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The Native Desktop CLI provides a comprehensive set of commands to manage your desktop application development workflow. This page provides an overview of all available commands and their primary use cases.

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Command List

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Project Management

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create

Initialize a new Native Desktop project in an empty directory. 
native-desktop create
Use Case: Starting a new desktop application project with proper scaffolding and configuration. Learn More: Create Command Documentation

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run

Run your Native Desktop application in development mode. 
native-desktop run [project-config-file]
Use Case: Testing and developing your application with live updates during development. Learn More: Run Command Documentation

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Build & Distribution

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build

Build your Native Desktop project for production distribution. 
native-desktop build --config <config-file> --target <target-type> [--sign]
Use Case: Creating distributable packages for end users on your target platform. Learn More: Build Command Documentation

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sign

Sign a built application for Windows or macOS. 
native-desktop sign [app-path] [options]
Use Case: Code signing your application to meet platform distribution requirements and ensure user trust. Learn More: Sign Command Documentation

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Code Quality

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lint

Run ESLint on your project to check for code quality issues. 
native-desktop lint
Use Case: Identifying and fixing code style issues and potential bugs. Learn More: Lint Command Documentation

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fmt

Format your source code using Prettier. 
native-desktop fmt
Use Case: Automatically formatting code to maintain consistent style across your project. Learn More: Format Command Documentation

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types

Check TypeScript types in your project. 
native-desktop types
Use Case: Validating TypeScript types to catch type errors before runtime. Learn More: Types Command Documentation

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Command Workflow

A typical Native Desktop development workflow follows this pattern:

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1. Project Creation

# Create a new project
native-desktop create

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2. Development Cycle

# Run in development mode
native-desktop run

# Check code quality
native-desktop lint

# Format code
native-desktop fmt

# Verify types
native-desktop types

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3. Production Build

# Build for your platform
native-desktop build --config native-desktop.config.json5 --target dmg

# Sign the application
native-desktop sign --platform mac --identity "Developer ID Application"

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Global Options

All commands support the following global options:

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--help / -h

Display help information for the command. 
native-desktop <command> --help

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--version / -v

Display the CLI version number. 
native-desktop --version

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Platform-Specific Commands

Some commands have platform-specific behavior:
  • Build Targets: dmg, app, pkg
  • Signing: Requires Apple Developer ID and certificates
  • Notarization: Supported via sign command with Apple ID credentials
  • Build Targets: exe, msi, msi-wrapped
  • Signing: Requires code signing certificate (.pfx or .p12)
  • Certificate Options: Support for file-based and SHA1-based signing
  • Build Targets: deb, rpm, app-image, flatpak, snap
  • Signing: Platform-specific signing mechanisms
  • Distribution: Multiple package formats for different distributions

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Configuration Files

Most commands interact with the project configuration file: Default Configuration File: native-desktop.config.json5 You can specify a custom configuration file using the --config option: 
native-desktop build --config custom-config.json5 --target dmg

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Exit Codes

The Native Desktop CLI uses standard exit codes:
  • 0: Command completed successfully
  • 1: Command failed with an error
This allows for easy integration with CI/CD pipelines and scripts.

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Error Handling

When errors occur, the CLI provides detailed error messages to help diagnose issues: 
✖ Error: Invalid target "invalid" for platform "mac". 
  Supported targets: dmg, app, pkg
Always read error messages carefully, they often include suggestions for fixing the issue.