README.md

Vauxl Client

A Discord-style Matrix client. Tauri v2 shell, React (web) UI, and a Rust core. Today it runs entirely on an in-memory MockBackend, so the whole interface can be built and felt before any Matrix code exists. Swapping in a matrix-rust-sdk backend later changes only one constructor.

Layout

client/
  core/        vauxl-core: the contract types, the ChatBackend trait, MockBackend (no Tauri, no Matrix)
  src-tauri/   the Tauri shell: command/event wrappers over ChatBackend, tauri-specta bindings export
  src/         the React UI (web). src/bindings.ts is GENERATED from Rust, do not edit it by hand
  docs/        DATA_INTERFACE.md explains the contract and the security boundary

The UI depends only on core (through the generated bindings), not on Tauri or Matrix, so the shell and the protocol stay swappable. See docs/DATA_INTERFACE.md.

Prerequisites

• Rust (stable) and cargo
• Bun
• Linux desktop libraries for the Tauri webview. On Fedora: sudo dnf install webkit2gtk4.1-devel libsoup3-devel

Run

bun install
bun run tauri dev      # launches the window; runs Vite + the Rust app, needs a display

In debug builds, src/bindings.ts is regenerated automatically on launch. To regenerate it without launching the GUI:

cargo test -p vauxl-app export_bindings

Build

cargo build                 # compiles the workspace (core + app)
cargo test                  # runs core + binding-export tests
bun run build               # typechecks and builds the frontend into dist/
bun run tauri build         # produces a packaged desktop bundle

Swapping the mock for real Matrix

1. Add a MatrixBackend to core (a new module) that implements ChatBackend using matrix-rust-sdk. Crypto stays in vodozemac via the SDK; you write no crypto yourself.
2. In src-tauri/src/lib.rs, change the constructor in run from MockBackend::new() to your MatrixBackend. Nothing in the UI changes.