Tauri CLI

Use tauri for the full lifecycle of a Tauri app or plugin: initialization, development, production builds, bundling, mobile targets, permissions, plugins, signing, and diagnostics.

Do / Don't

• Do prefer existing tauri.conf.json values over CLI overrides.
• Do use explicit flags — don't infer dev host, ports, runner binary, platform, or ABI targets.
• Do confirm before destructive actions (--force, rm, overwrite).
• Don't invent flags or commands not in the Tauri CLI.
• Don't use --ci unless user mentions CI or automation.

Initialize a project

• tauri init
  • --force overwrites existing src-tauri
  • --ci disables interactive prompts
  • --directory <dir> targets a specific folder

Development mode

• tauri dev
• Release dev build: tauri dev --release
• Custom config merge: tauri dev -c tauri.staging.conf.json
• Pass runner and app args: tauri dev -- --runnerArgs -- appArgs
• Don't assume dev server host, ports, or runner binary.

Build and bundle

• tauri build — builds and bundles the app
• tauri bundle — bundles an already-built app (no compile)
• Don't skip signing or bundling unless the user asks.
• Don't change targets unless specified.

Mobile targets

• Android: tauri android init → dev / build / run
  • Always init before dev/build/run
  • --open only when user explicitly wants Android Studio
  • Don't assume ABI targets (--target) or split APK settings
• iOS (macOS only): tauri ios init → dev / build / run
  • Physical devices require a public dev host
  • Don't invent --export-method values
  • Prefer defaults unless explicitly overridden

Plugin management

• Create new plugin: tauri plugin new my-plugin
• Init in existing directory: tauri plugin init
• Optional flags (only when requested): --no-api, --android, --ios, --mobile, --ios-framework spm|xcode
• Plugin mobile init: tauri plugin android init, tauri plugin ios init
  • Plugin name must match directory name

Permissions and capabilities

• Permissions: tauri permission new, add, rm, ls
  • Default format: json unless overridden
  • Confirm before deleting permissions
• Capabilities: tauri capability new
  • Only create when user explicitly asks for window scoping or permission grouping

Icons

• tauri icon [./app-icon.png]
  • Defaults to ./app-icon.png if no input given
  • Don't override background colors unless specified

Signing

• tauri signer generate — create a new signing key pair
• tauri signer sign — sign a bundle
• Private keys are sensitive — never echo passwords, prefer env vars for key paths.

Diagnostics and migration

• tauri info — environment check (use for build failures, version mismatches, CI debugging)
• tauri migrate — only when user explicitly asks; warns that config and code may change

Examples

• "Initialize a Tauri app in this repo" → tauri init
• "Run Tauri dev in release mode" → tauri dev --release
• "Build Android APKs only" → tauri android build --apk true --aab false
• "Create a new plugin without TS API" → tauri plugin new my-plugin --no-api
• "List permissions for a plugin" → tauri permission ls my-plugin