refactor(code): migrate build and dev to electron-vite

[charlesvien]

Problem

The desktop app's build and dev tooling was hand-rolled: four separate Vite configs (main, preload, workspace-server, renderer) driven by a 169-line scripts/dev.mjs that spawned the renderer dev server plus three watch builds plus Electron and parsed stdout for "ready" lines, with a separate scripts/build.mjs to sequence the builds. It worked, but it was a pile of bespoke orchestration to maintain instead of the purpose-built Electron + Vite framework (electron-vite).

This replaces that with electron-vite, consolidates the native-module list into a single source of truth, and moves the packaging config to TypeScript.

Stacked on #2795 (the electron-builder migration); review the diff against feat/electron-builder-migration.

Changes

electron-vite

• One electron.vite.config.ts with { main, preload, renderer } replaces the four vite.*.config.mts files. workspace-server is folded in as a second main rollup input (it is a Node entrypoint spawned as a child, the same shape as the bootstrap entry), not a separate build.
• Deleted scripts/dev.mjs (the hand-rolled orchestrator) and scripts/build.mjs. dev/start is now electron-vite dev --watch (renderer HMR plus main/preload auto-restart out of the box); the build step is electron-vite build.
• Binary and asset plugins (claude-cli, codex-acp, grammars, drizzle migrations, posthog plugin) moved verbatim into vite-main-plugins.mts.
• window.ts reads electron-vite's ELECTRON_RENDERER_URL in dev, and the CDP :9222 port (used by the test-electron-app skill) is set in bootstrap.ts. Output paths are unchanged (.vite/build, .vite/renderer/main_window), so electron-builder, package.json main and the production load path did not move.
• One real bug surfaced and was fixed: electron-vite nests chunks under chunks/, which broke the __dirname-relative path the main process uses to spawn workspace-server.js. Flattening the chunk output restores the original layout.
• Updated CI, build-linux-docker.sh, knip.json and the package scripts.

Native modules: single source of truth

• runtime-dependencies.ts is now the only place the native-module list lives, consumed by before-pack.ts (staging from the hoisted root), electron-builder.ts (files plus asarUnpack) and the Vite externals. Verified the generated globs are set-equal to the previous inline lists, so packaging behavior is unchanged.

TypeScript configs

• electron-builder.config.cjs becomes electron-builder.ts and scripts/before-pack.cjs becomes scripts/before-pack.ts. electron-builder v26 loads .ts configs through its bundled jiti, and the beforePack hook is imported as a function so jiti transpiles the whole electron-builder.ts -> before-pack.ts -> runtime-dependencies.ts graph. No ts-node or tsx is needed.

Net result is roughly 200 fewer lines.

How did you test this?

Locally on macOS arm64:

• electron-vite dev --watch: the app boots, the renderer loads over ELECTRON_RENDERER_URL, and the workspace-server child spawns and connects ([workspace-server] listening on http://127.0.0.1:<port>) with no module or health errors.
• electron-vite build: produces the expected flat .vite/build layout (bootstrap.js requiring ./index-*.js, a self-contained electron-free workspace-server.js, renderer assets with ./assets/ relative paths).
• electron-builder build --dir --mac --arm64: confirms jiti loads electron-builder.ts, the before-pack.ts hook runs and stages every native module, and out/mac-arm64/PostHog Code.app is produced.
• pnpm typecheck, biome check and vitest run (152/152) all pass.
• Confirmed runtime-dependencies.ts generates files/asarUnpack globs set-equal to the previous inline lists.

Not validated here (needs a tagged CI run, same caveat as the parent PR): the full signed and notarized multi-platform electron-builder publish (macOS dmg/zip, Windows, Linux) and end-to-end auto-update.

Automatic notifications

• Publish to changelog?
• Alert Sales and Marketing teams?

[charlesvien]

Warning

This pull request is not mergeable via GitHub because a downstack PR is open. Once all requirements are satisfied, merge this PR as a stack on Graphite.
Learn more

• feat(updates): update modal, auto-download setting, changelog #2818
• chore(code): upgrade Electron 42, React 19.2, Vite 7 and deps #2817
• refactor(code): migrate build and dev to electron-vite #2811 👈 (View in Graphite)
• refactor(code): migrate from electron forge to electron-builder #2795
• main

This stack of pull requests is managed by Graphite. Learn more about stacking.

