gridline/AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md

Guidance for AI coding agents working on Gridline.

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Project Identity

Gridline is an open-source, cross-platform database GUI client for PostgreSQL (with MySQL, SQLite, and Redis to follow). It is built as a Tauri 2.0 desktop app — a lightweight native shell (~40MB baseline) around a React web frontend, with a Rust backend handling all database operations, CLI tool orchestration, and local persistence.

Core differentiators from commercial alternatives (DB Pro, TablePlus, etc.):

• No paywalls — unlimited tabs, connections, and saved queries by default
• First-class PostgreSQL administration: pg_dump, pg_restore, DB-to-DB sync
• Full object explorer: Functions, Triggers, Sequences, Enums, Extensions — not just tables

Target audience: Developers managing multiple database environments across projects (Personal, Work, Client). The workspace/folder hierarchy is a first-class concept.

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Tech Stack

Layer	Technology	Notes
Desktop shell	Tauri 2.0	Native webview wrapper, Rust backend
Frontend	React 19 + TypeScript 5.8	Vite 7 for bundling/HMR
Styling	Tailwind CSS	Dark-first, glassmorphic aesthetic
State	Zustand or Jotai	Pick one and stay consistent per feature
Editor	Monaco Editor	SQL mode with custom autocomplete providers
Data grid	Glide Data Grid or TanStack Virtual	Virtualized, canvas-rendered
Backend	Rust (tokio async runtime)	Connection pools, IPC commands, shell execution
DB drivers	sqlx + tokio-postgres	Async, pure-Rust PostgreSQL driver
Local storage	SQLite via rusqlite	User settings, workspace state, query history
Credentials	OS keychain	macOS Keychain, Linux Secret Service, Windows Credential Manager

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Project Structure

gridline/
├── src/                          # React frontend (TypeScript)
│   ├── components/               # Reusable UI components
│   │   ├── layout/               # App shell, sidebar, tabs
│   │   ├── editor/               # Monaco wrapper, autocomplete
│   │   ├── grid/                 # Data grid, filters, export
│   │   ├── tree/                 # Workspace/object explorer tree
│   │   └── ui/                   # Primitives (buttons, modals, inputs)
│   ├── stores/                   # Zustand/Jotai stores
│   ├── hooks/                    # Custom hooks (useConnection, useQuery, etc.)
│   ├── lib/                      # Utilities, types, Tauri bindings
│   │   ├── commands.ts           # Typed wrappers around Tauri invoke()
│   │   ├── types.ts              # Shared TypeScript interfaces
│   │   └── utils.ts              # Formatting, validation helpers
│   ├── App.tsx
│   ├── main.tsx
│   └── index.css                 # Tailwind directives + custom theme tokens
├── src-tauri/                    # Rust backend
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── main.rs               # Binary entry point
│   │   ├── lib.rs                # Tauri builder, command registration
│   │   ├── db/                   # Connection pooling, query execution
│   │   │   ├── mod.rs
│   │   │   ├── pool.rs           # Connection pool manager
│   │   │   └── introspection.rs  # Schema/system catalog queries
│   │   ├── commands/             # Tauri #[tauri::command] handlers
│   │   │   ├── mod.rs
│   │   │   ├── connections.rs    # CRUD for saved connections
│   │   │   ├── query.rs          # SQL execution
│   │   │   ├── schema.rs         # Object tree introspection
│   │   │   ├── schema_graph.rs   # ER diagram / relationship graph
│   │   │   ├── backup.rs         # pg_dump / pg_restore wrappers
│   │   │   └── workspace.rs      # Workspace/folder persistence
│   │   ├── models/               # Serde structs shared across commands
│   │   │   ├── mod.rs
│   │   │   ├── connection.rs
│   │   │   ├── query.rs
│   │   │   ├── db_viewer.rs      # DB viewer types (SchemaGraph, TableNode, etc.)
│   │   │   └── workspace.rs
│   │   └── store/                # SQLite local persistence layer
│   │       ├── mod.rs
│   │       └── migrations.rs
│   ├── Cargo.toml
│   ├── tauri.conf.json
│   └── capabilities/             # Tauri capability permissions
├── public/                       # Static frontend assets
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.json
├── vite.config.ts
├── tailwind.config.ts
└── AGENTS.md                     # This file

