feat(blog): add post introducing rnr task runner (#38)

Author: CalvinAllen

src/content/blog/2026/introducing-rnr-a-zero-dependency-task-runner/cover.png

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+---
+title: "Introducing rnr - A Zero-Dependency Task Runner"
+date: "2026-01-12T12:00:00-05:00"
+categories: [rust, oss, cli]
+description: "Meet rnr (pronounced 'runner') - a cross-platform task runner that lives inside your repo. Contributors clone and run, zero friction."
+---
+
+Have you ever cloned a repository, ready to contribute, only to discover you need to install Node.js, Python, Make, or some other global dependency just to run the build? I have. Many times. And honestly, it's frustrating.
+
+I wanted something simpler. Something where contributors could clone a repo and immediately run tasks without any setup. No "first, install this runtime" steps. No version mismatches. Just clone and go.
+
+So I built **rnr** (pronounced "runner").
+
+## What is rnr?
+
+rnr is a cross-platform task runner with one key differentiator: **the binaries live inside your repository**. When a contributor clones your project, they already have everything they need to run your build tasks. Zero friction.
+
+It's written in Rust, compiles to native binaries for all major platforms, and uses a simple YAML configuration file to define your tasks.
+
+## The Problem
+
+Most task runners require contributors to have something installed globally:
+
+- **npm scripts** require Node.js
+- **Makefiles** require Make (and good luck on Windows)
+- **Just** requires installing just
+- **Task** requires installing task
+
+For maintainers, this is fine. But for contributors—especially those making quick documentation fixes or small improvements—asking them to install a runtime just to run a build is a barrier.
+
+## The Solution
+
+With rnr, you initialize once as a maintainer:
+
+```bash
+# Linux
+curl -fsSL https://github.com/CodingWithCalvin/rnr.cli/releases/latest/download/rnr-linux-amd64 -o rnr
+chmod +x rnr
+./rnr init
+
+# macOS (Apple Silicon)
+curl -fsSL https://github.com/CodingWithCalvin/rnr.cli/releases/latest/download/rnr-macos-arm64 -o rnr
+chmod +x rnr
+./rnr init
+
+# Windows (PowerShell)
+Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://github.com/CodingWithCalvin/rnr.cli/releases/latest/download/rnr-windows-amd64.exe" -OutFile "rnr.exe"
+.\rnr.exe init
+```
+
+The `init` command presents an interactive selector where you choose which platforms your contributors might use:
+
+```
+Which platforms should this project support?
+
+  [x] linux-amd64      (760 KB)
+  [ ] macos-amd64      (662 KB)
+  [x] macos-arm64      (608 KB)  <- current
+  [x] windows-amd64    (584 KB)
+  [ ] windows-arm64    (528 KB)
+
+  Selected: 1.95 MB total
+```
+
+Once you confirm, rnr downloads the appropriate binaries and sets up wrapper scripts. Here's what gets created:
+
+```
+your-repo/
+├── .rnr/
+│   ├── config.yaml    # Tracks configured platforms
+│   └── bin/           # Platform binaries (only selected ones)
+├── rnr                # Unix wrapper script (auto-detects platform)
+├── rnr.cmd            # Windows wrapper script
+└── rnr.yaml           # Your task definitions
+```
+
+The wrapper scripts automatically detect the current platform and architecture, then run the correct binary from `.rnr/bin/`. Commit all of this to your repo.
+
+After that, contributors simply run:
+
+```bash
+./rnr build    # Run your build task
+./rnr test     # Run your tests
+./rnr --list   # See all available tasks
+```
+
+That's it. No installation required on their end.
+
+## Defining Tasks
+
+Tasks are defined in an `rnr.yaml` file at the root of your repository. The syntax is intentionally simple.
+
+**Simple one-liners:**
+
+```yaml
+build: cargo build --release
+test: cargo test
+lint: cargo clippy
+```
+
+**Full task definitions** with descriptions, working directories, and environment variables:
+
+```yaml
+build:
+  description: Build for production
+  dir: src/backend
+  env:
+    NODE_ENV: production
+  cmd: npm run build
+```
+
+**Sequential steps** that reference other tasks:
+
+```yaml
+ci:
+  description: Run CI pipeline
+  steps:
+    - task: lint
+    - task: test
+    - task: build
+```
+
+**Parallel execution** for speeding up independent operations:
+
+```yaml
+build-all:
+  description: Build all services
+  steps:
+    - cmd: echo "Starting builds..."
+    - parallel:
+        - task: build-api
+        - task: build-web
+    - cmd: echo "All done!"
+```
+
+**Nested task files** for monorepos—subdirectories can have their own `rnr.yaml`:
+
+```yaml
+# Root rnr.yaml
+api:build:
+  dir: services/api
+  task: build    # Runs 'build' from services/api/rnr.yaml
+```
+
+## Built-in Commands
+
+rnr ships with a few built-in commands:
+
+- `rnr <task>` — Execute a task from your `rnr.yaml`
+- `rnr init` — Initialize rnr in the current directory
+- `rnr upgrade` — Update to the latest rnr binaries
+- `rnr --list` — View all available tasks
+- `rnr --version` — Display the current version
+- `rnr --help` — Show help information
+
+## Why Rust?
+
+I chose Rust for a few reasons:
+
+1. **Single binary** — No runtime dependencies, just a native executable
+2. **Cross-platform** — Compiles cleanly to Windows, macOS, and Linux
+3. **Performance** — Fast startup, minimal overhead
+4. **I wanted to learn more Rust** — Let's be honest, this was a big motivator
+
+## Get Started
+
+If you maintain an open source project and want to reduce friction for contributors, give rnr a try:
+
+1. Download the binary for your platform from the [releases page](https://github.com/CodingWithCalvin/rnr.cli/releases)
+2. Run `./rnr init` and select your target platforms
+3. Create your `rnr.yaml` with your tasks
+4. Commit the binaries and config to your repo
+
+Your contributors will thank you.
+
+I'm already using rnr on a couple of my own projects—[dtvem.cli](https://github.com/CodingWithCalvin/dtvem.cli) and [rnr.cli itself](https://github.com/CodingWithCalvin/rnr.cli). Yes, rnr builds rnr. Dogfooding at its finest.
+
+## What's Next?
+
+This is v0.1.0, so there's plenty more I want to add:
+
+- Task dependencies (`depends: [build, test]`)
+- Conditional execution (`if: ${{ env.CI }}`)
+- Watch mode (`watch: [src/**/*.rs]`)
+- Variable interpolation (`${{ vars.version }}`)
+- Caching and incremental builds
+- Interactive task picker
+
+If any of these would be useful for your workflow, let me know—or better yet, open an issue on GitHub.
+
+## It's Open Source
+
+rnr is MIT licensed and available on GitHub at [CodingWithCalvin/rnr.cli](https://github.com/CodingWithCalvin/rnr.cli). If you find bugs, have feature requests, or want to contribute, PRs are absolutely welcome.
+
+I'd love to hear what you think. Let me know if you try it out!