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 Go to Settings > Actions > General Under "Workflow permissions" Select "Read and write permissions" 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/arm-runner-action@v2.6.5
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'