building-tauri-with-github-actions

Building Tauri Apps with GitHub Actions

This skill covers CI/CD pipeline configuration for Tauri applications using GitHub Actions and the official tauri-apps/tauri-action.

Overview

GitHub Actions enables automated building, testing, and releasing of Tauri applications across Windows, macOS, and Linux platforms. The tauri-action handles the complexity of cross-platform builds and release management.

Workflow Triggers

Push to Release Branch

name: 'publish'
on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    branches:
      - release

Tag-Based Releases

name: 'publish'
on:
  push:
    tags:
      - 'app-v*'

Platform Matrix Configuration

Standard Multi-Platform Matrix

jobs:
  publish-tauri:
    permissions:
      contents: write
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        include:
          - platform: 'macos-latest'
            args: '--target aarch64-apple-darwin'
          - platform: 'macos-latest'
            args: '--target x86_64-apple-darwin'
          - platform: 'ubuntu-22.04'
            args: ''
          - platform: 'windows-latest'
            args: ''

    runs-on: ${{ matrix.platform }}

With ARM Linux Support (Public Repos Only)

Add ubuntu-22.04-arm to the matrix for native ARM64 Linux builds (public repositories only).

Complete Workflow Example

name: 'publish'

on:
  workflow_dispatch:
  push:
    branches:
      - release

jobs:
  publish-tauri:
    permissions:
      contents: write
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        include:
          - platform: 'macos-latest'
            args: '--target aarch64-apple-darwin'
          - platform: 'macos-latest'
            args: '--target x86_64-apple-darwin'
          - platform: 'ubuntu-22.04'
            args: ''
          - platform: 'windows-latest'
            args: ''

    runs-on: ${{ matrix.platform }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install dependencies (Ubuntu only)
        if: matrix.platform == 'ubuntu-22.04'
        run: |
          sudo apt-get update
          sudo apt-get install -y libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: lts/*
          cache: 'npm'

      - name: Setup Rust toolchain
        uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
        with:
          targets: ${{ matrix.platform == 'macos-latest' && 'aarch64-apple-darwin,x86_64-apple-darwin' || '' }}

      - name: Rust cache
        uses: swatinem/rust-cache@v2
        with:
          workspaces: './src-tauri -> target'

      - name: Install frontend dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Build and release
        uses: tauri-apps/tauri-action@v0
        env:
          GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
        with:
          tagName: app-v__VERSION__
          releaseName: 'App v__VERSION__'
          releaseBody: 'See the assets to download this version and install.'
          releaseDraft: true
          prerelease: false
          args: ${{ matrix.args }}

Package Manager Variants

pnpm

- name: Setup pnpm
  uses: pnpm/action-setup@v4
  with:
    version: latest

- name: Setup Node.js
  uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: lts/*
    cache: 'pnpm'

- name: Install frontend dependencies
  run: pnpm install

Yarn

- name: Setup Node.js
  uses: actions/setup-node@v4
  with:
    node-version: lts/*
    cache: 'yarn'

- name: Install frontend dependencies
  run: yarn install --frozen-lockfile

Caching Strategies

Rust Artifact Caching

- name: Rust cache
  uses: swatinem/rust-cache@v2
  with:
    workspaces: './src-tauri -> target'

Node.js Dependency Caching

Configure via the cache parameter in actions/setup-node@v4: 'npm', 'yarn', or 'pnpm'.

Linux Dependencies

Ubuntu requires WebKit and related libraries:

- name: Install dependencies (Ubuntu only)
  if: matrix.platform == 'ubuntu-22.04'
  run: |
    sudo apt-get update
    sudo apt-get install -y libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf

Release Automation

tauri-action Configuration

- uses: tauri-apps/tauri-action@v0
  env:
    GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
  with:
    tagName: app-v__VERSION__
    releaseName: 'App v__VERSION__'
    releaseBody: 'See the assets to download this version and install.'
    releaseDraft: true
    prerelease: false
    args: ${{ matrix.args }}

Version Placeholders

The action automatically replaces __VERSION__ with the app version from tauri.conf.json.

