build(web): refactor launcher build flow and expand WebUI documentation (#2174)

- delegate root launcher builds to the web Makefile
- add dedicated frontend and dev picoclaw build targets
- document the WebUI architecture, runtime behavior, and build workflow
This commit is contained in:
wenjie
2026-03-30 14:45:52 +08:00
committed by GitHub
parent b67d3cfbd8
commit edda02ce67
3 changed files with 406 additions and 45 deletions
+8 -5
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@@ -130,14 +130,17 @@ build: generate
build-launcher:
@echo "Building picoclaw-launcher for $(PLATFORM)/$(ARCH)..."
@mkdir -p $(BUILD_DIR)
@if [ ! -f web/backend/dist/index.html ]; then \
echo "Building frontend..."; \
cd web/frontend && pnpm install && pnpm build:backend; \
fi
@$(WEB_GO) build $(GOFLAGS) -o $(BUILD_DIR)/picoclaw-launcher-$(PLATFORM)-$(ARCH) ./web/backend
@$(MAKE) -C web build \
OUTPUT="$(CURDIR)/$(BUILD_DIR)/picoclaw-launcher-$(PLATFORM)-$(ARCH)" \
WEB_GO='$(WEB_GO)' \
GO_BUILD_TAGS='$(GO_BUILD_TAGS)' \
LDFLAGS='$(LDFLAGS)'
@ln -sf picoclaw-launcher-$(PLATFORM)-$(ARCH) $(BUILD_DIR)/picoclaw-launcher
@echo "Build complete: $(BUILD_DIR)/picoclaw-launcher"
build-launcher-frontend:
@$(MAKE) -C web build-frontend
## build-launcher-tui: Build the picoclaw-launcher TUI binary
build-launcher-tui:
@echo "Building picoclaw-launcher-tui for $(PLATFORM)/$(ARCH)..."
+45 -19
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@@ -1,12 +1,20 @@
.PHONY: dev dev-frontend dev-backend build test lint clean
.PHONY: dev dev-frontend dev-backend build build-frontend build-dev-picoclaw test lint clean
# Go variables
GO?=CGO_ENABLED=0 go
WEB_GO?=$(GO)
GOFLAGS?=-v -tags stdjson
GO_BUILD_TAGS?=goolm,stdjson
GOFLAGS?=-v -tags $(GO_BUILD_TAGS)
# Build variables
BUILD_DIR=build
OUTPUT?=$(BUILD_DIR)/picoclaw-launcher
FRONTEND_DIR=frontend
BACKEND_DIR=backend
BACKEND_DIST=$(BACKEND_DIR)/dist
PICOCLAW_BINARY_NAME=picoclaw
PICOCLAW_BINARY?=$(abspath ../build/$(PICOCLAW_BINARY_NAME))
LAUNCHER_GUI_LDFLAG=
# Version
VERSION?=$(shell git describe --tags --always --dirty 2>/dev/null || echo "dev")
@@ -52,45 +60,63 @@ else ifeq ($(UNAME_S),Darwin)
else ifeq ($(UNAME_S),Windows)
PLATFORM=windows
ARCH=$(UNAME_M)
LDFLAGS=-H=windowsgui $(LDFLAGS)
PICOCLAW_BINARY_NAME=picoclaw.exe
LAUNCHER_GUI_LDFLAG=-H=windowsgui
else
PLATFORM=$(UNAME_S)
ARCH=$(UNAME_M)
endif
LAUNCHER_LDFLAGS=$(strip $(LAUNCHER_GUI_LDFLAG) $(LDFLAGS))
# Run both frontend and backend dev servers
dev:
@if [ ! -f $(BUILD_DIR)/picoclaw-launcher ] || [ ! -d backend/dist ]; then \
echo "Build artifacts not found, building..."; \
$(MAKE) build; \
dev: build-dev-picoclaw
@if [ ! -f "$(BACKEND_DIST)/index.html" ]; then \
echo "Embedded frontend not found, building..."; \
$(MAKE) build-frontend; \
fi
@echo "Starting backend and frontend dev servers..."
