Rustic Playground

Rustic Playground

A macOS desktop app for running code experiments — inspired by Swift Playgrounds.
Supports Rust, C/C++, Zig (v0.15), and Swift.
Write code, press ⌘R, see output stream live. No terminal required.

Built with Rust + Tauri 2 + Svelte 5 + Monaco Editor.

Website · Discord · Releases


_{Dark · Rust · Light}

[!WARNING]

⚠️ DEVELOPER TOOL — NOT SANDBOXED — USE AT YOUR OWN RISK

This application is intentionally NOT sandboxed.

Like Xcode, VS Code, and Terminal, it must run outside macOS's App Sandbox because it compiles and executes arbitrary code using your local toolchains (cargo, clang, zig, swiftc).

This means:

• Any code you write and run has full access to your filesystem, network, processes, and environment — the same as code you'd run in Terminal
• There is no isolation between playground code and your system
• A playground that deletes files, exfiltrates data, or forks a bomb will actually do those things

No binary is distributed. You must compile this yourself from source. If you received a pre-built binary from an untrusted source, do not run it.

You are responsible for the code you run. This tool is for learning and experimentation in a controlled environment you own.

Features

• Multi-language — Rust, C/C++ (Clang), Zig, and Swift project types
• Welcome Wizard — 5-step first-launch setup: choose languages, check toolchains, set theme, load books
• Guided toolchain install & repair — detects Xcode CLT + Rust toolchain state on launch; two paths: "Help Me Install" (guided, in-app) or "I'll Do It Myself" (Terminal commands with copy-to-clipboard). No terminal needed for a complete Rust setup from scratch.
• Language gating — only enabled languages appear in menus, project switcher, and settings
• Live execution — ⌘R compiles and runs; stdout/stderr streams in real time
• Interactive console — playgrounds that use stdin get a live input field in the Console panel
• Multiple projects — each project is an isolated workspace with its own config
• Multiple playgrounds — each file is its own runnable binary
• Content files — attach any file to a project via the Files panel; access at runtime via the PLAYGROUND_CONTENT env var
• Dependency management — edit Cargo.toml directly or add/remove crates from the toolbar
• Playground templates — starter templates per language with auto-deps
• 8 themes — System, Light, Dark, Auto (match language), Rust, Clang, Zig, Swift
• Settings panel — font size, font family, tab size, toolchain paths, language management (⌘,)
• Console improvements — copy button, ANSI color support, timestamps
• Window state persistence — layout, panel sizes, open tabs, and window size survive restarts
• Book examples — Rust Book (20 chapters), K&R C Book (8 chapters), Swift Book (8 chapters) — load via Learn menu
• Read-only books — book projects are non-editable reference material; "Copy to Project" to experiment
• Live error checking — cargo check squiggles in the editor for Rust projects

Requirements

Tool	Version
macOS	12 Monterey or later
Xcode Command Line Tools	Required — Rust needs Apple's cc linker and SDK to build on macOS
Rust toolchain	stable 1.85+ (edition 2024 floor) — install via rustup.rs
Node.js	18+
pnpm	8+
Tauri CLI	cargo install tauri-cli --version "^2.0"

Note: On a Mac without developer tools, macOS may show an "Install Command Line Developer Tools" dialog on first launch. This is triggered by macOS (Apple's WebKit framework), not by the app. You can dismiss it — the app will guide you through installation when you're ready.

Optional language toolchains (for non-Rust projects):

Language	Toolchain	Install
C/C++	Clang (via Xcode CLI Tools)	xcode-select --install
Zig	0.15.x (other versions may have breaking API changes)	brew install zig
Swift	swiftc (via Xcode CLI Tools)	xcode-select --install

Build & Run

git clone https://github.com/jagmeetchawla/rustic-playground
cd rustic-playground
cd ui && pnpm install && cd ..

Rust Edition (single-language, focused on Rust learners):

VITE_EDITION=rust cargo tauri dev --config editions/rust.json       # dev mode
VITE_EDITION=rust cargo tauri build --config editions/rust.json     # release DMG

Power Edition (all 4 languages):

VITE_EDITION=power cargo tauri dev --config editions/power.json     # dev mode
VITE_EDITION=power cargo tauri build --config editions/power.json   # release DMG

Editions are fully isolated — each has its own app name, bundle ID, and data directory. They can be installed side by side.

See specs/build-helper.md for the full build guide: version management, edition configs, icon generation, troubleshooting.

How It Works

Each project is stored at:

~/Library/Application Support/com.rustic-playground.<edition>/projects/<name>/
├── Cargo.toml / rustic.toml  ← project config (Rust uses Cargo.toml, others use rustic.toml)
├── src/bin/ or src/           ← playground files (.rs, .c, .cpp, .zig, .swift)
└── content/                   ← runtime assets (accessible via PLAYGROUND_CONTENT)

Each file is a standalone program with a main function. The backend compiles and runs it using the appropriate toolchain (cargo, clang, zig, swiftc) and streams output live.

