Nexus-Guard-Suite/.sisyphus/plans/nxg-phase6-desktop-client.md

NexusGuard SD-WAN — Phase 6: Desktop Client GUI

Overview

This plan extends the NexusGuard architecture to include a User-Friendly Desktop VPN Application for Windows and Linux users. It transitions the sys-bridge agent from a "stealth daemon" into a managed sidecar process controlled by a visual GUI.

Architecture Decisions

• Framework: Tauri (Rust) for minimal RAM overhead and native OS integration.
• Frontend: Vue 3 + TailwindCSS (Glassmorphism theme) to match the Dashboard UI.
• Engine: The Go binary (sys-bridge) built in Phase 2 will be bundled as a Tauri Sidecar. Tauri will spawn and control the Go binary.
• Privilege Elevation: The Tauri app must prompt for Admin/Root access on startup because WireGuard/Wintun requires elevated privileges to create network adapters.

Task 6.1: Tauri + Vue 3 Scaffold

• Goal: Initialize the project structure in apps/desktop-client.
• Actions:
  • Run create-tauri-app using Vue 3 and TypeScript.
  • Install Tailwind CSS v4 and matching UI dependencies (HeroIcons, Pinia).
  • Configure tauri.conf.json to allow elevated execution (requireAdministrator manifest on Windows).

Task 6.2: Sidecar Integration (Go Binary) ✅ DONE

• Goal: Bundle the sys-bridge agent.
• Actions:
  • Modify the Phase 2 sys-bridge binary to support a --json output flag for machine-readable logs. ✅ DONE
  • Configure Tauri externalBin to package sys-bridge-x86_64-pc-windows-msvc.exe and sys-bridge-x86_64-unknown-linux-gnu. ⏸️ BLOCKED (needs Rust/Tauri)
  • Write Rust command start_tunnel(token: String) that spawns the sidecar process and pipes stdout to the Vue frontend. ⏸️ BLOCKED (needs Rust/Tauri)

Task 6.3: UI - Registration State

• Goal: Build the first-time setup screen.
• Actions:
  • UI detects if REG_TOKEN is saved locally.
  • If missing, display a futuristic input form: "Link Device to NexusGuard".
  • User pastes the Token from the Dashboard.
  • Validate token format and securely store it using Tauri API (tauri-plugin-store).

Task 6.4: UI - Connected State & Telemetry

• Goal: Build the active VPN dashboard.
• Actions:
  • Large glowing "CONNECT / DISCONNECT" toggle button.
  • Read output from the Go sidecar to determine Tunnel State (Connecting, Handshake Successful, Error).
  • Display current InternalIP and connection uptime.
  • Traffic graph (Tx/Rx bytes) updated in real-time.

Task 6.5: OS Integration & Wintun Setup (Windows)

• Goal: Ensure seamless Windows networking.
• Actions:
  • Automatically download or bundle wintun.dll.
  • Register the application in the System Tray (Tauri system tray API).
  • Allow running in the background when the window is closed.

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Exit Criteria:

• Tauri app compiles for Windows (.msi / .exe) — ⏸️ BLOCKED (needs Rust)
• App prompts for Admin rights on launch — ⏸️ BLOCKED (needs Rust)
• User can input Registration Token in GUI — ⏸️ BLOCKED (needs scaffold)
• Clicking "Connect" successfully spawns the Go sidecar and establishes the WireGuard tunnel — ⏸️ BLOCKED (needs Rust + scaffold)
• System Tray icon shows connection status — ⏸️ BLOCKED (needs Rust)