@$(MAKE) dev-backend & $(MAKE) dev-frontend
@$(MAKE) dev-backend BACKEND_ARGS='-no-browser' & $(MAKE) dev-frontend
# Start frontend dev server (Vite, with proxy to backend)
dev-frontend:
cd frontend && pnpm dev
cd $(FRONTEND_DIR) && pnpm dev
# Start backend dev server
dev-backend:
cd backend && ${WEB_GO} run -ldflags "$(LDFLAGS)" .
cd $(BACKEND_DIR) && PICOCLAW_BINARY="$(PICOCLAW_BINARY)" ${WEB_GO} run -ldflags "$(LAUNCHER_LDFLAGS)" . $(BACKEND_ARGS)
# Build frontend and embed into Go binary
build:
cd frontend && pnpm build:backend
${WEB_GO} build $(GOFLAGS) -ldflags "$(LDFLAGS)" -o $(BUILD_DIR)/picoclaw-launcher ./backend/
build: build-frontend
@mkdir -p "$$(dirname "$(OUTPUT)")"
${WEB_GO} build $(GOFLAGS) -ldflags "$(LAUNCHER_LDFLAGS)" -o "$(OUTPUT)" ./$(BACKEND_DIR)/
build-frontend:
@if [ ! -d $(FRONTEND_DIR)/node_modules ] || \
[ $(FRONTEND_DIR)/package.json -nt $(FRONTEND_DIR)/node_modules ] || \
[ $(FRONTEND_DIR)/pnpm-lock.yaml -nt $(FRONTEND_DIR)/node_modules ]; then \
echo "Installing frontend dependencies..."; \
cd $(FRONTEND_DIR) && pnpm install --frozen-lockfile; \
fi
@echo "Building frontend..."
@cd $(FRONTEND_DIR) && pnpm build:backend
build-dev-picoclaw:
@echo "Building picoclaw for launcher development..."
@mkdir -p "$$(dirname "$(PICOCLAW_BINARY)")"
@$(GO) build $(GOFLAGS) -ldflags "$(LDFLAGS)" -o "$(PICOCLAW_BINARY)" ../cmd/picoclaw
# Run all tests
test:
cd backend && ${WEB_GO} test ./...
cd frontend && pnpm lint
cd $(BACKEND_DIR) && ${WEB_GO} test ./...
cd $(FRONTEND_DIR) && pnpm lint
# Lint and format
lint:
cd backend && ${WEB_GO} vet ./...
cd frontend && pnpm check
cd $(BACKEND_DIR) && ${WEB_GO} vet ./...
cd $(FRONTEND_DIR) && pnpm check
# Clean build artifacts
clean:
rm -rf frontend/dist backend/dist $(BUILD_DIR)
mkdir -p backend/dist && touch backend/dist/.gitkeep
rm -rf $(FRONTEND_DIR)/dist $(BACKEND_DIST) $(BUILD_DIR)
node $(FRONTEND_DIR)/scripts/ensure-backend-gitkeep.cjs
+353 -21
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@@ -1,51 +1,383 @@
# Picoclaw Web
# PicoClaw Web
This directory contains the standalone web service for `picoclaw`.
It provides a complete unified web interface, acting as a dashboard, configuration center, and interactive console (channel client) for the core `picoclaw` engine.
`web/` contains the standalone WebUI launcher for PicoClaw.
It is not just a frontend: it is a small launcher service that bundles a React dashboard, exposes a backend API, manages launcher authentication, and starts or attaches to the `picoclaw gateway` process.
![PicoClaw Launcher](./picoclaw-launcher.png)
## What This Directory Provides
- A browser-based chat UI backed by the Pico channel WebSocket proxy.
- A dashboard for models, credentials, channels, agent tools, skills, logs, and runtime settings.
- A launcher process that can auto-open the browser, show a system tray menu, and persist launcher-specific settings.