User Guide

Press ⌘⇧/ in the app for the full user guide — an Apple-style help panel covering all languages, playgrounds, projects, console, content files, keyboard shortcuts, book examples, and security. The same content will be available on the website and wiki.

Keyboard Shortcuts

Shortcut	Action
⌘R	Run the active playground
⌘.	Stop the running process
⌘S	Save the active file
⌘N	New playground
⌘W	Close active tab
⌘,	Settings
⌘⇧N	New project
⌘⇧/	Help

Book Examples

Load curated example projects via the Learn menu or the Welcome Wizard:

Book	Chapters	Language	Source
The Rust Book	20 chapters, 40+ playgrounds	Rust	Based on The Rust Programming Language
The K&R C Book	8 chapters, 16 playgrounds	C/C++	Based on The C Programming Language by Kernighan & Ritchie
The Swift Book	8 chapters, 14 playgrounds	Swift	Based on The Swift Programming Language

Book projects are read-only — use "Copy to Project" to experiment with any example. Each chapter project contains an attribution.md in its Files panel.

Attribution — Playground code is original educational material, not verbatim from the books. Rustic Playground is not affiliated with or endorsed by the Rust Project, Apple, or the original authors.

Project Structure

rustic-playground/
├── src-tauri/
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── lib.rs                ← app state, config, settings, entry point
│   │   ├── languages/            ← per-language modules (rust, clang, zig, swift)
│   │   ├── playground_commands.rs ← CRUD + run/kill via Lang enum dispatch
│   │   ├── cargo_commands.rs     ← toolchain checks, wizard, Cargo.toml management
│   │   ├── content_commands.rs   ← content file CRUD
│   │   ├── export.rs             ← project export (per-language)
│   │   └── menu.rs              ← macOS menu bar builder
│   ├── capabilities/             ← Tauri 2 permission definitions
│   └── tauri.conf.json
└── ui/
    └── src/
        ├── App.svelte            ← root layout, all global state, menu events
        ├── app.css               ← theme definitions (8 themes)
        └── lib/
            ├── Sidebar.svelte
            ├── Editor.svelte
            ├── Output.svelte
            ├── ProjectSwitcher.svelte
            ├── ToolchainWizard.svelte  ← Welcome Wizard + Settings
            ├── NewPlaygroundModal.svelte
            ├── CopyToProjectModal.svelte
            ├── HelpModal.svelte
            ├── AboutModal.svelte
            └── languages.ts      ← language registry

Security Model

See the warning at the top of this file. Additionally:

• Playground names are validated as [a-z][a-z0-9_]* — path traversal is blocked at the API layer
• The Tauri IPC bridge only accepts calls from the app's own WebView origin
• cargo is invoked via its absolute path (~/.cargo/bin/cargo), not via shell string interpolation
• Playground runs use a separate target/playground-runs/ directory to avoid lock conflicts

Release History

Version	Highlights
v0.3.6	New app icon (richer illustrated artwork across app, website, in-app modals). DMG polish — mounted volume shows macOS's default disk icon instead of duplicating the app icon, making drag-to-Applications clearer. Code-signing certificate re-issued (Team ID unchanged). Notarize + staple automated in the build pipeline via NOTARIZE=1
v0.3.5	Rust toolchain version gate — enforces rustc ≥ 1.85 (edition 2024 floor), yellow toolchain pill when outdated, in-app "Update Rust" button runs rustup update stable && rustup default stable with streamed output, manual-mode copy-paste command for Terminal users
v0.3.4	In-app Rust toolchain installer & repair with guided + manual install paths, Xcode CLT detection as prerequisite, FixWizard split layout with auto-polling, Help menu restructure (Website, GitHub, Rust Help, Rust Book top-level), Rust Toolchain help section, toolchain step skip indicator, code-signed + notarized DMG distribution
v0.3.3	Edition builds — Rust Edition, C Edition, Power Edition as separate DMGs from one codebase. Saved snapshots with revert, run lifecycle status, update checker, language logos, dynamic window title
v0.3.2	Welcome Wizard (5-step first-launch), language gating, per-language hello projects, native→clang rename, Apple HIG styling, dual-mode settings/wizard, book management via checkboxes, toolchain pill status
v0.3.1	Read-only book projects, per-playground locking, Copy to Project, Learn menu, flyout submenus, Zig/Swift themes, auto theme matching, theme dropdown
v0.3	Language module architecture (Lang enum dispatch), Zig + Swift project types, Swift Book examples, frontend language registry
v0.2	Clang C/C++ projects, rustic.toml manifest, K&R C Book examples, sea green theme, compiler flags UI, Clang export
v0.1.9	Renamed from playground-rs to rustic-playground
v0.1.8	App icon, Rust theme, live error checking, dark/light/system themes, project export, backend modularization, 70 unit tests
v0.1.7	Settings panel, toolchain wizard, dependency manager, 11 templates, console improvements
v0.1.6	Help/About modals, window state persistence, resizable panels, stop button
v0.1.5	Content files, drag-and-drop import, project management
v0.1.0	Initial release — sidebar, editor, live output streaming

License

MIT