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Jon Staab 4fc3c02ced Load gitea token from .env.local
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Flotilla

A discord-like nostr client based on the idea of "relays as groups". Supports NIP 29 groups, chat, DMs, threads, calendars, classifieds, zap goals, articles, microblogging, and cross-posting between different contexts.

Install

Hosted spaces are available at flotilla.social.

Features

  • Spaces and rooms, threads, direct and group messages
  • Voice and video calls
  • Calendar events, long-form articles, and polls
  • Reactions, custom emoji, zaps, link previews, and media sharing
  • Invite codes, member management, bans, roles, and reports
  • Push notifications, unread indicators, and per-room mute

If you would like to be interoperable with Flotilla, please check out this guide.

Environment

Create an .env.local file to override any of the values in .env:

Platform branding

  • VITE_PLATFORM_URL - The url where the app will be hosted
  • VITE_PLATFORM_NAME - The name of the app
  • VITE_PLATFORM_LOGO - A logo url for the app. Can be a local path or https link. Must be a PNG file.
  • VITE_PLATFORM_ACCENT - A hex color for the app's accent color (used only for generated manifest, for more control create a custom theme file)
  • VITE_PLATFORM_DESCRIPTION - A description of the app
  • VITE_PLATFORM_ABOUT - URL to your marketing or about page
  • VITE_PLATFORM_TERMS - URL to your terms of service page
  • VITE_PLATFORM_PRIVACY - URL to your privacy policy page
  • VITE_PLATFORM_LOGEE - A hex pubkey which will receive logs users send from their privacy settings
  • VITE_THEME - The visual preset components are styled with: clay, flat, or navy

Platform mode

  • VITE_PLATFORM_RELAYS - A comma-separated list of relay urls that will make flotilla operate in "platform mode". Disables all space browse/add/select functionality and makes the first platform relay the home page.

Defaults

  • VITE_DEFAULT_PUBKEYS - A comma-separated list of hex pubkeys for bootstrapping web of trust
  • VITE_DEFAULT_SPACES - A comma-separated list of relay urls that new users will be automatically joined to on signup. Each one may optionally include an invite code, delimited by |, e.g. my.space.com|CODE.
  • VITE_DEFAULT_RELAYS - A comma-separated list of relay urls used as default outbox/inbox relays
  • VITE_DEFAULT_MESSAGING_RELAYS - A comma-separated list of relay urls used for encrypted direct messages
  • VITE_DEFAULT_SEARCH_RELAYS - A comma-separated list of relay urls used for search
  • VITE_DEFAULT_BLOSSOM_SERVERS - A comma-separated list of blossom server urls used for file uploads

Infrastructure

  • VITE_INDEXER_RELAYS - A comma-separated list of relay urls used for user profile/key lookup
  • VITE_SIGNER_RELAYS - A comma-separated list of relay urls used for NIP-55 remote signers
  • VITE_BLOCKED_RELAYS - A comma-separated list of relay urls that will be blocked
  • VITE_PUSH_SERVER - URL of the push notification server
  • VITE_PUSH_BRIDGE - WebSocket URL of the push notification relay bridge
  • VITE_POMADE_SIGNERS - A comma-separated list of Pomade signer server URLs (3+ required to enable email signup)
  • VITE_THUMBNAIL_URL - URL of the image thumbnail service

These values won't be used for a built version. Instead, env variables should be provided to scripts/build.sh directly or to the built container.

If you're deploying a custom version of flotilla, be sure to remove the plausible.coracle.social script from app.html. This sends analytics to a server hosted by the developer.

Development

pnpm install
pnpm run dev

See CONTRIBUTING.md for conventions and workflow.

Desktop development (Linux)

The Electron target and its unsigned packages are for development and testing. Release publishing and auto-updates are not configured.

Use disposable accounts only. The secure-storage plugin falls back to unencrypted localStorage on desktop, so it is not secure credential or private-key storage. Packages must remain development-only until OS-protected secret storage and release signing are addressed.