- A controlled way to start, stop, restart, and inspect the `picoclaw gateway` subprocess.
- A single-binary deployment target where the frontend is embedded into the Go backend.
## Architecture
The service is structured as a monorepo containing both the backend and frontend code to ensure high cohesion and simplify deployment.
This directory is a small monorepo:
* **`backend/`**: The Go-based web server. It provides RESTful APIs, manages WebSocket connections for chat, and handles the lifecycle of the `picoclaw` process. It eventually embeds the compiled frontend assets into a single executable.
* **`frontend/`**: The Vite + React + TanStack Router single-page application (SPA). It provides the interactive user interface.
- `backend/`
- Go HTTP server and launcher runtime.
- Serves REST APIs, authentication endpoints, channel helper flows, and the Pico WebSocket reverse proxy.
- Embeds compiled frontend assets from `backend/dist`.
- `frontend/`
- Vite + React 19 + TanStack Router SPA.
- Provides the launcher dashboard and chat UI.
## Getting Started
At runtime the launcher and the main PicoClaw engine are separate processes:
1. The launcher starts the web backend on port `18800` by default.
2. The launcher serves the dashboard and handles dashboard authentication.
3. When allowed, it starts or attaches to `picoclaw gateway -E`.
4. The frontend talks only to the launcher backend.
5. The launcher proxies chat traffic to the gateway through `/pico/ws`.
## Dashboard Capabilities
The current frontend exposes these major pages and flows:
- `/`
- Chat UI with session history, default model selection, and Pico channel messaging.
- `/models`
- Add, edit, delete, and set the default model.
- Supports API-key models, OAuth-backed models, and local/CLI-backed models.
- `/credentials`
- Manage provider credentials.
- Current built-in flows: OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google Antigravity.
- `/channels/*`
- Configure supported channels from a shared catalog.
- Current catalog: `weixin`, `telegram`, `discord`, `slack`, `feishu`, `dingtalk`, `line`, `qq`, `onebot`, `wecom`, `whatsapp`, `whatsapp_native`, `pico`, `maixcam`, `matrix`, `irc`.
- Includes QR-based binding helpers for WeChat and WeCom.
- `/agent/skills`
- Browse built-in, global, and workspace skills.
- Import Markdown skills into the workspace and delete workspace-owned skills.
- `/agent/tools`
- View tool availability and enable or disable tool switches through config-backed APIs.
- `/config`
- Edit agent defaults, exec controls, cron controls, heartbeat, device monitoring, launcher networking, and launch-at-login settings.
- `/logs`
- View the in-memory gateway log buffer and clear it.
The UI currently supports English and Simplified Chinese, plus light and dark themes.
## Runtime Behavior
### Config Resolution
The launcher uses the same PicoClaw config file as the main binary.
- Default app config path: `~/.picoclaw/config.json`
- Override with environment variable: `PICOCLAW_CONFIG`
- Override with a positional CLI argument: `picoclaw-launcher /path/to/config.json`
Launcher-only settings are stored beside that app config:
- File name: `launcher-config.json`
- Default location: `~/.picoclaw/launcher-config.json`
That file currently stores:
- `port`
- `public`
- `allowed_cidrs`
If `-port` or `-public` are passed explicitly, the CLI flag wins for that run.
If they are omitted, stored launcher settings are used.
### First-Run Onboarding
If the target config file does not exist, the launcher tries to bootstrap it automatically by running:
```bash
picoclaw onboard
```
The launcher looks for the main PicoClaw binary in this order:
1. `PICOCLAW_BINARY`
2. A `picoclaw` binary in the same directory as the launcher
3. `picoclaw` from `PATH`
If onboarding or gateway startup cannot find the main binary, set `PICOCLAW_BINARY` explicitly.
### Gateway Management
The launcher manages `picoclaw gateway -E`.
