Dev Launcher

What we added

Recent improvements in this launcher

This Home page tracks the latest practical updates so the team can see what changed at a glance.

Workflow

Project root selection controls

The top bar now includes Select Project and Use Launcher Project so you can switch roots without moving files.

Security

Protected OS path blocking

Project selection now blocks system directories and shows a formal policy notice. Blocked attempts are audited and reported to the renderer.

Startup

Home-first startup path

Home renders immediately and project loading runs in the background, so the interface becomes usable before heavy checks finish.

Build

Build V8 + WSL resilience

Added V8 build command support and improved Linux WSL build fallback behavior when package install steps fail on first attempt.

Features

Everything you need to run your project

No setup required for project-local use. You can also temporarily switch to another project root from the top bar.

Auto Project Detection

Reads package.json and automatically identifies Expo, React Native, Electron, Next.js, Vite, or plain npm projects.

One-Click Commands

Pre-built groups for Expo Metro, Gradle Android, ADB, Electron Builder, and your own npm scripts — organized in a clean left panel.

Full Terminal Output

Streams stdout and stderr in real time with ANSI color. All output is captured — nothing is dropped or lost between process end and display.

Portable Single EXE

No installer, no registry. Copy dev-launcher.exe into the target project folder and it works immediately with project-aware command groups.

Command Group Generator

Builds command groups directly from detected project type and deduplicated npm scripts, so each project gets a focused run panel by default.

Process Tree Kill

Kill terminates the entire process tree via taskkill /f /t, including all child processes spawned by Gradle, Metro, or webpack.

How it works

Start fast, switch roots when needed

Use launcher-root mode by default, or select another project folder from the header controls.

1

Launch in your project (default mode)

Place dev-launcher.exe next to package.json and open it. Home appears quickly while project data loads in the background.

2

Optional: select another project root

Use Select Project in the top bar to switch roots, or Use Launcher Project to return. Protected OS folders are blocked by policy.

3

Click a command button

Commands are grouped by category in the left panel. Click any button to run it and monitor output live in the right terminal panel.

Compatibility

Supported project types

Detected from dependency and script signals in package.json, then rendered as ready-to-run command groups.

Expo / React Native

expo start · run:android · prebuild

Android / Gradle

installDebug · assembleRelease · clean

React Native (Bare)

Metro bundler + Android Gradle

Electron

build · build-win · build-nsis · dist

Next.js

dev · build · start · lint

Vite

dev · build · preview

NPM Scripts

All scripts from package.json (deduped)

ADB (Android Debug Bridge)

devices · logcat · reverse tcp:8081

Security

Secure by design

Dev Launcher enforces layered controls across renderer, preload, and main process, including restricted project-root policy for protected OS directories.

Path policy Protected OS folders blocked

Execution gate Allowlisted commands only

External URL HTTPS + host allowlist

Audit trail Security events logged

Secrets in log Redacted by design

Context Isolation — Enabled

The renderer runs in a fully isolated JavaScript context. It cannot access Node.js APIs or the Electron main process directly, preventing privilege escalation.

Node Integration — Disabled

nodeIntegration: false prevents renderer-side code from requiring Node modules, eliminating a major XSS attack surface in Electron apps.

Business Logic Stays in Main Process

Project detection, command building, and process spawning all run in the Node.js main process. The renderer receives processed display data and never calls process spawn APIs directly.

Narrow IPC via contextBridge

All communication between renderer and main process goes through preload.js APIs. Project-root selection channels are explicit and policy-checked in the main process.

Constrained External Access + Audit

External URL opens require HTTPS and allowlisted hosts. Blocked open attempts are denied and logged for review in local audit logs.

Strict CSP + No Inline JS/CSS in Shell

The launcher shell runs with strict Content Security Policy and avoids inline handlers/styles, reducing script injection exposure in the UI host page.

Request Guard + Popup/Navigation Blocking

Renderer popups are denied, non-file navigations are blocked, and production request guard rejects unauthorized external requests. Permission prompts are denied by default.

Controlled Process Spawn Policy

Commands are normalized and compared against allowlisted command keys; shell mode is minimized and enabled only for command forms that require it.

Build-time Credential Hygiene

Before build-like commands run, saved R2 secure config is cleared to avoid stale credential carry-over into packaging workflows.