The Electron subproject installs separately, so ordinary web and mobile installs don't download Electron:

pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
npm ci --prefix electron
pnpm run dev:desktop

dev:desktop starts Vite on 127.0.0.1 and runs the Capawesome Electron platform against it, with the Capacitor plugin bridge and frontend HMR. No previous frontend build is needed. It uses the existing Vite port (1847 by default) and fails if that port is occupied. The platform allows one instance at a time, so quit any other desktop instance before switching modes. Restart the command after editing Electron TypeScript, and quit Electron or press Ctrl+C to stop.

To build and run local production assets instead:

pnpm run build:desktop
pnpm run start:desktop

build:desktop builds the frontend without PWA/service-worker registration, synchronizes the Electron platform, and compiles its TypeScript entrypoint. It uses the same branding environment as the web build, and does not synchronize Android or iOS. start:desktop opens the last build without Vite, so rerun build:desktop after frontend changes. The development URL goes only to the desktop run process. Capawesome records it in ignored generated configuration, and production synchronization removes it.

Run pnpm run test:desktop after building to check the Linux desktop window. On a headless Linux runner, use xvfb-run -a pnpm run test:desktop. Such a runner also needs libgtk-3-0t64, since Playwright's chromium dependencies do not cover the GTK libraries Electron links against. The test drops Chromium's sandbox when it runs as root, because Chromium refuses to start that way. This smoke suite does not start a web dev server, and does not run in CI. It verifies nothing about Windows or macOS.

Desktop packaging

pnpm run package:desktop:linux
pnpm run package:desktop:windows
pnpm run package:desktop:macos

Each command rebuilds production assets, copies and updates Capacitor, compiles Electron, vendors its runtime and plugins, and invokes electron-builder without publishing or signing. Outputs land in electron/dist/: a Linux x64 AppImage, a Windows x64 NSIS installer, and separate macOS x64 and arm64 DMGs. The root package version is authoritative, the Capacitor app ID stays stable, and VITE_PLATFORM_NAME supplies the product name. Vite's .env.local overrides apply, and explicit VITE_* environment values take precedence. Use production branding values when building artifacts for others. VITE_PLATFORM_LOGO can be a local or HTTPS image, which packaging resizes to 1024×1024 and stages in ignored output.

Linux packaging requires Linux. Windows packaging from Linux uses the pinned official electronuserland/builder Wine image through Docker, mounting only a temporary copy of the prepared Electron project. Native addons need a target-OS ABI rebuild and cannot use this cross-build path. Native Windows preparation needs Bash on PATH, for example Git Bash. DMG creation requires macOS. On Linux, pnpm run package:desktop:macos --dir prepares unsigned bundles for inspection only, and verifies nothing about the macOS runtime, Gatekeeper, or signing.

To smoke-test a package, run as a non-root user with the sandbox enabled:

FLOTILLA_DESKTOP_EXECUTABLE="/absolute/path/to/application" pnpm run test:desktop

Use the AppImage or installed executable rather than the installer. This checks packaged metadata, local assets, navigation, workers, and CSP using a disposable profile. Installation, reboot, and uninstall still require target-OS testing.

Android releases

Signed APKs are attached to releases on the releases page, so Android users can install and update outside an app store.

Publishing needs GITEA_TOKEN in .env.local, set to a gitea access token with write:repository (Settings → Applications → Access Tokens). Bump the version, write its CHANGELOG.md section and push the matching tag, then:

pnpm run release:android
pnpm run publish:android

publish:android creates the release for the tag, takes its notes from the changelog, and attaches the APK as flotilla-<version>.apk, replacing any existing asset of that name. It reads the repository and the APK path from zapstore.yaml, so a release and a zapstore publish ship the same file.

Obtainium

Obtainium installs and updates Android apps from their release pages. Gitea and Forgejo share a release API, so it works against this repository:

  • App source URL: https://gitea.coracle.social/coracle/flotilla
  • Override source: Forgejo (Codeberg)

Obtainium reports the git tag as the version.

Deployment

To run your own Flotilla, it's as simple as:

pnpm install
pnpm run build
pnpm run start

Or, if you prefer to use a container:

docker run -d -p 3000:3000 gitea.coracle.social/coracle/flotilla:latest

Alternatively, you can copy the build files into a directory of your choice and serve it yourself:

mkdir ./mount
docker run -v ./mount:/app/mount gitea.coracle.social/coracle/flotilla:latest bash -c 'cp -r build/* mount'

License

MIT