On startup it tries to auto-start or attach to the gateway, but only when startup preconditions pass. In the current code, the main checks are:
- a default model is configured
- the default model entry is valid
- the default model has usable credentials
- local/runtime-probed models are reachable
When a gateway process is started by the launcher, the launcher:
- captures stdout and stderr into an in-memory ring buffer
- tracks transient states such as `starting`, `restarting`, and `stopping`
- marks restart-required when the default model or enabled tool set changed since boot
- ensures the Pico channel is configured before startup
### Launcher Authentication
The dashboard is protected by a launcher access token.
- If `PICOCLAW_LAUNCHER_TOKEN` is set, that token is used.
- Otherwise a random token is generated for each launcher process.
- The browser auto-open URL includes `?token=...` so local launches can sign in automatically.
- Manual login uses `/launcher-login`.
- API clients may also authenticate with `Authorization: Bearer <token>`.
Where users can retrieve the token depends on launch mode:
- Console mode: printed to stdout
- GUI mode: available through the tray menu on supported builds
- GUI mode without stdout:
- random per-run tokens are written to the launcher log
- default log path: `~/.picoclaw/logs/launcher.log`
- if `PICOCLAW_HOME` is set, use `$PICOCLAW_HOME/logs/launcher.log`
- env-pinned tokens are not reprinted there; the log only notes that `PICOCLAW_LAUNCHER_TOKEN` is in use
### Network Exposure
By default the launcher listens on:
```text
127.0.0.1:18800
```
With `-public` or `public: true`, it listens on all interfaces:
```text
0.0.0.0:18800
```
When public access is enabled:
- the launcher can still protect the dashboard with the access token
- optional `allowed_cidrs` can restrict which client IP ranges may connect
- the gateway host is overridden so remote clients can still use the launcher-managed proxy paths
## Build And Run
### Prerequisites
* Go 1.25+
* Node.js 20+ with pnpm
- Go `1.25+`
- Node.js `20+`
- `pnpm`
### Development
On macOS, the `web` Makefile enables `CGO_ENABLED=1` so tray-enabled launcher builds work as expected.
On Darwin or FreeBSD without cgo, the launcher falls back to headless mode without a tray.
Run both the frontend dev server and the Go backend simultaneously:
If you want to prepare the frontend workspace manually, you can still install dependencies yourself:
```bash
cd frontend
pnpm install
```
### Recommended Development Workflow
From the `web/` directory:
```bash
make dev
```
Or run them separately:
This does three things:
1. Builds `../build/picoclaw` for launcher development.
2. Starts the Go backend with `PICOCLAW_BINARY` pointing at that binary.
3. Starts the Vite frontend dev server.
Use this when you want the full launcher flow during development.
### Run Frontend And Backend Separately
```bash
make dev-frontend # Vite dev server
make dev-backend # Go backend
make dev-frontend
make dev-backend
```
### Build
Notes:
Build the frontend and embed it into a single Go binary:
- `dev-frontend` runs the Vite server.
- `dev-backend` runs the Go backend only.
- The Vite dev server proxies `/api` to `http://localhost:18800`.
- Chat WebSocket URLs are generated by the backend, so the frontend does not hardcode gateway addresses.
- Running `dev-backend` alone is mainly useful for backend work or when `backend/dist` already contains a built frontend.
### Build The Standalone Launcher Binary
From `web/`:
```bash
make build
```
The output binary is `backend/picoclaw-web`.
This:
### Other Commands
1. Installs frontend dependencies when needed.
2. Builds the frontend into `backend/dist`.
3. Embeds those assets into the Go backend.
4. Produces `build/picoclaw-launcher`.
Override the output path if needed:
```bash
make test # Run backend tests and frontend lint
make lint # Run go vet and prettier/eslint
make clean # Remove all build artifacts
make build OUTPUT=/tmp/picoclaw-launcher
```
From the repository root you can also use:
```bash
make build-launcher
```
That writes the platform-specific launcher to:
```text
build/picoclaw-launcher-<platform>-<arch>
```
and refreshes the `build/picoclaw-launcher` symlink.
