Supersedes the PyInstaller tarball approach from PR #15. PyInstaller
never made it past iteration — even with CPU-only torch + strip +
optimize, the Linux .deb and Windows MSI both overshot GH Releases'
2 GB per-asset cap. Trying to keep it under the cap also meant CUDA
was off the table for users who did have a GPU.
Switch to the bootstrap pattern Unsloth uses:
- Installer ships the Tauri shell + frontend dist + repo's
pyproject.toml + uv.lock + backend/ source tree as Tauri resources.
DMG is 8.9 MB (verified locally). MSI / .deb should be similar.
- On first launch, src-tauri/src/lib.rs::ensure_venv_ready() downloads
the standalone `uv` binary (if not already on PATH), copies the
bundled pyproject.toml + uv.lock + backend/ into
`app_local_data_dir/project`, then runs `uv venv --python 3.11`
+ `uv sync --frozen --no-dev`. Subsequent launches skip.
- spawn_backend launches `{venv_python} -m uvicorn main:app
--app-dir {project/backend}` — no more PyInstaller binary.
- Dev mode still wins: if `.venv` at the source tree exists, reuse it
(matches `bun run dev` behaviour).
Release workflow drops: Setup Python, Install uv, CPU-torch reinstall,
PyInstaller freeze, backend tarball package, and backend tarball upload
steps. CI now just builds Rust + bundles resources; the heavy deps
install happens once on each user's machine.
User impact:
- Tiny installer → instant download + install (no 300–700 MB tarball).
- First launch: ~5–10 min setup while uv materialises the venv. This
happens behind the initial webview splash; subsequent launches are
normal.
- Users get the right torch wheel for their box — CPU by default,
CUDA if they already have the drivers (uv resolves from pyproject).
- Updates: bumping deps = bump uv.lock + ship a new installer; no
PyInstaller rebuild needed.
Known follow-ups:
- Progress UI during first-run bootstrap (React splash polling a
Tauri command). Right now the webview stays on the loading screen.
- Retry / repair flow if bootstrap fails (network drop, etc.).
Co-authored-by: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