Release Options

Option	Description
tagName	Git tag for the release (supports __VERSION__ placeholder)
releaseName	Display name for the release
releaseBody	Release notes content
releaseDraft	Create as draft release (true/false)
prerelease	Mark as prerelease (true/false)

Artifact Uploads

Upload Build Artifacts Without Release

- name: Build Tauri app
  uses: tauri-apps/tauri-action@v0
  env:
    GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
  id: tauri

- name: Upload artifacts
  uses: actions/upload-artifact@v4
  with:
    name: tauri-build-${{ matrix.platform }}
    path: src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

GitHub Token Configuration

The GITHUB_TOKEN requires write permissions for release creation.

Repository Settings

1. Go to Settings > Actions > General
2. Under "Workflow permissions"
3. Select "Read and write permissions"
4. Save

Workflow Permissions

jobs:
  publish-tauri:
    permissions:
      contents: write

Non-Root Project Configuration

For projects where Tauri is not at the repository root:

- uses: tauri-apps/tauri-action@v0
  env:
    GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
  with:
    projectPath: './apps/desktop'
    tagName: app-v__VERSION__
    releaseName: 'App v__VERSION__'

ARM Build Emulation (Alternative)

For ARM builds in private repositories or when native ARM runners are unavailable:

jobs:
  build-arm:
    runs-on: ubuntu-latest
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Build ARM64
        uses: pguyot/[email protected]
        with:
          base_image: dietpi:rpi_armv8_bullseye
          commands: |
            apt-get update
            apt-get install -y curl build-essential libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf
            curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y
            source $HOME/.cargo/env
            curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_lts.x | bash -
            apt-get install -y nodejs
            npm ci
            npm run tauri build

Note: ARM emulation builds take approximately one hour for fresh projects.

Code Signing Integration

macOS Signing Environment Variables

- uses: tauri-apps/tauri-action@v0
  env:
    GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    APPLE_CERTIFICATE: ${{ secrets.APPLE_CERTIFICATE }}
    APPLE_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.APPLE_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD }}
    APPLE_SIGNING_IDENTITY: ${{ secrets.APPLE_SIGNING_IDENTITY }}
    APPLE_ID: ${{ secrets.APPLE_ID }}
    APPLE_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.APPLE_PASSWORD }}
    APPLE_TEAM_ID: ${{ secrets.APPLE_TEAM_ID }}

Windows Signing Environment Variables

- uses: tauri-apps/tauri-action@v0
  env:
    GITHUB_TOKEN: ${{ secrets.GITHUB_TOKEN }}
    TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY: ${{ secrets.TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY }}
    TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD: ${{ secrets.TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD }}

CI-Only Workflow (No Release)

For pull request validation without creating releases:

name: 'CI Build'

on:
  pull_request:
    branches:
      - main

jobs:
  build:
    strategy:
      fail-fast: false
      matrix:
        include:
          - platform: 'macos-latest'
            args: '--target aarch64-apple-darwin'
          - platform: 'ubuntu-22.04'
            args: ''
          - platform: 'windows-latest'
            args: ''

    runs-on: ${{ matrix.platform }}
    steps:
      - uses: actions/checkout@v4

      - name: Install dependencies (Ubuntu only)
        if: matrix.platform == 'ubuntu-22.04'
        run: |
          sudo apt-get update
          sudo apt-get install -y libwebkit2gtk-4.1-dev libappindicator3-dev librsvg2-dev patchelf

      - name: Setup Node.js
        uses: actions/setup-node@v4
        with:
          node-version: lts/*
          cache: 'npm'

      - name: Setup Rust toolchain
        uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
        with:
          targets: ${{ matrix.platform == 'macos-latest' && 'aarch64-apple-darwin,x86_64-apple-darwin' || '' }}

      - name: Rust cache
        uses: swatinem/rust-cache@v2
        with:
          workspaces: './src-tauri -> target'

      - name: Install frontend dependencies
        run: npm ci

      - name: Build Tauri app
        run: npm run tauri build -- ${{ matrix.args }}

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied for Release Creation

Ensure workflow has write permissions and verify repository settings allow Actions to create releases:

jobs:
  publish-tauri:
    permissions:
      contents: write

Linux Build Failures

Verify all dependencies are installed with the Ubuntu dependency installation step.

macOS Target Not Found

Ensure Rust targets are installed for cross-compilation:

- uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
  with:
    targets: 'aarch64-apple-darwin,x86_64-apple-darwin'

Cache Not Working

Verify the workspace path matches your project structure:

- uses: swatinem/rust-cache@v2
  with:
    workspaces: './src-tauri -> target'