tauri-nspanel

Create macOS panels for your Tauri app. Convert a regular window into a panel, or configure a new window with the panel builder.

What are panels?

Panels are a special type of window on macOS (NSPanel) that float above other windows and provide auxiliary controls or information. They're commonly used for tool palettes, inspectors, floating controls, and HUD displays.

Quick Start

1. Installation

[dependencies]
tauri-nspanel = "2.1"

You can also install directly from the maintained v2.1 branch. This follows the latest commit on the branch rather than a published crates.io release:

tauri-nspanel = { git = "https://github.com/ahkohd/tauri-nspanel", branch = "v2.1" }

fn main() {
    tauri::Builder::default()
        .plugin(tauri_nspanel::init())
        .run(tauri::generate_context!())
        .expect("error while running tauri application");
}

2. Define and create a panel

use tauri::{Manager, WebviewUrl};
use tauri_nspanel::{tauri_panel, ManagerExt, PanelBuilder, PanelLevel};

// Define panel class
tauri_panel! {
    panel!(MyPanel {
        config: {
            can_become_key_window: true,
            is_floating_panel: true
        }
    })
}

// Create panel with builder
let panel = PanelBuilder::<_, MyPanel>::new(app.handle(), "my-panel")
    .url(WebviewUrl::App("panel.html".into()))
    .level(PanelLevel::Floating)
    .build()?;

panel.show();

3. Access from commands

use tauri::Manager;
use tauri_nspanel::ManagerExt;

#[tauri::command]
fn show_panel(app: tauri::AppHandle) {
    if let Ok(panel) = app.get_webview_panel("my-panel") {
        panel.show_and_make_key();
    }
}

#[tauri::command]
fn close_panel(app_handle: tauri::AppHandle) {
    app_handle
        .get_webview_panel("my-panel")
        .ok()
        .and_then(|panel| panel.to_window())
        .map(|window| window.close());
}

Documentation

See the documentation & API Reference.

Features

• Create panels with PanelBuilder API or convert existing windows
• Mouse tracking with enter, exit, and move events
• Handle panel events
• Works with existing Tauri windows and commands
• Explicit main-thread handling for AppKit panel operations

Examples

Check out the examples directory.

Showcase

Some projects using tauri-nspanel:

• Handy - Offline speech-to-text
• BongoCat - Cross-platform desktop pet
• Cap - Open-source screen recording
• screenpipe - Local screen recording and AI context
• Anarlog - Open-source AI meeting notes
• Vibe - Local transcription
• EcoPaste - Cross-platform clipboard manager
• Epicenter - Local-first applications
• Openless - AI-assisted voice input
• Coco - AI Search and Assistant
• Overlayed - Screen overlay
• Verve - Launcher
• JET Pilot - Kubernetes manager
• Buffer - AI-powered Markdown note app
• Asyar - Cross-platform alternative to Raycast

Contributing

PRs accepted. Please read the Contributing Guide before making a pull request.