# Building RustDesk for macOS (Jerry's MacBook Air, Apple Silicon)

This is a fork of [rustdesk/rustdesk](https://github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk) v1.4.7,
patched to build against current macOS tooling (Xcode 26.5, Flutter 3.44, Dart 3.12).

Last verified build: **2026-06-08**, RustDesk 1.4.7 (arm64), dmg size 27MB.

---

## TL;DR (already-done state)

If this Mac still has everything set up, you can re-build with:

```bash
cd ~/rustdesk-master2
export VCPKG_ROOT=~/vcpkg PATH="$VCPKG_ROOT:$PATH" \
       LIBCLANG_PATH=/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/lib/libclang.dylib
cargo build --release --features flutter
flutter build macos --release
./res/post-build-mac.sh           # re-sign, install to /Applications, create dmg
open /Applications/RustDesk.app
```

---

## 1. One-time environment setup (if starting fresh)

### 1.1. Xcode (App Store)

- Install full **Xcode 26.5** from App Store. CommandLineTools alone is not enough —
  Flutter's `xcodebuild` and `pod install` need the full Xcode.
- After install:
  ```bash
  sudo xcode-select -s /Applications/Xcode.app/Contents/Developer
  sudo xcodebuild -license accept
  sudo xcodebuild -runFirstLaunch    # installs CoreSimulator.framework etc.
  ```

### 1.2. VCPKG (C++ deps: libvpx, libyuv, opus, aom)

```bash
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg ~/vcpkg
cd ~/vcpkg && ./bootstrap-vcpkg.sh
vcpkg install --triplet=arm64-osx libvpx libyuv opus aom
```

Add to `~/.zshrc`:
```sh
export VCPKG_ROOT="$HOME/vcpkg"
export PATH="$VCPKG_ROOT:$PATH"
```

### 1.3. Flutter 3.44+

Download from https://docs.flutter.dev/get-started/install/macos, then:
```sh
export FLUTTER_ROOT="$HOME/flutter"
export PATH="$FLUTTER_ROOT/bin:$PATH"
flutter doctor    # should show green checkmarks for Xcode and Chrome
```

### 1.4. CocoaPods (needed by Flutter macOS plugins)

```bash
brew install cocoapods
```

**Note:** On this Mac `homebrew` is **x86_64** (prefix `/usr/local`), not arm64 native. Most
things work but see the libclang note below.

### 1.5. flutter_rust_bridge_codegen 1.80.1

```bash
cargo install flutter_rust_bridge_codegen --version 1.80.1 --features uuid --locked
```

---

## 2. Project-specific patches (all in git, see `git log`)

### 2.1. `flutter/pubspec.yaml`

```yaml
  extended_text: ^15.0.2            # was 14.0.0; old missing SelectionHandler methods

dependency_overrides:
  google_fonts: 5.0.0                # 6.x breaks with const Map<FontWeight, ...>
```

### 2.2. `flutter/lib/generated_bridge.dart` (codegen output, 2 fixes)

After running `flutter_rust_bridge_codegen` (see step 3), patch:
- `asTypedList(raw.length).setAll(0, raw)` → `cast<ffi.Int32>().asTypedList(...)` and `cast<ffi.Uint8>()` in `api2wire_int_32_list` / `api2wire_uint_8_list`
- `typedef DartPort = ffi.Int;` → `typedef DartPort = ffi.Int64;`

### 2.3. `flutter/lib/common.dart` (4 call sites)

- `DialogTheme(` → `DialogThemeData(`
- `const TabBarTheme(` → `TabBarThemeData(`

### 2.4. `flutter/macos/Runner/Configs/Release.xcconfig`

```xcconfig
EXCLUDED_ARCHS[sdk=macosx*] = x86_64
```

Without this, release builds fail because Xcode 26.5's `ARCHS_STANDARD` includes x86_64
but our Rust dylib is arm64-only.

### 2.5. `~/.pub-cache/.../google_fonts-5.0.0/lib/src/google_fonts_variant.dart`

Dart 3.12 rejects `const Map<FontWeight, String>{...}`. Change `const` to `final` on
`_fontWeightToFilenameWeightParts`. **This patch is in the global pub cache and will
be wiped by `flutter pub cache clean`.** To make it permanent, copy the patched file into
`./local_google_fonts/` and use `dependency_overrides: google_fonts: { path: ... }`.

