Development

Requirements

macOS (Apple Silicon recommended)
Node.js 24
pnpm 10
Rust toolchain for crates/brewwery-core
Homebrew for live package data (app runs without it in demo mode)

Quick Start


# Install dependencies
pnpm install
 
# Start development mode
pnpm dev
 
# Build for production
pnpm build

Build Commands

Command	Description
`pnpm dev`	Start the Electron app in dev mode
`pnpm build`	Build shared-types, Rust core, and desktop
`pnpm build:core`	Build only the Rust native core
`pnpm typecheck`	Run TypeScript checks across all packages
`pnpm lint`	Run linting across all packages

Packaging Commands

Command	Description
`pnpm package:mac`	Build unsigned arm64 DMG + ZIP
`pnpm package:mac:dir`	Build `.app` without DMG
`pnpm package:mac:zip`	Build ZIP without DMG
`pnpm package:mac:x64`	Build for Intel (requires x86_64 target)
`pnpm package:mac:universal`	Build universal binary
`pnpm package:clean`	Clean packaging artifacts

Verification Commands

Command	Description
`pnpm release:verify`	Full verification: typecheck, lint, Rust tests, build, package
`pnpm beta:clean-install`	Clean old app data for fresh testing

Building the Rust Core


pnpm --filter @brewwery/brewwery-core build

The Rust crate at crates/brewwery-core compiles to a Node.js native addon via napi-rs. It handles Homebrew detection, command execution, JSON parsing, and validation.

Workspace Structure

Brewwery uses pnpm workspaces:


packages:
  - "desktop"          # Electron desktop app
  - "packages/*"       # shared-types
  - "crates/*"         # Rust napi-rs core

Package Names

Package	Name
Desktop app	`@brewwery/desktop`
Shared types	`@brewwery/shared-types`
Rust core	`@brewwery/brewwery-core`

Packaging & Distribution

Brewwery uses electron-builder with:

App name: Brewwery
Bundle identifier: com.brewwery.app
macOS category: public.app-category.utilities
Primary target: Apple Silicon arm64
Artifacts: unsigned .dmg and .zip

Local DMG Issues

Local DMG creation may fail with hdiutil create ... -fs APFS on some machines. Workarounds:

Use pnpm package:mac:dir or pnpm package:mac:zip for local testing
Let GitHub Actions build the DMG on a clean macOS runner

Development Notes

The desktop app runs without Homebrew and shows Homebrew-not-found states
Mutating Homebrew actions must remain allowlisted with explicit confirmation
Add shared data shapes to packages/shared-types before wiring new IPC
Keep UI changes consistent with the dark macOS utility aesthetic
Do not add telemetry, authentication, cloud sync, or monetization

Signing & Notarization

Current builds are unsigned and not notarized. Signed and notarized Apple Silicon builds are planned for v1.0. Until then, macOS Gatekeeper may warn when opening a downloaded build — right-click the app and choose Open to launch it.