Contributing and development

Application changes belong in devemit/sylvops. Documentation-client changes belong in devemit/sylvops-docs.

Build requirements

Install:

• Git;
• stable Rust 1.88 or newer;
• the platform C development toolchain;
• Visual C++ Build Tools and Windows SDK for standard Windows builds.

Clone and build the application:

git clone https://github.com/devemit/sylvops.git
cd sylvops
cargo build --locked -p sylvops-cli

Quality commands

Run all three before opening an application pull request:

cargo fmt --all -- --check
cargo clippy --workspace --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings
cargo test --workspace --all-targets

Process-tree and local-transport behavior requires Windows and Unix coverage. Default tests use fake providers and must not require a real account.

Crate responsibilities

Crate	Responsibility
sylvops-core	Domain types, IDs and paths, configuration, provider contracts, status, and versioned IPC
sylvops-daemon	Authoritative state, SQLite, IPC, PTYs, processes, Git, providers, hooks, recovery, and audit events
sylvops-desktop	Replaceable Iced rendering and input routing
sylvops-tui	Replaceable Ratatui/Crossterm client
sylvops-cli	Executable, daemon lifecycle, desktop/TUI entry points, and non-interactive commands
sylvops-test-support	Temporary repositories, fake executables, PTY/IPC fixtures, waits, and cleanup

Run a development build with isolated state

The global --state-dir option keeps a source build separate from an installed SylvOps copy.

PowerShell:

$state = Join-Path $env:TEMP "sylvops-dev-$PID"
cargo run -p sylvops-cli -- --state-dir $state up .

macOS or Linux:

state_dir="$(mktemp -d)"
cargo run -p sylvops-cli -- --state-dir "$state_dir" up .

Use a disposable Git repository when testing worktree creation or removal. Stop the isolated daemon before deleting its temporary state.

Package locally

Repository-owned entry points include:

powershell -File scripts/package-windows.ps1
powershell -File scripts/package-windows-preview.ps1
./scripts/package-linux.sh
./scripts/package-macos.sh --target <TARGET> --architecture <ARCH> --signing-identity -

Platform-native package tests and protected signing requirements are described in the application's development documentation. Do not weaken or bypass release workflows.

Develop this documentation site

git clone https://github.com/devemit/sylvops-docs.git
cd sylvops-docs
npm ci
npm run dev

Before a documentation pull request:

npm run format:check
npm run build

Update release details in docs/.vitepress/data/release.ts so versions, assets, links, and commands stay consistent.

Pull-request expectations

• Keep application behavior and documentation-client changes in their respective repositories.
• Explain the user-facing outcome and source-of-truth files reviewed.
• Include verification commands and relevant desktop/mobile screenshots.
• Do not describe planned behavior as current.
• Do not include credentials, provider output, repository secrets, or unredacted diagnostic logs.
• Keep commits focused and use a concise conventional commit message.