Vanta

A hyper-fast, extensible application launcher and command palette for Wayland. (Spotlight alternative)

Why Vanta?

Traditional launchers are often slow or clunky. Vanta is a fast, Wayland-native command palette built with Rust and Svelte. It starts instantly, stays out of your way, and is fully themeable with plain CSS. With the Extension SDK v2 engine, anyone can build custom commands and full UI screens using TypeScript and Svelte.

Installation

Arch Linux (AUR)

yay -S vanta-bin

Ubuntu / Debian

Download the latest .deb from Releases.

sudo dpkg -i vanta_5.5.0_amd64.deb

Fedora / OpenSUSE

Download the latest .rpm from Releases.

sudo rpm -i vanta-5.5.0-1.x86_64.rpm

Latest Minor (v5.8.0)

• Added in-app toast notifications with auto-dismiss and severity styling (info/success/error).
• Replaced key silent launcher/store failures with user-visible feedback toasts.
• Added store-side update detection for installed extensions using semver comparisons against the registry.
• Added extension update action in Vanta Store (Update to vX) when newer versions are available.
• Added extension rollback support with backup snapshots and one-click rollback from Vanta Store.
• Added extension dependency contract support (requires) with install-time dependency/version validation.
• Added notification center panel from status bar with recent event history.

Previous Minor (v5.7.0)

• Added Phase 38 notification and feedback architecture baseline across launcher/store/extension-host flows.

Features

• Fast fuzzy search powered by Rust + nucleo-matcher.
• Extension SDK v2: Build custom commands and full UI screens with TypeScript/Svelte.
• Vanta Store (v2.1): Browse and install extensions from the built-in store. Search "store" or "install" in the launcher.
• 10 Default Extensions: Weather, Smart Calculator, Color Picker, Process Manager, Network Test, Timer, System Info, Spotify, Clipboard Tools, and Password Generator.
• Auto-refresh (v2.2): Settings changes, new app installations, and new extensions take effect immediately without restarting.
• Commands section: Sleep, Lock, Shutdown, Restart, Log Out, and Go to BIOS available out of the box.
• Clipboard-first: --clipboard launch and Super+V open the clipboard view.
• File search with filters: Include/exclude globs, extension allowlist, and type filters.
• Window switcher: Grouped by app/class, ordered by recency, with focus and close actions.
• Math & calculator: Type 2^10 + 5 to copy the result.
• Fully themeable: Everything is CSS in ~/.config/vanta/themes/.
• Workflow macros: Chain system commands and extension actions into automated sequences.

Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/Misiix9/vanta.git
cd vanta
npm install
cargo tauri dev

Flags:

• --hidden or VANTA_HIDDEN=1: start minimized/hidden.
• --clipboard or -c: open directly to clipboard mode on launch.
• Hotkeys: Alt+Space (toggle), Super+V (clipboard).

Extension SDK

Vanta Extension SDK v2 replaces the old JSON script system with a full Raycast-style extension engine. Extensions live in ~/.config/vanta/extensions/ and can declare multiple commands with custom UI.

SDK v2 authoring toolkit (in this repo):

• vanta-extensions/templates/view-template/ starter extension
• npm run extensions:validate manifest linting
• npm run extensions:harness extension bundle/command harness checks
• vanta-extensions/compatibility-matrix.json compatibility + deprecation lifecycle contract
• vanta-extensions/ratings.json shared rating snapshot consumed by Vanta Store

Extension Structure

~/.config/vanta/extensions/my-extension/
  manifest.json       # Metadata, commands, permissions
  dist/
    index.js          # Compiled IIFE bundle
    style.css         # Optional scoped styles

Manifest Format

{
  "name": "my-extension",
  "title": "My Extension",
  "schema_version": 1,
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "What this extension does",
  "author": "your-name",
  "icon": "<svg xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2000/svg' viewBox='0 0 24 24' fill='none' stroke='currentColor' stroke-width='2'><polygon points='12 2 15.09 8.26 22 9.27 17 14.14 18.18 21.02 12 17.77 5.82 21.02 7 14.14 2 9.27 8.91 8.26 12 2'/></svg>",
  "permissions": ["Network", "Shell"],
  "commands": [
    {
      "name": "quick-action",
      "title": "Quick Action",
      "subtitle": "Does something fast",
      "mode": "no-view",
      "icon": "fa-solid fa-bolt"
    },
    {
      "name": "browse-items",
      "title": "Browse Items",
      "subtitle": "Opens a searchable list",
      "mode": "view",
      "icon": "fa-solid fa-list"
    }
  ]
}

Command Modes

• no-view: Runs a handler function (e.g., toggle playback, copy text), shows a toast, and optionally closes the window.
• view: Mounts a Svelte component inside the extension host for full custom screen rendering.