### Frontend-Only Builds
For frontend work there are two useful package scripts:
```bash
cd frontend
pnpm build
pnpm build:backend
```
- `pnpm build` writes a normal Vite build to `frontend/dist`
- `pnpm build:backend` writes the embeddable build to `../backend/dist`
### Run The Built Launcher
Examples:
```bash
./build/picoclaw-launcher
./build/picoclaw-launcher -console
./build/picoclaw-launcher -public
./build/picoclaw-launcher -port 19999 /path/to/config.json
```
Current launcher flags:
- `-port`
- `-public`
- `-no-browser`
- `-lang`
- `-console`
## Make Targets
From `web/`:
```bash
make dev
make dev-frontend
make dev-backend
make build
make build-frontend
make test
make lint
make clean
```
What they do today:
- `make build-frontend`
- Runs `pnpm install --frozen-lockfile` when dependencies are missing or stale.
- Builds the embeddable frontend into `backend/dist`.
- `make test`
- Runs backend Go tests.
- Runs frontend `pnpm lint`.
- `make lint`
- Runs backend `go vet`.
- Runs frontend `pnpm check`.
- `pnpm check` currently formats files with Prettier and fixes lint issues with ESLint, so this target can modify your working tree.
- `make clean`
- Removes `frontend/dist`, `backend/dist`, and `build/`, then recreates `backend/dist/.gitkeep`.
## Directory Layout
```text
web/
├── backend/
│ ├── api/ # REST API handlers and launcher runtime endpoints
│ ├── launcherconfig/ # launcher-config.json load/save/validation
│ ├── middleware/ # auth, content type, logging, CIDR allowlist
│ ├── model/ # Go data structures and logic wrappers
│ ├── utils/ # runtime helpers, onboarding, browser launch
│ ├── winres/ # Windows application resources
│ └── dist/ # embedded frontend build output
├── frontend/
│ ├── src/api/ # browser API clients
│ ├── src/components/ # UI pages and shared components
│ ├── src/features/ # feature-specific state, controllers, and protocol helpers
│ ├── src/hooks/ # shared React hooks
│ ├── src/i18n/ # internationalization language packs
│ ├── src/lib/ # generic library utilities
│ ├── src/routes/ # TanStack file routes
│ ├── src/store/ # global state management
│ └── vite.config.ts # dev server and build config
├── Makefile
└── README.md
```
## Troubleshooting
### You have to sign in again after the launcher restarts
Existing dashboard sessions do not survive launcher restarts.
That is expected: each launcher process generates a new signed session value, so old cookies become invalid.
To make re-login easier, set a stable token:
```bash
export PICOCLAW_LAUNCHER_TOKEN="replace-with-a-long-random-token"
```
Notes:
- a stable token does not preserve the old cookie-based session by itself
- when the launcher opens the browser automatically, it appends `?token=...` and signs in again automatically
- if you reopen the dashboard manually, use the same stable token on `/launcher-login`
### "Start Gateway" stays disabled
The launcher only allows gateway startup when the configured default model is usable.
Check these in the dashboard:
- a default model is selected
- the model has credentials or OAuth state
- local models such as Ollama or vLLM are reachable
### The launcher cannot find `picoclaw`
Set the main binary explicitly:
```bash
export PICOCLAW_BINARY=/absolute/path/to/picoclaw
```
This affects onboarding and gateway subprocess startup.
### The backend starts but the UI is blank in development
Use `make dev` for the normal workflow.
If you run only `make dev-backend`, either run `make dev-frontend` alongside it or build the embedded frontend first with `make build-frontend`.
## Related Docs
- Main project overview: [`../README.md`](../README.md)
- Configuration guide: [`../docs/configuration.md`](../docs/configuration.md)
- Providers: [`../docs/providers.md`](../docs/providers.md)
- Troubleshooting: [`../docs/troubleshooting.md`](../docs/troubleshooting.md)
- Official docs site: [docs.picoclaw.io](https://docs.picoclaw.io)