# How to Build OpenHuman from Source: Complete Development Setup > Learn to build OpenHuman from source. Follow this guide for a complete development setup, including Node.js, pnpm, Rust, and CMake installation. Get OpenHuman running locally today. - Repository: [Tiny Humans/openhuman](https://github.com/tinyhumansai/openhuman) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-06-11 --- **Building OpenHuman from source requires Node.js 24+, pnpm 10.10, Rust 1.93, and CMake; clone the repository with submodules, install dependencies with `pnpm install`, copy the environment templates, then run either the web UI (`pnpm dev`), desktop app (`pnpm --filter openhuman-app dev:app`), or standalone Rust core (`cargo run --bin openhuman-core`).** OpenHuman is a hybrid project maintained in the `tinyhumansai/openhuman` repository that combines a Rust core for business logic with a React and Tauri desktop shell. To build from source, you must coordinate a polyglot toolchain that compiles the Rust JSON-RPC server alongside the JavaScript frontend. This guide follows the official contribution workflow documented in [`CONTRIBUTING.md`](https://github.com/tinyhumansai/openhuman/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) to ensure your development environment matches the upstream configuration. ## Prerequisites Before cloning, install the system-level compilers and tooling required by the Rust crates (including Whisper bindings) and the Tauri/CEF build: - **Node.js** 24 or higher - **pnpm** 10.10 (the package manager used for the monorepo workspace) - **Rust** 1.93 (install via rustup) - **CMake** and **Ninja** (for native C++ dependencies) - **ripgrep** (for search utilities) **Platform-specific dependencies:** - **macOS:** `brew install node@24 pnpm rustup-init cmake ninja ripgrep` - **Linux:** Install `build-essential`, `libgtk-3-dev`, `libwebkit2gtk-4.0-dev`, `libayatana-appindicator3-dev`, plus `cmake`, `ninja`, and `ripgrep`. - **Windows:** Install Visual Studio C++ Build Tools, LLVM, and CMake, then Node.js 24 and pnpm. ## Clone the Repository and Initialize Submodules OpenHuman vendors a patched Tauri CLI and Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) sources required for the desktop build. You must clone with submodules to populate `app/src-tauri/vendor`. ```bash git clone https://github.com/tinyhumansai/openhuman.git cd openhuman git submodule update --init --recursive ``` The `app/src-tauri/vendor/tauri-cef` directory contains the custom Chromium build that enables mascot video rendering and other native features. ## Install Dependencies and Configure Environment Install the workspace JavaScript dependencies and bootstrap the Rust environment: ```bash pnpm install ``` Copy the environment templates to local files before running any build commands: ```bash cp .env.example .env cp app/.env.example app/.env.local ``` These files provide default configuration for the Rust core, Tauri shell, and frontend. No secrets are committed to the repository, but the application will fail to start without these local files. ## Choose Your Build Mode The repository supports three distinct development entry points depending on which layer you are modifying. ### Web-Only Development Server Run the Vite development server for rapid UI iteration without compiling the desktop shell: ```bash pnpm dev ``` This starts the frontend at `http://localhost:5173` and assumes the core is running separately or mocked. ### Full Desktop Application Build the complete Tauri application with the embedded Rust core and CEF renderer: ```bash pnpm --filter openhuman-app dev:app ``` This command uses the vendored Tauri CLI in `app/src-tauri/vendor` to ensure the correct CEF environment is initialized. It bundles the `openhuman-core` binary as an embedded child process and provides native OS integrations like notifications and deep linking. ### Standalone Rust Core Run only the Rust JSON-RPC server for backend development or API integration: ```bash cargo run --manifest-path Cargo.toml --bin openhuman-core ``` The core prints its RPC endpoint (e.g., `http://127.0.0.1:7788/rpc`) and can run independently of the frontend. In the full desktop build, UI-to-core communication flows through `invoke('core_rpc_relay', …)` calls bridged by the Tauri shell. ## Verify Your Build Ensure the environment is correctly configured by running the linting and type-checking suites: ```bash pnpm typecheck # TypeScript compilation pnpm lint # ESLint pnpm format:check # Prettier + rustfmt cargo check # Rust compilation ``` All checks should complete without errors. Optionally, run the full test matrix: ```bash pnpm test # Frontend unit tests pnpm test:rust # Rust tests pnpm test:e2e # Desktop end-to-end tests ``` ## Summary - **Prerequisites:** Node 24+, pnpm 10.10, Rust 1.93, CMake, and Ninja are required to compile the Rust core and Tauri shell. - **Submodules:** The `app/src-tauri/vendor` directory contains vendored Tauri CEF sources that must be fetched with `git submodule update --init --recursive`. - **Environment:** Copy `.env.example` to `.env` and `app/.env.example` to `app/.env.local` before starting any build. - **Entry Points:** Use `pnpm dev` for web-only, `pnpm --filter openhuman-app dev:app` for the full desktop app, or `cargo run --bin openhuman-core` for the standalone Rust server. - **Quality Gates:** Run `pnpm typecheck`, `pnpm lint`, and `cargo check` to verify the build health. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### Why do I need to clone with submodules? The `app/src-tauri/vendor` directory contains a patched Tauri CLI and Chromium Embedded Framework (CEF) sources required for the desktop application's native video rendering and OS integrations. Without these submodules, the `pnpm --filter openhuman-app dev:app` command will fail to locate the custom Chromium build. ### What is the difference between the web-only and desktop builds? The **web-only** build (`pnpm dev`) runs the React frontend through the Vite development server for rapid UI prototyping. The **desktop** build (`pnpm --filter openhuman-app dev:app`) compiles the Tauri shell and embeds the Rust core as a child process, providing native OS features and the custom CEF renderer required for full functionality. ### Can I run the Rust core without installing Node.js? Yes. If you only need the JSON-RPC server, you can build and run the core using only Rust tooling: `cargo run --bin openhuman-core`. This is useful for backend development or headless deployments. However, building the full desktop application requires Node.js and pnpm to compile the frontend and manage the Tauri build process. ### Where are the Rust core and Tauri shell defined? The Rust core binary (`openhuman-core`) is declared in [`src/Cargo.toml`](https://github.com/tinyhumansai/openhuman/blob/main/src/Cargo.toml) at the repository root. The Tauri desktop shell, which links the embedded core and provides the native window, is defined in [`app/src-tauri/Cargo.toml`](https://github.com/tinyhumansai/openhuman/blob/main/app/src-tauri/Cargo.toml). The React frontend entry point resides in `app/src/`.