Writing an Extension

Extensions compile to IIFE bundles that register via window.__vanta_host:

(function(vanta) {
  const sdk = window.__vanta_sdk;

  vanta.registerExtension('my-extension', {
    commands: {
      'quick-action': {
        handler: async (api) => {
          api.toast({ title: 'Done!', type: 'success' });
          await api.closeMainWindow();
        }
      },
      'browse-items': {
        component: sdk.List  // Use a pre-built SDK component
      }
    }
  });
})(window.__vanta_host);

SDK Components

Extensions can use pre-built Svelte components via window.__vanta_sdk:

VantaAPI

Every command handler and view component receives a VantaAPI object:

api.navigation.push(component, props)  // Push a new view
api.navigation.pop()                    // Go back
api.clipboard.copy(text)                // Copy to clipboard
api.network.fetch(url, { method })      // HTTP request (proxied through Rust)
api.shell.execute(command, args)        // Run a shell command
api.storage.get(key)                    // Read from per-extension storage
api.storage.set(key, value)             // Write to per-extension storage
api.toast({ title, message, type })     // Show a toast
api.closeMainWindow()                   // Hide the launcher
api.environment.extensionName           // Current extension name

Building with Vite

// vite.config.ts
import { defineConfig } from 'vite';
import { svelte } from '@sveltejs/vite-plugin-svelte';

export default defineConfig({
  plugins: [svelte()],
  build: {
    lib: {
      entry: 'src/index.ts',
      formats: ['iife'],
      name: 'MyExtension',
      fileName: () => 'index.js',
    },
    outDir: 'dist',
    rollupOptions: {
      external: ['@vanta/sdk'],
      output: { globals: { '@vanta/sdk': 'window.__vanta_sdk' } },
    },
  },
});

Migration from v1.x Scripts

The v1.x JSON script system (~/.config/vanta/scripts/) has been fully removed. To migrate:

1. Create a new extension directory in ~/.config/vanta/extensions/your-script/
2. Write a manifest.json with your command metadata
3. Convert your script logic to a JavaScript handler
4. Build to dist/index.js (or write the IIFE directly)

v3 Contract Compatibility Policy

• Search APIs: prefer search_v3 and get_suggestions_v3.
• Result/action execution: use typed command.kind when present, otherwise fall back to legacy exec.
• Extension manifests: schema_version is required for new manifests; legacy manifests are auto-migrated to current schema on scan.
• Config/workflows: schema_version and workflows.schema_version are maintained automatically on load or by running run_contract_migration.

Settings & Theming

All styling lives in ~/.config/vanta/themes/. A default theme is seeded on first launch.

Key CSS variables:

• --vanta-width / --vanta-height: window size
• --vanta-accent: accent color
• --vanta-blur, --vanta-radius, --vanta-opacity: glass look

Configuration

Configuration lives at ~/.config/vanta/config.json, created automatically on first run.

{
  "schema_version": 4,
  "general": {
    "hotkey": "Alt+Space",
    "max_results": 8,
    "launch_on_login": false
  },
  "appearance": {
    "blur_radius": 40,
    "opacity": 0.85,
    "border_radius": 24,
    "theme": "default",
    "colors": {
      "background": "#000000",
      "surface": "#0a0a0a",
      "accent": "#ffffff",
      "accent_glow": "rgba(255,255,255,0.1)",
      "text_primary": "#f5f5f5",
      "text_secondary": "#888888",
      "border": "rgba(255,255,255,0.05)"
    }
  },
  "extensions": {
    "directory": "~/.config/vanta/extensions",
    "dev_mode": false
  },
  "files": {
    "include_hidden": false,
    "max_depth": 3,
    "file_manager": "default",
    "file_editor": "default",
    "open_docs_in_manager": false,
    "include_globs": [],
    "exclude_globs": [],
    "allowed_extensions": [],
    "type_filter": "any",
    "indexed_at": null
  },
  "workflows": {
    "schema_version": 1,
    "macros": []
  }
}

Keybindings