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Container Kit requires macOS 26.0+ with Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4). Intel Macs and older macOS versions are not supported.
This guide will walk you through setting up your development environment for Container Kit.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

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Required Software

  • macOS 26.0 or later with Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4)
  • Xcode Command Line Tools
  • Node.js 20+
  • pnpm package manager
  • Git for version control

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Optional Software

  • Apple Container CLI - For container management features

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Installation Steps

1

Install Xcode Command Line Tools

Open Terminal and run:
xcode-select --install
Follow the prompts to complete the installation.
2

Install Node.js

Download and install Node.js 20+ from nodejs.org or use a version manager like nvm:
# Using nvm
nvm install 20
nvm use 20
3

Install pnpm

Install pnpm globally:
npm install -g pnpm
4

Fork and Clone Repository

Fork the Container Kit repository on GitHub, then clone your fork:
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/ContainerKit.git
cd ContainerKit
5

Install Dependencies

Install project dependencies using pnpm:
pnpm install
6

Download Apple Container CLI

Download and extract the Apple Container CLI (macOS only):
./scripts/download-apple-container-cli.sh
This script downloads the Apple Container CLI and places it in the correct location for Tauri sidecar integration.
7

Environment Configuration

Create a .env file for Tauri signing (optional for development):
touch .env
If you need to build signed releases, add your signing keys:
# .env
TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY=your_key_here
TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD=your_password_here
Signing keys are only required for production builds. Development builds do not require signing.
8

Generate Database Migrations

Generate the database schema and migrations:
pnpm db:generate
This command generates SQL migrations from the Drizzle schema and creates Rust migration bindings.
9

Verify Setup

Start the development server to verify everything is working:
pnpm tauri dev
The application should launch with hot reload enabled. Any changes you make to the frontend code will automatically reload.
Zed - Fast, lightweight editor with excellent Rust and TypeScript support Project settings are available in .zed/settings.json - only modify if you need to update specific configurations.

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WebStorm

WebStorm - Full-featured IDE with comprehensive tooling (memory intensive)

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VS Code

VS Code - Popular editor with extensive extensions
  • Svelte for VS Code - Syntax highlighting and IntelliSense for Svelte
  • Tauri - Tauri framework support
  • rust-analyzer - Rust language support
  • Tailwind CSS IntelliSense - Tailwind CSS class name completion
  • Prettier - Code formatter

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Development Tools

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Database Tools

  • Drizzle Studio - Visual database explorer (coming soon)
  • DB Browser for SQLite - View and edit SQLite databases

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Debugging Tools

  • Browser DevTools - Built into the Tauri webview
  • Rust LLDB - Debug Rust backend code
  • Console - macOS Console app for system logs

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Troubleshooting

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Build Failures

If you encounter build errors: 
# Clean and rebuild
rm -rf node_modules .svelte-kit build
pnpm install
pnpm tauri:build

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Database Issues

If you have database migration problems: 
# Regenerate migrations
pnpm db:generate

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Tauri Build Issues

Check your Tauri setup: 
pnpm tauri info
This will display your environment configuration and identify any missing dependencies.

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Apple Container CLI Issues

If the Apple Container CLI download fails:
  1. Check your internet connection
  2. Verify you’re on macOS 26.0+
  3. Try downloading manually from the Apple Developer portal
  4. Run the download script again: ./scripts/download-apple-container-cli.sh

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Next Steps

Now that your development environment is set up:
  1. Review the Project Structure to understand the codebase
  2. Check out the Available Scripts for development commands
  3. Read the Contributing Guide for coding standards and workflow

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Common Development Commands

# Start development server
pnpm tauri dev

# Run type checking
pnpm check

# Format code
pnpm format

# Lint code
pnpm lint

# Generate database migrations
pnpm db:generate

# Build for production
pnpm tauri:build

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Getting Help

If you encounter any issues during setup:

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