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Conventions

TypeScript / React

• Components: PascalCase files, default exports for page-level, named exports for reusable primitives
• Hooks: use prefix, one hook per file unless tightly coupled
• Stores: One Zustand store per domain (connectionStore, queryStore, workspaceStore)
• Types: Define interfaces in src/lib/types.ts; use type for unions/aliases
• No any: Always type Tauri invoke() calls with explicit generics
• CSS: Tailwind utility classes only; no CSS modules unless unavoidable (Monaco configuration is the exception)

Rust

• Modules: One module file per concern; re-export through mod.rs
• Errors: Use anyhow for application errors, thiserror for library-style enums
• Commands: Keep #[tauri::command] functions thin — delegate to db/ or store/ modules
• State: Use Tauri managed state (app.manage()) for connection pool handles
• Naming: snake_case for functions/modules, CamelCase for types/structs

General

• IPC flow: Frontend calls typed wrapper → wrapper calls invoke() → Rust command → Rust logic → returns Result<T, String>
• Error handling: Rust commands return Result<T, String> (map errors to user-readable strings before crossing IPC boundary)
• No secrets in logs: Never log connection strings, passwords, or query parameters
• Dark mode first: All UI components must look correct in dark theme; light theme is secondary

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Key Design Decisions

1. Tauri over Electron — ~40MB RAM vs 250MB+. Native file dialogs, OS keychain access, and std::process::Command for pg_dump/pg_restore without Node.js overhead.

2. Rust-native DB drivers — sqlx/tokio-postgres connect directly to PostgreSQL from the Rust backend. No Node.js pg library, no sidecar Node process. The frontend never touches database connections directly.

3. System CLI tools for backup/restore — Rather than implementing pg_dump format parsers in Rust (enormous scope), we shell out to the user's installed pg_dump/pg_restore binaries. The app will detect missing tools and guide installation.

4. SQLite for local state — Workspace tree, saved queries, connection metadata (NOT passwords), and query history go into a local SQLite database in the Tauri app data directory. This enables fast full-text search and relational queries without loading everything into memory.

5. Virtualized grid from day one — Query results can be 100k+ rows. We must render with canvas/DOM virtualization (Glide Data Grid or TanStack Virtual), never with naive DOM row rendering.

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Development Workflow

Commands

bun install              # Install frontend dependencies
bun run dev              # Vite dev server only (no Tauri)
bun run tauri dev        # Full Tauri app with hot-reload
bun run tauri build      # Production build
cargo build              # Rust backend only (from src-tauri/)
cargo test               # Rust tests

Adding a Tauri Command

1. Define the command function in the appropriate src-tauri/src/commands/ module
2. Register it in src-tauri/src/lib.rs via .invoke_handler(tauri::generate_handler![...])
3. Create a typed wrapper function in src/lib/commands.ts
4. Call the wrapper from your React component/store

Adding a New Dependency

• Frontend: bun add <package> (runtime) or bun add -d <package> (dev)
• Rust: Add to src-tauri/Cargo.toml under [dependencies]

Testing Strategy

• Rust: Unit tests for database logic, connection pool management, and command handlers. Use sqlx::test with a test PostgreSQL instance for integration tests.
• Frontend: Vitest + React Testing Library for component tests. Focus on store logic, command wrappers, and critical UI flows (connection form, query execution).
• E2E: (Future) Tauri WebDriver or Playwright for critical paths.

