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