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Development guide

Requirements

  • Node.js 20+
  • npm 10+
  • Git
  • Windows, macOS, or Linux with a desktop session

Run npm ci after cloning. This uses the committed lockfile and should be preferred over npm install in CI and routine setup.

Development loop

npm run dev

The command starts three coordinated processes:

  1. Vite serves and hot-reloads the React renderer on port 5173.
  2. TypeScript watches the Electron main process and preload bridge.
  3. tools/dev/start-electron.js waits for both outputs and starts Electron without relying on a fixed delay or npx shell resolution.

Stop the parent command to stop all three processes.

Build environments

Neuron has three build environments:

Environment Command Purpose
Development npm run dev Runs the app from Vite and watched TypeScript output.
Test npm run dist:test Creates a local beta installer named Neuron Test. It runs like production, but uses a separate app id and does not publish or check production updates.
Production npm run release Creates the final Neuron installer and publishes it to GitHub Releases.

Every build command starts by clearing dist/ and release/, so the generated folders only contain the latest build output.

Quality checks

npm run build
npm audit

Before a release, also run npm run dist:dir and open the unpacked application. Verify repository creation, note editing, settings persistence, plugin enablement, the terminal, external links, and the bundled demo repository.

Useful paths

  • Main process: src/main/main.ts
  • Preload bridge: src/main/preload.ts
  • App shell: src/renderer/App.tsx
  • Global tokens and editor styles: src/renderer/index.css
  • Plugin contracts: src/renderer/plugins/types.ts
  • Built-in plugins: src/renderer/plugins/builtin/
  • Demo content: examples/demo-repo/
  • Packaging configuration: tools/electron-builder.env.cjs

Adding dependencies

Runtime packages belong in dependencies; build and test tools belong in devDependencies. Commit both package.json and package-lock.json. Run the production build and audit after upgrades, especially Electron upgrades.

Environment and secrets

Do not commit .env files, API keys, signing certificates, personal note repositories, or generated release output. Release signing values belong in GitHub Actions secrets. Agent-specific files are intentionally ignored.

Debugging

The renderer can use Chromium DevTools during development. Main-process errors appear in the terminal that launched npm run dev. IPC changes usually require coordinated edits to src/main/main.ts, src/main/preload.ts, and src/renderer/electron.d.ts.