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Constraints & Guardrails

• Do NOT implement pg_dump file format parsing — always shell out to system binaries
• Do NOT store passwords in SQLite or local files — use OS keychain APIs exclusively
• Do NOT render large query results in raw DOM — always use the virtualized grid component
• Do NOT log credentials, connection strings, or query data
• Do NOT introduce Electron, Node.js server processes, or Docker dependencies
• Do NOT execute data-modifying SQL (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE, DROP, ALTER) or any destructive CRUD operation (deleting connections, folders, tags) directly without explicit user confirmation. For database data, always push to the changes queue first and require "Commit All". For app entities (connections, folders, tags), show a confirmation dialog before executing.
• DO keep Tauri commands thin — business logic lives in db/ and store/ modules
• DO type all IPC boundaries explicitly
• DO validate and sanitize all user-provided SQL and connection parameters before execution

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Implementation Status

✅ = Complete   🟡 = Partial/Stub   ❌ = Not Started

Connection Management

Feature	Status	Details
Connections CRUD (PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Redis)	✅	Full create/read/update/delete with form validation
Connection testing (all DB types)	✅	PostgreSQL, MySQL, SQLite, Redis all testable
DB Viewer: PostgreSQL browse + query	✅	Schemas, tables, paginated data, FK preview, JSON viewer
DB Viewer: SQLite browse + query	✅	Full support via rusqlite
DB Viewer: MySQL browse	❌	Test connection works; browsing not wired
DB Viewer: Redis browse	❌	Test connection works; browsing not wired
Password storage in OS keychain	✅	macOS Keychain, Linux Secret Service, Windows Credential Manager
SSH tunnel config UI	✅	Host, port, user, auth method, key path, passphrase fields
SSH tunnel runtime	🟡	UI exists; backend is a placeholder (TODO: ssh2 crate integration)
SSL/TLS config UI	✅	Mode (disable/require/verify-ca/verify-full), cert paths
SSL/TLS runtime	🟡	Config persisted; not yet passed to sqlx/tokio-postgres

Home Screen & Organization

Feature	Status	Details
Connection cards grid (by folder)	✅	Grouped display, single-click to open DB viewer
Folders CRUD	✅	Nested folders, reparent on delete, breadcrumb nav
Tags CRUD	✅	Colors, drag reorder, filter connections by tag
Tag filter dropdown	✅	ActionRow Tags button → dropdown with checkboxes, active-count badge, Manage tags → Settings. OR semantics — a connection shows if it has ANY selected tag (not all)
Folder tag matching	✅	When any filter is active, folder cards show only if the folder matches a selected tag OR contains matching connections (directly or in subfolders)
DB type filter (Postgres/MySQL/SQLite/Redis)	✅	Dropdown with checkboxes + Clear all; folder cards hidden when their contents don't match the DB type
Environment filter	✅	Select in Filters dropdown: All / Production / Staging / Development / None (unassigned); counts toward active badge
Global search (Cmd+K)	✅	Connection URL detection auto-fills new-connection form; shows results from ALL folders as if at root (folder scope bypassed while searching); breadcrumb shows "Showing Search Results" with Clear button
Connection name editing	✅	Name field in GeneralTab edit form
Import/Export connections (JSON)	✅	Bulk import with validation, skipped-record reporting
Bulk select + delete connections/folders	✅	Checkbox selection with confirmation dialog
Drag-and-drop connections to folders	✅	Optimistic update with atomic snapshot rollback (race-condition hardened)
Inline tag creation	✅	"Create first tag" inline form (name + color) in SearchableTagPicker empty state
Move-to-folder bulk action	❌
Favorites / Recent connections	❌
Connection status indicator on cards	❌

