overview getting started

Getting started

This page covers prerequisites, the one-command dev setup, and the build/test/run loop for the Capto repository. Everything is Windows-oriented: recording, the CLI control plane, and packaging all assume Windows 10+.

Prerequisites

Windows 10 1903+ (x64 or arm64)
Rust toolchain (edition 2021; cargo must be on PATH)
Node.js 18+ (the frontend and the npm packages use modern tooling; CI runs Node 24)
PowerShell 5.1+ for the repo scripts
Git

Nothing else is required: FFmpeg is downloaded as a pinned sidecar during setup, and npm dependencies come from apps/desktop/package.json.

One-command setup

From a fresh clone, this gets you to a runnable tauri dev:

.\scripts\setup-dev.ps1     # or -Local to prefer a local ffmpeg.exe

setup-dev.ps1 performs, in order (same steps as README.md):

npm install --prefix apps/desktop
.\scripts\download-ffmpeg.ps1   # pinned capto-ffmpeg sidecar + attestation verify (or copy-ffmpeg.ps1)
cargo build -p capto-cli --release
.\scripts\copy-cli.ps1          # stage CLI into the app bundle (required for tauri build / package)

Common commands

npm run tauri --prefix apps/desktop -- dev        # run the desktop app (capto-app)
cargo test --workspace                            # all Rust unit tests
cargo fmt --all --check                           # rustfmt gate
cargo run -p capto-cli -- status                  # talk to a running desktop
npm run lint --prefix apps/desktop                # ESLint (max-warnings 0)
npm run format:check --prefix apps/desktop        # Prettier
npm test --prefix apps/desktop                    # Vitest unit tests
npm run test:coverage --prefix apps/desktop       # unit tests + enforced coverage gate
npm run duplicate:check --prefix apps/desktop     # jscpd copy-paste gate
npm run build:analyze --prefix apps/desktop       # bundle report (dist/analyze.html)
npm run bundle-size --prefix apps/desktop         # bundle-size budget gate

Interactive QA against a real desktop session:

.\scripts\qa-smoke.ps1                             # doctor/status/config/outputs loop
.\scripts\qa-smoke.ps1 -RunRecordRoundtrip         # + a real record → stop → outputs

See docs/QA.md for the full interactive path and docs/CI.md for what CI enforces.

Optional environment variables

Variable	Purpose
`CAPTO_APP_PATH`	Path to a prebuilt `capto-app.exe`; the CLI uses it to auto-launch the desktop when the control plane is down (dev convenience; also set by `scripts/profile.ps1`)
`RUST_LOG` / `CAPTO_LOG`	Tracing filter for the CLI (`warn` default) and the desktop (`capto=debug,capto_core=debug,capto_encode=debug,warn` default)
`RUST_BACKTRACE`	Standard Rust backtraces on panic

The full list lives in .env.example.

Release build and packaging

Packaging requires the local FFmpeg sidecar and a staged CLI in the bundle:

.\scripts\copy-ffmpeg.ps1   # or download-ffmpeg.ps1
cargo build -p capto-cli --release
.\scripts\copy-cli.ps1
npm run tauri --prefix apps/desktop -- build

The NSIS installer embeds FFmpeg and places the CLI at <install>\cli\capto.exe, adding that folder to the user PATH via the NSIS hooks in apps/desktop/src-tauri/windows/hooks.nsh. See Deployment for the CI-driven release pipeline.

Tips for running the CLI in dev

Point CAPTO_APP_PATH at target/debug/capto-app.exe so capto can auto-launch the dev desktop.
If a command returns exit code 2 (desktopUnavailable), run capto open first, or start Capto from the Start menu.
Always record stop when finished; recordings have no auto stop.
Never log the Bearer token read from %APPDATA%\Capto\cli-server.json.