| Area | Current Electron implementation | Tauri target |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Main app window | `BrowserWindow` in `electron/main.cjs`, loading Vite in dev and `dist/index.html` in production | `src-tauri/tauri.conf.json` window loading the same Vite dev URL or `../dist` |
| Settings window | Separate modal `BrowserWindow` routed to `#/settings` | Later phase: either a second Tauri webview window or in-app settings route |
| Settings persistence | JSON file under Electron `app.getPath('userData')`, with migrations and normalization | Implemented for Tauri with `HEIMGEIST_SETTINGS_FILE` override or app config `settings.json`; keys and normalizers mirror Electron closely |
| Renderer bridge | `electron/preload.cjs` exposes `window.electronAPI`; renderer uses `src/desktop/desktopApi.js` | Implemented: `desktopApi` still prefers Electron and falls back to Tauri commands/listeners |
| File picker | `dialog.showOpenDialog` via `pick-paths` IPC | Implemented for Tauri through the official dialog plugin; supports existing `title` and `filters` options |
| Open file/path | `shell.openPath` via `open-path` IPC | Implemented for Tauri through the official opener plugin |
| External links | `shell.openExternal` and `setWindowOpenHandler` | Implemented for Tauri through the official opener plugin for `http`, `https`, `mailto`, and `tel` URLs |
| Window focus events | Electron `focus` event forwarded to renderer | Implemented for Tauri by emitting `window-focused` and listening from `desktopApi` |
| App menu | Electron `Menu.buildFromTemplate` | Later phase: Tauri menu API |
| UI scale | Electron `webContents.setZoomFactor` | Later phase: Tauri/webview equivalent or renderer CSS scale strategy |
| DevTools preference | Electron opens/closes DevTools in dev | Later phase: Tauri devtools behavior and persisted preference |
| Updates/changelog | Git-based update check, pull, restart, and local changelog | Later phase: replace with Tauri updater or another signed update flow |
| Backend lifecycle | External Node scripts start FastAPI in dev | Not part of this spike; later sidecar/package design |
| Packaging | Electron starts from `main` and existing npm scripts | Later phase: Tauri bundle config, icons, signing, backend sidecar |
## Scaffold Added
-`src-tauri/tauri.conf.json` points Tauri at the existing Vite renderer on `http://127.0.0.1:5173` and the existing `dist` build output.
-`src/desktop/desktopApi.js` still prefers Electron. When Electron is absent and Tauri is present, it invokes matching Tauri commands. Without either desktop bridge, it falls back to safe defaults so the renderer can mount.
