Tauri Chat App

A simple, standalone macOS chat application built with Tauri 2.0, React 19.1.0, and Ollama integration for local AI conversations.

Features

• 🤖 Local AI Chat: Integrates with Ollama's gemma3n:latest model
• 💾 Offline Storage: SQLite database for chat history
• 🔄 Real-time Status: Shows Ollama connection status
• 📱 Clean UI: Built with React and Tailwind CSS
• 🚀 Fast & Lightweight: Native Tauri app (~10-20MB)

Prerequisites

1. Ollama: Install Ollama and download the gemma3n model

   # Install Ollama (if not already installed)
   curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh
   
   # Download and run the gemma3n model
   ollama run gemma3n:latest

2. Node.js & pnpm: Install Node.js (18+) and pnpm

   # Install pnpm if not already installed
   npm install -g pnpm

3. Rust: Install Rust (required for Tauri)

   curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Setup Instructions

1. Clone and navigate to the project:

   cd tauri-chat-app

2. Install dependencies:

   pnpm install

3. Start Ollama server (in a separate terminal):

   ollama run gemma3n:latest

   Keep this terminal open while using the app.

4. Run the development server:

   pnpm tauri:dev

Building for Production

# Build the app
pnpm tauri:build

# The built app will be in src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

Usage

1. Start Ollama: Run ollama run gemma3n:latest in a terminal
2. Launch the app: Run pnpm tauri:dev
3. Create conversation: Click "New Conversation" in the sidebar
4. Start chatting: Type your message and press Enter or click Send
5. View history: Click on previous conversations in the sidebar

Project Structure

tauri-chat-app/
├── src/                    # React frontend
│   ├── components/         # React components
│   │   ├── ChatWindow.tsx  # Chat interface
│   │   ├── HistorySidebar.tsx  # Conversation history
│   │   └── StatusBar.tsx   # Ollama status indicator
│   ├── App.tsx             # Main app component
│   ├── types.ts            # TypeScript interfaces
│   └── main.tsx            # Entry point
├── src-tauri/              # Rust backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── main.rs         # Tauri commands
│   │   ├── db.rs           # SQLite operations
│   │   └── ollama.rs       # Ollama API integration
│   └── Cargo.toml          # Rust dependencies
├── package.json            # Node.js dependencies
└── README.md               # This file

Database Location

The SQLite database is stored at:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/com.example.chat/chat.db

Troubleshooting

"Ollama not running" error

• Make sure you've run ollama run gemma3n:latest in a terminal
• Check that Ollama is accessible at http://localhost:11434
• Verify the gemma3n model is downloaded: ollama list

Build errors

• Ensure Rust is installed: rustc --version
• Update Rust: rustup update
• Clear cache: pnpm clean (if available) or delete node_modules and reinstall

Database errors

• Check file permissions in the Application Support directory
• The app will create the database automatically on first run

Tech Stack

• Frontend: React 19.1.0 + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS
• Backend: Tauri 2.0 + Rust
• AI: Ollama 0.9.5 with gemma3n:latest (4B Q4_0 model)
• Database: SQLite with rusqlite
• Build Tool: Vite
• Package Manager: pnpm

Development

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Start development server
pnpm tauri:dev

# Build for production
pnpm tauri:build

# Type checking
pnpm tsc --noEmit

License

This project is for testing and educational purposes.