Desktop App

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Overview

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Tech Stack

• Framework: Electron 40.2.1
• Frontend: Svelte 5.50.0 with TypeScript 5.9.3
• Styling: Tailwind CSS 4.1.18
• Video Player: HLS.js 1.6.15 for adaptive streaming
• Build Tool: Vite 7.3.1 + electron-builder 26.7.0
• Database: Supabase (PostgreSQL) + Convex
• Bundled Server: Go HLS transcoding server (see Server documentation)

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Key Dependencies

{
  "@supabase/supabase-js": "^2.95.3",
  "@ryuziii/discord-rpc": "^1.0.1-rc.1",
  "chromecast-api": "^0.4.2",
  "electron-updater": "^6.7.3",
  "hls.js": "^1.6.15",
  "lucide-svelte": "^0.563.0",
  "posthog-js": "^1.342.1"
}

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Supported Platforms

Raffi-Setup-0.7.0.exe

Raffi-0.7.0.msi

Raffi-0.7.0.dmg

Raffi-0.7.0.zip

sudo dpkg -i Raffi-0.7.0-amd64.deb

# If dependencies are missing
sudo apt-get install -f

sudo rpm -i Raffi-0.7.0-x86_64.rpm

# Or with dnf
sudo dnf install ./Raffi-0.7.0-x86_64.rpm

chmod +x Raffi-0.7.0.AppImage
./Raffi-0.7.0.AppImage

# Optional: Integrate with system
./Raffi-0.7.0.AppImage --appimage-extract
# Then move to /opt or ~/.local

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt-get install libgtk-3-0 libnotify4 libnss3 libxss1 \
  libxtst6 xdg-utils libatspi2.0-0 libdrm2 libgbm1

# Fedora
sudo dnf install gtk3 libnotify nss libXScrnSaver libXtst xdg-utils

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Features

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Media Playback

• HLS.js Player: Adaptive bitrate streaming with quality selection
• Multiple Audio Tracks: Switch between audio streams
• Subtitle Support: SRT and VTT formats with delay adjustment
• Picture-in-Picture: Native PiP mode
• Fullscreen: Seamless fullscreen experience
• Custom Seek Bar: Configurable styles and time-remaining display

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Watch Together

• Real-time Synchronization: WebSocket-based state management via Supabase
• Host Controls: Host can control playback for all participants
• Presence Indicators: See who’s watching with you
• Chat Integration: Built-in messaging during watch parties
• Automatic Reconnection: Handles network interruptions gracefully

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Discord Integration

• Rich Presence: Show what you’re watching on Discord
• Custom Status: Displays movie/show title, episode info, and timestamp
• Auto-connect: Automatically connects when Discord is running
• Graceful Fallback: Silent failure when Discord isn’t available

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Stremio Addon Ecosystem

• Full Compatibility: Works with any Stremio addon
• Multi-source Aggregation: Combine streams from multiple addons
• Torrent/Magnet Support: Direct torrent streaming via bundled server
• Addon Management: Easy installation and configuration
• Community Addons: Access to extensive addon library

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Local Media

• File Playback: Open local video files directly
• Supported Formats: MP4, MKV, AVI, WebM, MOV
• File Associations: Double-click video files to open in Raffi
• Drag and Drop: Drop files into the app window
• Library Scanning: Automatic media library organization

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Chromecast Support

• Device Discovery: Automatic Chromecast detection on network
• Remote Playback: Cast to TV or Chromecast devices
• Media Router: Chromium’s built-in Cast support
• Bootstrap Service: Custom casting implementation

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Auto-updates

• Background Updates: electron-updater 6.7.3
• GitHub Releases: Updates published via GitHub
• Silent Installation: Automatic restart on update
• Update Notifications: Optional user prompts

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Development

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Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+ or Bun 1.0+
• Go 1.25+ (for building the server)
• Git
• Platform-specific:
  • Windows: GCC (via MinGW or MSYS2)
  • macOS: Xcode Command Line Tools
  • Linux: build-essential, gcc

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Setup

cd raffi-desktop

# Install dependencies (using Bun)
bun install

# Or with npm
npm install

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Development Scripts

# Build server + start Electron with hot reload
bun run electron:dev

# Or just start Electron (if server already built)
bun run electron:dev:only

1. npm run server:build - Compiles the Go server binary
2. npm run dev - Starts Vite dev server on http://localhost:5173
3. Waits for Vite to be ready
4. Launches Electron with ELECTRON_DISABLE_SANDBOX=1

