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The Native Desktop CLI is a powerful command-line tool that enables you to create, develop, build, and distribute native desktop applications with ease. Built on modern web technologies, it provides a streamlined workflow for desktop application development.

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Installation

The Native Desktop CLI is available as a private package on GitHub. Access is granted upon purchase of a Native Desktop license. Once you have access, install the CLI globally using npm: 
npm install -g @native-desktop/cli
Or install a specific version: 
npm install -g @native-desktop/cli@1.0.0
You must be authenticated with GitHub and have access to the private repository to install the package. Contact support if you’ve purchased a license but don’t have access.

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Getting Started

Once installed, you can access the CLI using the native-desktop command in your terminal. To see all available commands and options, run: 
native-desktop --help

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Core Features

The Native Desktop CLI provides several key features to streamline your development workflow:
  • Project Initialization: Quickly scaffold new Native Desktop projects with customizable templates
  • Development Server: Run your application in development mode with hot-reload support
  • Build System: Compile and package your application for distribution across multiple platforms
  • Code Quality Tools: Built-in linting, formatting, and type-checking capabilities
  • Code Signing: Sign your applications for Windows and macOS distribution

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Available Commands

The Native Desktop CLI includes the following commands:
  • create - Initialize a new Native Desktop project
  • run - Run your application in development mode
  • build - Build your application for production
  • sign - Sign your built application
  • lint - Run ESLint on your project
  • fmt - Format your code with Prettier
  • types - Check TypeScript types in your project

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Platform Support

Native Desktop CLI supports development on the following operating systems:
  • macOS (darwin)
  • Windows (win32)
  • Linux
You can only build applications for the operating system you are currently using. Cross-platform builds are not currently supported.

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Version Information

To check your installed CLI version, use: 
native-desktop --version
Or use the short alias: 
native-desktop -v

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Getting Help

For any command, you can view detailed help information by appending --help: 
native-desktop <command> --help
For example: 
native-desktop build --help