---

## 3. Build steps (from a clean checkout)

```bash
cd ~/rustdesk-master2

# 3.1. Pull hbb_common submodule (only matters if you switch to submodule setup;
#      we currently have it tracked as a regular directory, see [[git-remote-cardsoon]])
# git submodule update --init --recursive

# 3.2. Environment
export VCPKG_ROOT=~/vcpkg
export PATH="$VCPKG_ROOT:$PATH"
export LIBCLANG_PATH="/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/lib/libclang.dylib"
# ^^^ must be the Xcode CLT one (arm64-compatible), NOT /usr/local/opt/llvm/

# 3.3. Flutter pub get
cd flutter && flutter pub get && cd ..

# 3.4. Generate FFI bindings (Flutter <-> Rust)
flutter_rust_bridge_codegen --rust-input ./src/flutter_ffi.rs \
  --dart-output ./flutter/lib/generated_bridge.dart \
  --c-output ./flutter/macos/Runner/bridge_generated.h \
  --llvm-path /Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/
# Then apply the 2 hand-patches in 2.2 above.

# 3.5. Rust release build
cargo build --release --features flutter

# 3.6. Flutter macOS app build
flutter build macos --release

# 3.7. Re-sign, install, package
./res/post-build-mac.sh
```

---

## 4. Critical gotchas (learned the hard way)

### 4.1. Re-sign after every build

`flutter build macos` produces an `.app` that **does not launch on macOS 26.5**.
The main executable and the embedded Flutter plugin frameworks end up with
**different ad-hoc Team IDs**, and macOS's strict dyld refuses the mismatch.

**Always run** after every `flutter build macos`:
```bash
codesign --force --deep -s - path/to/RustDesk.app
```

The `res/post-build-mac.sh` script does this for you. The `--deep` flag is
essential so that all framework bundles inside the .app get re-signed together.

### 4.2. Use hdiutil for .dmg, not create-dmg

`create-dmg` (the official RustDesk build tool) depends on Node's `macos-alias`
native module, which is x86_64-built and won't load on this arm64 Mac.
`npm rebuild` also fails because `macos-alias` uses the outdated `nan@2` N-API
shim that's incompatible with Node 18+.

Use `hdiutil` instead (see `res/post-build-mac.sh`).

### 4.3. libclang must be arm64

For `flutter_rust_bridge_codegen` to work, `libclang.dylib` must be loadable.
The Homebrew one at `/usr/local/opt/llvm/lib/libclang.dylib` is **x86_64**.
The Xcode CLT one at `/Library/Developer/CommandLineTools/usr/lib/libclang.dylib`
is **universal** (arm64 + x86_64). Use the latter.

### 4.4. EXCLUDED_ARCHS for release

Xcode 26.5's default `ARCHS_STANDARD` includes x86_64, but our Rust dylib
is arm64-only. Set `EXCLUDED_ARCHS[sdk=macosx*] = x86_64` in `Release.xcconfig`,
or build a universal dylib with `lipo`.

### 4.5. Debug config doesn't need EXCLUDED_ARCHS

`flutter build macos --debug` works without the EXCLUDED_ARCHS hack because
debug builds use `ONLY_ACTIVE_ARCH=YES` which only targets the host arch.

---

## 5. What you get

After `res/post-build-mac.sh`:

| File | Location | Size |
|------|----------|------|
| Release `.app` | `flutter/build/macos/Build/Products/Release/RustDesk.app` | 57 MB |
| Installed `.app` | `/Applications/RustDesk.app` | 57 MB |
| `.dmg` installer | `rustdesk-1.4.7-arm64.dmg` | 27 MB |
| Rust lib | `target/release/liblibrustdesk.dylib` | 22.6 MB |

Bundle ID: `com.carriez.rustdesk` (NOT the official `com.rustdesk.client` —
change in `flutter/macos/Runner/Configs/AppInfo.xcconfig` if needed).

Architecture: **arm64 only**. For Intel Mac support, build a universal
dylib with `lipo` and drop the EXCLUDED_ARCHS hack.

---

## 6. First-launch permissions

When you launch the app for the first time, macOS will prompt for:

- **Screen Recording** (System Settings → Privacy & Security → Screen Recording) —
  needed to capture the screen when you are being controlled
- **Microphone** — for audio forwarding
- **Accessibility** — for keyboard/mouse input forwarding

Grant these or the corresponding features won't work.

---

## 7. NOT covered here (out of scope)

- iOS / Android builds (different toolchains)
- Apple notarization (would need an Apple Developer ID account)
- Self-hosted rendezvous/relay server (use public `rs-ny.rustdesk.com` for now)
- Universal binary (arm64 + x86_64)
- Code signing with a real developer certificate