# Build all platforms (current OS)
bun run dist

# Windows only
bun run dist -- --win

# macOS only
bun run dist -- --mac

# Linux only
bun run dist -- --linux

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Project Structure

raffi-desktop/
├── electron/
│   ├── main.cjs              # Electron main process
│   ├── services/
│   │   ├── decoder.cjs       # Server binary management
│   │   ├── castBootstrap.cjs # Chromecast setup
│   │   ├── castSender.cjs    # Cast sender service
│   │   ├── rpc.cjs           # Discord RPC handlers
│   │   ├── window.cjs        # Window management
│   │   ├── protocol.cjs      # Deep link handling
│   │   ├── mediaScan.cjs     # Library scanning
│   │   ├── ffmpeg.cjs        # FFmpeg integration
│   │   ├── logging.cjs       # Logging service
│   │   └── mainIpc.cjs       # IPC handlers
│   └── decoder-*             # Compiled server binaries (generated)
├── src/                      # Svelte frontend
│   ├── App.svelte
│   ├── components/
│   ├── lib/
│   └── main.ts
├── build/
│   └── icons/                # App icons for each platform
├── package.json              # App config + electron-builder settings
├── build_binary.cjs          # Server build script
└── vite.config.ts            # Vite configuration

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Configuration

const MIN_ZOOM = 0.65;
const MAX_ZOOM = 1.0;
const WIDTH_THRESHOLD = 1600;
const DEFAULT_WINDOW_WIDTH = 1778;
const DEFAULT_WINDOW_HEIGHT = 1000;

• App ID: al.kaleid.raffi
• Product Name: Raffi
• Output Directory: release/
• ASAR: Enabled (with unpack for native modules)
• Auto-updater: GitHub releases

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Building from Source

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Build Server Binary

node build_binary.cjs

• Windows: decoder-windows-amd64.exe
• Linux: decoder-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu
• macOS: decoder-aarch64-apple-darwin or decoder-x86_64-apple-darwin

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Build Application

# Complete build pipeline
bun run dist

1. Server binary (via build_binary.cjs)
2. Frontend (via vite build)
3. Electron app (via electron-builder)

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Platform-Specific Builds

# Build for Windows from Linux (requires wine)
docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/project electronuserland/builder:wine \
  /bin/bash -c "cd /project/raffi-desktop && npm run dist -- --win"

# Build for macOS (requires macOS or CI)
bun run dist -- --mac

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Limitations

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Windows

• Requires Windows 10 or later (Electron 40 limitation)
• Some antivirus software may flag the bundled server binary
• Windows Defender may require approval for network access

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macOS

• App is unsigned (requires manual approval on first launch)
• Gatekeeper may block execution (use xattr -cr workaround)
• Notarization not configured (prevents automatic installation)

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Linux

• AppImage may have sandbox issues on some distributions
• Protocol handlers require manual registration on some DEs
• Hardware acceleration varies by GPU drivers

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General

• Single Instance: Only one Raffi window can run at a time
• Memory Usage: Large media libraries may consume significant RAM
• Server Port: Requires port 6969 available for local server
• Network Access: Firewall must allow connections for torrents

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Troubleshooting

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App won’t start

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Raffi\logs\
• macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Raffi/
• Linux: ~/.config/Raffi/logs/

• Port 6969 already in use (check for existing instances)
• Missing GPU drivers (disable hardware acceleration)
• Corrupt cache (delete app data directory)

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Server not starting

# Manually test the server binary
cd raffi-desktop/electron
./decoder-windows-amd64.exe  # Windows
./decoder-x86_64-apple-darwin  # macOS Intel
./decoder-aarch64-apple-darwin  # macOS Apple Silicon
./decoder-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu  # Linux

# Check port 6969
netstat -an | grep 6969

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Discord RPC not working

• Discord must be running before launching Raffi
• Discord IPC errors are logged but don’t crash the app
• Check logs for “Discord IPC connect failure” messages

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Build errors

• Ensure Go 1.25+ is installed: go version
• Check GCC is available: gcc --version (Windows/Linux)
• Clean build: rm electron/decoder-* && node build_binary.cjs

• Clear node_modules: rm -rf node_modules && bun install
• Check electron-builder logs in release/
• Ensure all binaries exist in electron/ directory

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Next Steps

• Mobile App - Companion app for iOS and Android
• Streaming Server - Details about the Go HLS server
• Learn about Stremio Addons compatibility