cinny-desktop/README.md

# Lotus Chat desktop

The desktop app for [Lotus Chat](https://chat.lotusguild.org), Lotus Guild's
Matrix client (a fork of [Cinny](https://github.com/cinnyapp/cinny)), built
with [Tauri](https://v2.tauri.app/). The web client lives in the `cinny/`
submodule ([LotusGuild/cinny](https://code.lotusguild.org/LotusGuild/cinny)).

## Download

Builds are published on this repo's releases page:
**https://code.lotusguild.org/LotusGuild/cinny-desktop/releases/latest**

| Platform | File |
|---|---|
| Windows | `LotusChat-x86_64-setup.exe` (NSIS installer) |
| Debian / Ubuntu | `LotusChat-x86_64.deb`, install with `sudo apt install ./LotusChat-x86_64.deb` |
| Arch | `LotusChat-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst`: download it, then `sudo pacman -U LotusChat-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst` |
| Other Linux | `LotusChat-x86_64.AppImage` |

There is no macOS build at the moment.

### Verify a Linux download

Each release has a `SHA256SUMS.txt`, signed with the same key as the updater
(below). Check the signature, then the file, then install, e.g. for Arch:

```sh
B=https://code.lotusguild.org/LotusGuild/cinny-desktop/releases/download/latest
curl -LO $B/LotusChat-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst -LO $B/SHA256SUMS.txt -LO $B/SHA256SUMS.txt.minisig
minisign -Vm SHA256SUMS.txt -P RWRZZdyii05/NUcz337A5SAbiZK+NPVDWuiL2mM5Jk1p/LfRmNfiZ/6l \
  && sha256sum -c --ignore-missing SHA256SUMS.txt \
  && sudo pacman -U ./LotusChat-x86_64.pkg.tar.zst
```

For Debian / Ubuntu use `LotusChat-x86_64.deb` and `sudo apt install ./LotusChat-x86_64.deb`.
`minisign` is in both distributions' repositories.

### Updates and signatures

The app updates itself from
`https://code.lotusguild.org/LotusGuild/cinny-desktop/releases/download/latest/release.json`.
Updater bundles (`.nsis.zip`, `.AppImage.tar.gz`) are signed with minisign; the
`.sig` files sit next to them. Lotus Chat's public key (the base64-decoded
`plugins.updater.pubkey` in `src-tauri/tauri.conf.json`):

> RWRZZdyii05/NUcz337A5SAbiZK+NPVDWuiL2mM5Jk1p/LfRmNfiZ/6l

To check a bundle by hand, base64-decode its `.sig` file and run
`minisign -Vm LotusChat-x86_64-setup.nsis.zip -P RWRZZdyii05/NUcz337A5SAbiZK+NPVDWuiL2mM5Jk1p/LfRmNfiZ/6l -x <decoded.sig>`.

Packages installed through apt or pacman are updated by downloading the new
package from the releases page; the in-app updater says so instead of
replacing files it doesn't own.

## Desktop features

Beyond the web client:

- **Tray:** unread, call and update state; Do Not Disturb.
- **Launch on login**, with an optional **start minimized**.
- **Closing the window:** asks once whether to keep running in the tray or
  quit. A call in progress always goes to the tray.
- **Taskbar / launcher:** unread badge, attention flash, upload progress.
- **Windows:** rich notifications with Reply and Mark as read, Focus Assist
  sync, thumbnail toolbar (mute / deafen / end call), jump list, media keys (SMTC).
- **System-wide push-to-talk and deafen** keys that work while another app
  (a game) has focus.
- **Keychain:** a copy of your login is kept in the OS keychain.
- **Calls:** the call page runs on its own loopback origin, with WebView
  permissions scoped to it; where the WebView has no WebRTC (Linux
  WebKitGTK), "Open in browser" instead of a dead end.
- **Linux:** NVIDIA / Wayland rendering workarounds.

## Local development

Set up Rust, Node.js and the build tools per the
[Tauri prerequisites](https://v2.tauri.app/start/prerequisites/), then:

```sh
git clone --recursive https://code.lotusguild.org/LotusGuild/cinny-desktop.git
cd cinny-desktop/cinny && npm ci && cd ..
npm ci
npm run tauri dev     # development
npm run tauri build   # release build
```