[github-actions]

React Doctor found no issues in the changed files. 🎉

_{Reviewed by React Doctor for commit 8e56223.}

[greptile-apps]

Comments Outside Diff (1)

1. apps/code/package.json, line 368 (link)

   electron-vite@4.0.1 requires Node 20.19.0 or 22.12.0+

   The lockfile records engines: {node: ^20.19.0 || >=22.12.0} for electron-vite@4.0.1. Any CI runner or developer machine on Node 20.x below 20.19.0 will have electron-vite silently installed but fail at runtime with a version-check error when pnpm exec electron-vite build is first invoked. If the project doesn't already pin a Node version ≥ 20.19.0 in .nvmrc / .node-version / the CI matrix, it's worth adding that constraint explicitly so the requirement is visible before someone hits it.

   Prompt To Fix With AI

   This is a comment left during a code review.
   Path: apps/code/package.json
   Line: 368
   
   Comment:
   **`electron-vite@4.0.1` requires Node 20.19.0 or 22.12.0+**
   
   The lockfile records `engines: {node: ^20.19.0 || >=22.12.0}` for `electron-vite@4.0.1`. Any CI runner or developer machine on Node 20.x below 20.19.0 will have `electron-vite` silently installed but fail at runtime with a version-check error when `pnpm exec electron-vite build` is first invoked. If the project doesn't already pin a Node version ≥ 20.19.0 in `.nvmrc` / `.node-version` / the CI matrix, it's worth adding that constraint explicitly so the requirement is visible before someone hits it.
   
   How can I resolve this? If you propose a fix, please make it concise.

Prompt To Fix All With AI

Fix the following 2 code review issues. Work through them one at a time, proposing concise fixes.

---

### Issue 1 of 2
apps/code/electron.vite.config.ts:132-133
**`autoServicesPlugin` silently dropped from preload build**

The old `vite.preload.config.mts` included `autoServicesPlugin(path.join(__dirname, "src/main/services"))` alongside `tsconfigPaths`. The new consolidated config omits it from the `preload` section (it still runs for `main`). If `preload.ts` (or any module it transitively imports) relies on a file auto-generated by this plugin, the preload will build stale generated code in watch/rebuild cycles after a services change, producing subtle IPC mismatches. Since `pnpm typecheck` passes and the app boots, it's likely that the preload doesn't import anything auto-generated — but it's worth a quick confirmation that the removal was intentional rather than accidental during the consolidation.

### Issue 2 of 2
apps/code/package.json:368
**`electron-vite@4.0.1` requires Node 20.19.0 or 22.12.0+**

The lockfile records `engines: {node: ^20.19.0 || >=22.12.0}` for `electron-vite@4.0.1`. Any CI runner or developer machine on Node 20.x below 20.19.0 will have `electron-vite` silently installed but fail at runtime with a version-check error when `pnpm exec electron-vite build` is first invoked. If the project doesn't already pin a Node version ≥ 20.19.0 in `.nvmrc` / `.node-version` / the CI matrix, it's worth adding that constraint explicitly so the requirement is visible before someone hits it.

_{Reviews (1): Last reviewed commit: "centralize native deps; ts builder confi..." | Re-trigger Greptile}

[stamphog]

Gates denied because this PR touches CI/CD workflows and build/dependency toolchain — both on the deny-list for auto-approval. Additionally, there is an unresolved substantive inline comment flagging that autoServicesPlugin was dropped from the preload build in the new consolidated config, which could silently break preload functionality.

[stamphog]

Gates denied because this PR touches CI/CD workflows and build/dependency toolchain files, both on the deny-list for auto-approval. Additionally, there is an unresolved inline comment about autoServicesPlugin being dropped from the preload build in the new config, which could silently break preload functionality.

[stamphog]

Gates denied: this PR touches CI/CD workflows and build/dependency toolchain files, both on the deny-list for auto-approval. There is also an unresolved inline comment about autoServicesPlugin being dropped from the preload build, which could silently break preload functionality.

[stamphog]

Gates denied: this PR touches CI/CD workflows and build/dependency toolchain files, both on the deny-list for auto-approval. There is also an unresolved inline comment about autoServicesPlugin being dropped from the preload build, which could silently break preload functionality.