tauri-debug-testing

Tauri Debug And Testing

Use this skill when a Tauri app fails to compile, launch, call native APIs, load frontend assets, pass tests, or behave consistently across dev/build.

Triage Split

Classify the failure before changing code:

• Frontend build/test failure.
• Rust compile/test failure.
• Tauri config or capability failure.
• Plugin registration/import mismatch.
• Dev server vs packaged static asset mismatch.
• Platform WebView or OS dependency issue.
• Signing, updater, or distribution issue.

Run:

python3 ../../scripts/tauri_project_probe.py .

Common Checks

cargo check --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml
cargo test --manifest-path src-tauri/Cargo.toml
pnpm test
pnpm build
pnpm tauri dev
pnpm tauri build

Use the package manager and scripts detected in the repo.

Mocking Frontend Tauri APIs

Use @tauri-apps/api/mocks for frontend unit tests around wrappers:

import { mockIPC, clearMocks } from "@tauri-apps/api/mocks";
import { afterEach, expect, it } from "vitest";
import { invoke } from "@tauri-apps/api/core";

afterEach(() => clearMocks());

it("mocks a command", async () => {
  mockIPC((cmd, args) => {
    if (cmd === "add") return Number(args.a) + Number(args.b);
    throw new Error(`unexpected command: ${cmd}`);
  });

  await expect(invoke("add", { a: 2, b: 3 })).resolves.toBe(5);
});

WebDriver

Use WebDriver when the native shell is part of the risk: windows, dialogs, menus, permissions, packaged launch, or cross-process UI flows. Tauri WebDriver coverage is practical on Linux and Windows; macOS WKWebView has tooling limits, so use other proof there.

Debugging Discipline

• Do not fix a missing permission by adding broad capabilities.
• Do not ignore Tauri package version mismatches unless official docs and the repo prove the mismatch warning is false.
• Capture exact error text and command output. Tauri failures are often caused by one missing config/key/import path.
• Verify the same path the user cares about: dev mode, packaged app, CI, or target platform.