)
• Better distro compatibility guidance and troubleshooting

The current per-app build approach is intentional for the MVP. The goal is to keep it simple now while making the longer-term direction visible.

Planned Evolution (Concept)

flowchart TD
    A[deskify CLI] --> B[deskify runtime binary]
    A --> C[App config files]
    A --> D[Icons + .desktop entries]
    C --> E[apps/chatgpt.json]
    C --> F[apps/netflix.json]
    B --> G[Load app config at launch]
    G --> H[Open site in system webview]
    D --> I[Linux app menu integration]

Why Not Just Use Flatpak Web Apps / PWAs / Electron?

The table above covers the technical tradeoffs in more detail. In practice, deskify is most useful when you want:

• a CLI-first workflow for repeatable installs and automation
• Linux-native desktop integration (.desktop, icons, window class behavior)
• a system-WebView-based runtime model instead of shipping a bundled browser per app

Key Features

• System-WebView Runtime Model: Generated wrappers stay small because Deskify relies on the system WebView instead of bundling a browser runtime per app.
• Automatic Icon Fetching: Scrapes high-quality 128x128 favicons automatically using the Google Favicon API.
• XDG-Compliant System Integration: Safely creates .desktop entries in ~/.local/share/applications and manages application icons in ~/.local/share/icons/hicolor/.
• Wayland/X11 Ready: Perfectly binds StartupWMClass to ensure your DE groups the app exactly to its custom icon (no generic gear icons in GNOME/KDE taskbars).
• Kiosk / Fullscreen Mode: Pin applications perfectly as dashboards.
• User-Agent Spoofing: Trick picky sites (like WhatsApp Web) into working within the webview.
• Clean App Management: Effortlessly list and remove created apps without leaving orphaned files behind.

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🚀 Installation

1. System Dependencies

Because deskify compiles Tauri applications natively on your machine, you need the standard Tauri prerequisites installed before using it.

On Ubuntu / Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev \
  build-essential \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  libssl-dev \
  libgtk-3-dev \
  libayatana-appindicator3-dev \
  librsvg2-dev

On Arch Linux / Manjaro:

sudo pacman -S webkit2gtk-4.1 \
  base-devel \
  curl \
  wget \
  file \
  openssl \
  appmenu-gtk-module \
  gtk3 \
  libappindicator-gtk3 \
  librsvg \
  libvips

(For Fedora or other distros, refer to the Tauri Prerequisites Guide.)

2. Rust & Tauri CLI

You'll need the Rust compiler and the Tauri CLI to compile the generated apps.

# Ensure Rust is installed
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

# Install Tauri-CLI globally
cargo install tauri-cli --version "^2.0.0"

3. Install deskify

Clone the repository and install it directly via Cargo:

git clone https://github.com/spalencsar/deskify.git
cd deskify
cargo install --path .

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🛠️ Usage

Creating an App (build)

The build subcommand requires a --url and a --name.

deskify build --url "https://chatgpt.com" --name "ChatGPT"

Once the build finishes, ChatGPT will instantly appear in your system Application Launcher (e.g., Rofi, Wofi, GNOME Dash).

deskify derives a safe internal ID from the app name (for example, ChatGPT becomes chatgpt).

Advanced Build Options

deskify build \
  --url "https://netflix.com" \
  --name "Netflix" \
  --fullscreen \
  --no-decorations \
  --user-agent "Mozilla/5.0 (Windows NT 10.0; Win64; x64) Chrome/120.0.0.0 Safari/537.36" \
  --dark-mode \
  --width 1280 \
  --height 720

• --icon <PATH>: Provide a custom PNG icon instead of auto-downloading one.
• --fullscreen: Starts the app in Kiosk mode.
• --no-decorations: Disables native window decorations (frameless window; useful for dashboards/kiosk setups).
• --user-agent <UA>: Useful to bypass webview restrictions on certain platforms.
• --dark-mode: Forces the Tauri webview into a dark theme.
• --width <PX> / --height <PX>: Sets the startup resolution.

Managing Apps (list & remove)

You can view all applications generated by deskify:

deskify list

Output:

Installed Deskify Apps:
- ChatGPT (Internal ID: chatgpt)
- Netflix (Internal ID: netflix)

To entirely uninstall an app (including the binary, desktop entry, and icons):

deskify remove chatgpt

remove expects this internal ID (sanitized lowercase letters, numbers, -), not the display name.

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🧪 Manual Smoke Test Checklist (Before a Public Release)

deskify build --url "https://example.com" --name "Example"
deskify list
deskify remove example

Also test invalid IDs:

deskify remove ../foo
deskify remove FooBar

Expected: clean validation error and no unintended file deletion.

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🏷️ Versioning & GitHub Releases (MVP)

• Recommended tag format during MVP: v0.1.0-alpha.N
• Start with source-first releases (repository + tags)
• Add automated binary releases later via GitHub Actions

For the current public alpha, use v0.1.0-alpha.2 (and continue with v0.1.0-alpha.N for follow-up releases).

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📦 Open Source Acknowledgements

deskify is built on the shoulders of giants. It leverages the following fantastic open-source projects:

• Tauri - The core framework driving the native wrap.
• Clap - Command-Line Argument Parser for Rust.
• Anyhow - Excellent error handling context.
• Ureq - Minimalist sync HTTP request library (used for icon fetching).
• Directories - Abstractions for standard OS directories (XDG Base Dirs).

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.