Runic.Desktop 0.3.0-preview.1

.NET 10.0 This package targets .NET 10.0. The package is compatible with this framework or higher.
This is a prerelease version of Runic.Desktop. 
dotnet add package Runic.Desktop --version 0.3.0-preview.1
                    


                    

                
NuGet\Install-Package Runic.Desktop -Version 0.3.0-preview.1
This command is intended to be used within the Package Manager Console in Visual Studio, as it uses the NuGet module's version of Install-Package. 
<PackageReference Include="Runic.Desktop" Version="0.3.0-preview.1" />
For projects that support PackageReference, copy this XML node into the project file to reference the package. 
<PackageVersion Include="Runic.Desktop" Version="0.3.0-preview.1" />
                    


                            Directory.Packages.props
                        

                    

                
<PackageReference Include="Runic.Desktop" />
                    


                            Project file
For projects that support Central Package Management (CPM), copy this XML node into the solution Directory.Packages.props file to version the package. 
paket add Runic.Desktop --version 0.3.0-preview.1
                    


                    

                
#r "nuget: Runic.Desktop, 0.3.0-preview.1"
#r directive can be used in F# Interactive and Polyglot Notebooks. Copy this into the interactive tool or source code of the script to reference the package. 
#:package Runic.Desktop@0.3.0-preview.1
#:package directive can be used in C# file-based apps starting in .NET 10 preview 4. Copy this into a .cs file before any lines of code to reference the package. 
#addin nuget:?package=Runic.Desktop&version=0.3.0-preview.1&prerelease
                    


                            Install as a Cake Addin
                        

                    

                
#tool nuget:?package=Runic.Desktop&version=0.3.0-preview.1&prerelease
                    


                            Install as a Cake Tool

Runic Desktop

Runic Desktop is a managed .NET runtime for web-powered desktop applications. It serves application content with ASP.NET Core, connects JavaScript and .NET, and opens the interface in an installed browser or an embedded platform WebView. It does not load the native WebUI library.

Source preview · first package pending. The API may change before the first published preview.

Capabilities

  • Embedded HTML, files, folders, external URLs, and fixed or streaming virtual content
  • Async JavaScript-to-.NET presentation capabilities
  • Managed-to-JavaScript execution, navigation, and raw byte transport
  • Shared or isolated Kestrel listeners with explicit host and surface ownership
  • Request-scoped dependency injection, streaming backpressure, and cancellation causes
  • Same-origin admission and 256-bit surface-scoped session credentials by default
  • Installed-browser discovery, isolated profiles, kiosk mode, and process ownership
  • Embedded WebView2, WKWebView, and WebKitGTK windows
  • Structured browser/WebView preflight with actionable prerequisite diagnostics
  • Sensitive permissions denied by default and explicit, typed presentation opt-in
  • Window geometry, framing, transparency, visibility, focus, and native handles
  • Asynchronous native close confirmation for unsaved work
  • Trimming and NativeAOT-compatible managed core

Example

using Runic.Desktop;

await using var host = await DesktopHost.StartAsync();
await using var surface = await host.CreateSurfaceAsync(new DesktopSurfaceOptions
{
    Content = """
    <!doctype html>
    <html>
    <head><script src="webui.js"></script></head>
    <body><button onclick="greet('Runic').then(alert)">Greet</button></body>
    </html>
    """,
});
using var greeting = surface.RegisterCapability(
    "greet",
    static (invocation, _) =>
        ValueTask.FromResult<PresentationResult>($"Hello, {invocation.GetString()}!"));
await using var window = await surface.OpenWindowAsync();
window.WaitForClose();

Run the included sample from source:

dotnet run --project samples/Runic.Desktop.Sample
dotnet run --project samples/Runic.Desktop.Sample -- --webview

Platform WebViews

  • Windows uses the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime. Windows x64/ARM64 NativeAOT publishes link the WebView2 loader into the executable automatically; no adjacent WebView2Loader.dll is required. The Edge runtime must still be installed. JIT builds retain the native DLL.
  • macOS uses the system WebKit framework.
  • Linux requires explicit DesktopHostOptions.Linux.EmbeddedBackend selection: GTK3/WebKitGTK 4.1, or the optional Runic.Desktop.Gtk4 provider with GTK4/WebKitGTK 6.0, plus a graphical display.

