Build from source

Get the released source from GitHub

git clone --branch v0.1.1 --single-branch https://github.com/Odiobill/tilde.git
cd tilde
git rev-parse HEAD

The expected commit is db9ef522d4c7385b6c249fb694d61a9bf4d507ef. Main contains later website/documentation work; use the release tag for the qualified application source. GitHub's built-in ZIP/tar downloads are also available at that tag or commit. No extra source archive is uploaded as a release asset. Generated compression bytes are not a stable source checksum; the release's source identity record describes the checked file contents and executable modes.

Prerequisites and build

Build prerequisites: Linux, system Node >=22.19.0, npm supporting lockfile v3, matching public Node and libuv headers, CMake >=3.24, C++17 compiler, and Qt >=6.8 Core, Gui, Qml, Quick, QuickControls2, Network, Widgets, DBus and Test development modules. Qt stays dynamically linked. Use a supported patched Node release for daily use; the exact old floor is a compatibility-test lane.

The development selection is .node-version. Set TILDE_NODE to an absolute executable for another selection. TILDE_NODE_INCLUDE_DIR and TILDE_UV_INCLUDE_DIR select absolute header directories when discovery cannot find an exact match. TILDE_CMAKE selects a suitable CMake installation; otherwise use PATH's CMake and its matching CTest. No header download or shell-profile change happens automatically. Native addons call libuv directly; rebuild and requalify after runtime changes rather than assuming Node-API proves every ABI.

Initial dependency acquisition uses the registry and the unchanged lockfile:

npm ci --ignore-scripts --no-audit --no-fund
npm run build
npm run typecheck
npm test
npm run test:release
ctest --test-dir .build/cmake --output-on-failure

Run from the checkout

After the build, stop any other Tilde daemon using the same user state. In one terminal, run:

npm run start:daemon

In a second terminal in the same checkout:

npm run start:gui

Use the normal logged-in Linux session with its private runtime directory. Leave the daemon terminal open; closing the GUI is separate from stopping the daemon. Use Ctrl-C in the daemon terminal to stop it. The systemd commands in the package guide apply to a complete installed layout, not an unstaged checkout.

Follow your first conversation for model and authority setup. The stage below prepares the full installed layout and desktop integration for packaging; it does not install or enable them on your host.

Offline rebuilds and staging

A subsequent npm ci --offline --ignore-scripts requires a complete prepared npm cache. An unprepared build is not fully offline. Do not use ambient global npm packages as a substitute for the locked closure.

Tests use synthetic providers and owned private state. Integration tests need a functioning systemd user manager and D-Bus. Installed isolation tests additionally need bubblewrap with unprivileged user/network namespaces, desktop-file-utils, coreutils and systemd-analyze. The private tray test needs a Qt platform theme with status-notifier support. The private-bus CTest fixture explicitly selects qt6ct, which must be installed as a test prerequisite; it does not change the user desktop theme. Install at least one scalable font (for example DejaVu) so large-text geometry tests exercise actual glyph metrics. Preserve selected desktop/theme metadata while excluding provider credentials. Offscreen tests are separate from actual desktop, screen-reader and storage-loss qualification.

Stage a complete installation without writing the host prefix:

node scripts/stage-install.mjs --destdir /absolute/private/stage --prefix /usr --node /usr/bin/node

Choose DESTDIR and final prefix independently. Launch files use final paths; DESTDIR is packaging infrastructure. The shared manifest covers compiled workspace JS, production npm dependencies, both native addons, GUI, notification helper, service, desktop entry, icon and notices. CMake's Runtime install component covers native targets; use the stage script for the complete application closure. No stage/install hook enables a service, modifies hotkeys or requests inference.