Bundle & Build

Deskapp's build/bundle commands live on the maker CLI, driven by src/core/bundle.ts (which sits on deno desktop / Deno's compile capabilities). Two stages:

1. build — compile the desktop app the way you run it in dev.
2. bundle — package it for distribution: UI, optional Chromium (Playwright), extensions, icons, and a .zip.

Run every command as deno task maker <command>, and pass flags after a -- separator.

Commands

Command	What you get
build	raw deno desktop build into dist/ for the host OS
build:win / build:mac / build:linux	same, cross-compiled via --target <triple>
bundle	full distributable for the host OS (UI + deps + optional Chromium + zip)
bundle:win / bundle:mac / bundle:linux	full distributable for that specific OS

A bundle run does everything automatically: regenerate the bindings manifest → build the UI (src/ui/dist) → deno desktop → copy Chromium/extensions when asked → zip into dist/.

Build first, then pick your target

During development you use build / build:win / build:mac / build:linux (or dev), which write a raw app folder to dist/:

deno task maker build              # host OS
deno task maker build:mac          # cross-compile for macOS

When the app builds cleanly, bundle it for distribution.

Bundle for one OS

deno task maker bundle:win         # Windows folder app → dist/Deskapp.zip
deno task maker bundle:mac         # macOS .app → dist/Deskapp.app
deno task maker bundle:linux       # Linux folder app → dist/deskapp

Bundle for all three OSes

Run each on that OS (its own machine, VM, or CI job):

deno task maker bundle:win         # on a Windows machine
deno task maker bundle:mac         # on a macOS machine
deno task maker bundle:linux       # on a Linux machine

Chromium is OS-specific

The app binary cross-compiles, but Chromium does not: it is copied from the build machine's Playwright cache, and Chromium binaries are different per OS (each OS has its own Playwright cache location). So to ship a bundle with Chromium, run that OS's bundle on that OS — a bundle:mac run on Windows would package a Windows-only app with no macOS Chromium to copy.

With or without the UI

--ui	Meaning
auto (default)	bundle the frontend if a src/ui source exists
skip	headless build — no frontend, no window (tray/server-only app)
force	fail the build if the src/ui source is missing

deno task maker bundle:win                    # normal desktop app, UI included
deno task maker bundle:win --ui=skip       # server-only: no UI, no window

With or without Chromium (Playwright)

The Play button and Playwright helper features need a real Chromium binary next to the app. Bundle it from the Playwright cache so users get those features out of the box:

--chromium	Meaning
auto (default)	bundle Chromium if it is found in the Playwright cache (otherwise build without it)
force	bundle Chromium and fail the build if it isn't in the cache
skip	build without bundling Chromium (Playwright features only work where a Chromium is installed)

Install Chromium once per OS — it is a Deno command, no Node needed (npm:playwright pins the version your app imports from deno.json); --chromium=force then guards against a missing cache:

deno run -A npm:playwright install chromium                  # once, per OS machine
deno task maker bundle:win --chromium=force               # always ships Chromium
deno task maker bundle:linux --chromium=force --no-zip
#   --chromium=force FAILS the build if no Playwright Chromium is cached

Any src/extensions/* folders are copied next to Chromium automatically (chromium/ / extensions/ beside the launcher).

Flags

Flag	Values	Meaning
--ui	auto (default) / skip / force	bundle the frontend, or skip/require it (headless server-only build)
--chromium	auto (default) / skip / force	bundle Chromium from the Playwright cache, or skip/require it
--target	<rust-triple>	cross-compile target, e.g. x86_64-pc-windows-msvc, x86_64-apple-darwin, x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu. Host OS when omitted; bundle:mac / bundle:linux pass it automatically.
--output	path	override the app output path (defaults to dist/Deskapp / dist/Deskapp.app / dist/deskapp)
--no-zip	boolean	skip producing the .zip archive

deno task maker bundle:win --no-zip                 # folder only, no zip
deno task maker bundle:linux --ui=skip --chromium=skip

What gets bundled

• The compiled backend (src/main.ts entry, UI + storage + icons included via deno desktop --include) with its import map bundled in
• src/ui/dist (the built frontend), served from the binary's virtual filesystem
• Optional Chromium (from the Playwright cache) and, when present, src/extensions/* copied next to it
• An icon set from src/icons/
• Output into dist/Deskapp / dist/Deskapp.app / dist/deskapp
• A .zip archive unless --no-zip

Every bundle run first regenerates the bindings manifest (deno task maker bindings:gen).

Deep links & app identity

Identity comes from deno.json → desktop.app:

"desktop": { "app": { "name": "Deskapp", "deepLinks": ["deskapp"] } }

deepLinks registers the scheme (e.g. deskapp://) for OS-level launch-by-URL. Change both for your own product.

Distribution caveats

• Bundles are single-arch; distribute per-OS artifacts (dist/Deskapp.zip, dist/Deskapp.app).
• SQLite is embedded (node:sqlite) in packaged builds — no libsql binary shipped.
• Keep src/storage/ (DB, app-managed files) out of the bundle; point APP_DATA_DIR at the OS user-data folder for packaged builds so state survives updates.