Applications can provide an IDesktopWindowHostFactory in immutable host options without replacing the managed server, transport, capabilities, or lifecycle.

Inspect presentation readiness before doing application work:

await using var host = await DesktopHost.StartAsync();
var preflight = host.GetPresentationPreflight(new DesktopWindowOptions
{
    Browser = BrowserKind.Embedded,
    PresentationPolicy = DesktopPresentationPolicy.EmbeddedThenBrowser,
});
if (!preflight.IsAvailable)
{
    Console.Error.WriteLine($"{preflight.Diagnostic?.Code}: {preflight.Diagnostic?.Remediation}");
}

The default RequestedOnly policy never changes presentation mode. Applications that deliberately prefer a WebView but can continue in a browser can select DesktopPresentationPolicy.EmbeddedThenBrowser; the resulting DesktopWindow.FellBack property and the diagnostic sink make that decision observable. The typed preflight reports the preferred host, the policy's only permitted fallback, capability limits, and safe prerequisite remediation without starting a presentation. Camera and microphone access remains denied unless DesktopPermissionGrant.MediaCapture is explicitly selected for the window.

The retained webui-compat/52f9e75 direct-capability profile cannot carry a structured invocation failure on its legacy wire response. It reports only the stable empty compatibility result while the host emits a redacted, correlation-bearing diagnostic. The @runic-artifex/desktop Application Bridge transport exposes its own typed, redacted, correlation-bearing errors.

Relationship to WebUI and CS-WebUI

Runic Desktop began as a behavioral port of WebUI. WebUI remains a compatibility oracle for its established window, bridge, binding, content, and lifecycle behavior, while Runic Desktop owns its implementation and future API direction.

CS-WebUI remains the independently maintained .NET binding for unmodified upstream WebUI. Runic Desktop has no production dependency on CS-WebUI or the WebUI native library.

The internal WebUI-profile engine remains differential evidence; it is not part of the public API. Existing source-preview consumers can use the M6 migration guide. Compatibility work and intentional differences are recorded in the roadmap.

Product contract

M5 and later implement the language-neutral Runic Desktop presentation contract. The contract defines host, surface, window, session, request, streaming, cancellation, security, and error semantics independently of .NET and TypeScript APIs. Its ownership map keeps Application Bridge, Assets, Translations, Vite, and framework responsibilities with their existing Runic products.

License and attribution

Runic Desktop is MIT licensed. Its managed bridge implementation is informed by WebUI's MIT-licensed wire protocol and TypeScript bridge. The upstream license is retained in eng/licenses/WebUI-LICENSE.txt and the relevant attribution is recorded in NOTICE.

Minimal hosting profile

Set RunicDesktopMinimalHost=true to use the opt-in empty ASP.NET Core builder with explicit Kestrel core and socket transport. A NativeAOT linker feature switch removes the default slim-builder path. Runic's surface, transport and admission behavior is retained; default configuration providers are omitted. Test any custom service assumptions. See the SDK's size and tuning guide.

Product Compatible and additional computed target framework versions.
.NET net10.0 is compatible.  net10.0-android was computed.  net10.0-browser was computed.  net10.0-ios was computed.  net10.0-maccatalyst was computed.  net10.0-macos was computed.  net10.0-tvos was computed.  net10.0-windows was computed. 
Compatible target framework(s)
Included target framework(s) (in package)
Learn more about Target Frameworks and .NET Standard.

NuGet packages (4)

Showing the top 4 NuGet packages that depend on Runic.Desktop:

Package Downloads
Runic.Assets.Desktop

Request-scoped Runic Desktop delivery for Runic Assets.
Runic.Application.Desktop

Runic Desktop presentation integration for Runic Application.
Runic.Application.Platform.Desktop

Verified Desktop owner integration for Runic platform services.
Runic.Desktop.Gtk4

Explicit GTK 4 and WebKitGTK 6 embedded presentation provider for Runic Desktop.

GitHub repositories

This package is not used by any popular GitHub repositories.

Version Downloads Last Updated
0.3.0-preview.1 77 9/11/2026
0.2.0-preview.1 73 9/9/2026