GitLab Releases Monitor (Tauri)

A lightweight cross-platform desktop tray application that keeps an eye on the latest releases of your selected GitLab projects.

✨ Features

• System-tray first – stays out of the way until you need it.
• Monitors multiple GitLab projects (configured via .env).
• Auto-refresh every 5 min + manual refresh (R or button).
• Blue-dot tray notification when new releases are detected.
• Global tray menu (Show GitLab Releases, Quit).
• Keyboard shortcuts:
  • R – refresh while window is focused.
  • Ctrl + Alt + G – (to-be-added) toggle window.

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⚙️ Prerequisites

Tool	Version	Notes
Rust	stable	rustup default stable
Tauri CLI	latest	cargo install tauri-cli (or) npm i -g @tauri-apps/cli
Windows only: Visual Studio Build Tools >= 2019		required C++ build chain

No Node build pipeline is used – the frontend is plain HTML/CSS/JS served by Tauri.

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🔧 Setup

Development Setup

1. Clone the repo

   git clone https://github.com/Vojtech1025/gitlab-monitor-rust.git
   cd gitlab-monitor

2. Configure environment variables

   cp gitlab-config.example .env
   # then edit .env and fill in:
   #  GITLAB_API_TOKEN=<your-token>
   #  GITLAB_BASE_URL=https://gitlab.example.com       # optional, defaults to gitlab.com
   #  GITLAB_PROJECTS=namespace/project,another/project

3. Install dependencies (only once)

   cargo install tauri-cli      # if you haven't already

Post-Installation Setup (for built/installed versions)

When you run the installed application for the first time:

1. The app will include configuration files in the installation directory:

   • gitlab-config.example (configuration template)
   • INSTALLATION-README.txt (detailed setup instructions)
   • gitlab-monitor.exe (the application)

2. Copy and rename the configuration file:

   • Copy gitlab-config.example
   • Rename the copy to .env (including the dot at the beginning)

3. Edit the .env file with your GitLab configuration:

   GITLAB_API_TOKEN=glpat-xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
   GITLAB_BASE_URL=https://gitlab.com
   GITLAB_PROJECTS=mygroup/project1,mygroup/project2

4. Restart the application after creating and editing the .env file

5. The app will display helpful error messages if configuration is incomplete

Required Configuration:

• GITLAB_API_TOKEN: Your GitLab personal access token with read_api scope
• GITLAB_PROJECTS: Comma-separated list of project paths (e.g., group/project1,group/project2)
• GITLAB_BASE_URL: Your GitLab instance URL (optional, defaults to https://gitlab.com)

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🚀 Development

cd src-tauri
cargo tauri dev

The app window will appear; the binary reloads on source changes.

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📦 Build a release EXE (Windows)

cd src-tauri
cargo tauri build        # generates installer & portable exe in /target/release/bundle/windows

After the build finishes you'll find:

• *.msi – signed installer with configuration template and setup instructions included
• *.exe – portable version with configuration template and setup instructions included

Important: The installer does NOT automatically launch the application after installation. Users must:

1. Edit the .env file in the installation directory
2. Manually start the application after configuration

Both versions include:

• gitlab-config.example - Configuration template (users must copy and rename to .env)
• INSTALLATION-README.txt - Detailed setup instructions for users

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🖥️ Using the App

First-Time Setup (for installed versions)

1. Install the application - The installer will NOT launch the app automatically
2. Find the installation directory - Usually in Program Files or where you chose to install
3. Edit the .env file - Open with any text editor and configure your GitLab settings
4. Start the application - Double-click the executable or find it in your Start Menu
5. Check the system tray - The app will appear in the bottom-right corner

Daily Usage

Action	How
Show window	Left-click tray icon Show GitLab Releases in tray menu
Hide window	Click window − button or right-click tray → Hide
Quit	Tray menu → Quit
Open release page	Click any row in the list
Mark releases as seen	Simply open the window – blue-dot disappears
Edit configuration	Edit the .env file in the application directory and restart

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📝 TODO

• Add global shortcut toggle: Implement Ctrl+Alt+G to toggle window visibility
• Enhanced error handling: Improve user feedback for network errors and API issues
• Release filtering: Add options to filter releases by tag patterns or dates

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👐 Contributing

Pull requests and issues are welcome! Please follow the existing code style and make sure cargo fmt && cargo clippy pass.