Database Viewer

Feature	Status	Details
Multi-tab table browser	✅	Open tables in tabs, close with Cmd/Ctrl+W
Schema/database selector	✅	Ghost-style dropdowns, single-row layout
Refresh database (spin + success/error feedback)	✅	Re-fetches databases, schemas, and tables
Search tables filter	✅	Animated input, real-time filter by name, auto-hide on blur
Column metadata (PK, FK, type, nullable, default)	✅	Expand table row to see columns with icons. ENUM/custom types resolved via udt_name, cast ::text for data retrieval.
FK detection	✅	information_schema.constraint_column_usage + PRAGMA foreign_key_list
FK preview popover	✅	Click FK cell → popover with referenced row → "Open" button creates filtered tab
JSON/JSONB cell popover	✅	Formatted/Raw tabs with copy button
Smart default sort	✅	12-tier priority: updated_at → created_at → *_at → *_id → seq/rank/version
Data grid pagination	✅	Page nav, page size selector persisted in settings
Column filtering (server-side)	✅	eq, neq, contains, starts, ends, gt, lt, null, notnull pushed to SQL WHERE
Column sorting (server-side)	✅	Multi-column asc/desc pushed to SQL ORDER BY
Column show/hide	✅	Toggle visibility per column
Column resize (drag handle)	✅	Double-click to auto-fit
Row selection (checkboxes + select all)	✅	Bulk copy (JSON/CSV/SQL) and delete
Export toolbar (JSON, CSV, SQL, Markdown)	✅	Client-side Blob download of visible rows
Auto-refresh timer	✅	Configurable interval in settings
Changes queue (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE)	✅	Queue changes → Commit All; cancel individual changes. Tab bar shows a Changes icon button with a pending-count badge that toggles the bottom panel (the queue dropdown was removed from the table toolbar — one entry point only)
Edit connection modal (from DB viewer)	✅	AnimatedModal with keychain password fetch on test
Connection drop banner	✅	Auto-detects broken connections with reconnect prompt
Inline cell editing	❌	Cells are read-only; changes via queue Insert button only
Virtualized data grid	✅	Row-level virtualization via @tanstack/react-virtual useVirtualizer; handles 100k+ rows
Row detail / expandable row view	❌
Keyboard cell navigation (arrow keys, Tab)	❌
Cell-level copy (right-click or Ctrl+C)	❌	Only bulk copy via toolbar

Object Explorer (non-table objects)

Feature	Status	Details
Unified Objects view	✅	Functions/Triggers/Sequences/Enums/Extensions merged into a single Objects nav item; sidebar header leads with an object-type dropdown (title position) + refresh/search icons, animated search, db/schema switchers; switching type resets selection and refetches
Functions	✅	Full detail view: signature, arguments with mode/type, syntax-highlighted line-numbered source. Overloads disambiguated by argument signature. Schema-filtered via pg_proc query.
Triggers	✅	Full detail view: table, event, timing, orientation, status (color-coded), definition. tgtype bitmask corrected. Schema-filtered.
Sequences	✅	Full detail view: current value, increment, start, min/max, cycle flag. Schema-filtered via information_schema.sequences.
Enums	✅	Full detail view: numbered bordered list matching Arguments style. Schema-filtered via pg_type WHERE typtype='e'.
Extensions	✅	Full detail view: version, schema, comment. Queried from pg_extension (no schema filter — extensions are DB-scoped).
Indexes (per table)	❌
Constraints (CHECK, UNIQUE beyond PK/FK)	❌
Materialized views	❌	Not distinguished from regular views
Stored procedures	🟡	Included in Functions via p.prokind IN ('f','p'); no separate view yet
Schema visualizer (ER diagram)	✅	Full React Flow ER diagram with dagre auto-layout, crow's foot notation, schema selector, legend with cardinality colors, collapsible columns (PK/FK/unique-only), cross-schema FK support. PostgreSQL (single round-trip LATERAL query) + SQLite (PRAGMA). Uses @xyflow/react + dagre.

Query Editor

Feature	Status	Details
SQL text editor (Monaco)	✅	Lazy-loaded Monaco SQL editor with Cmd/Ctrl+Enter to run (src/components/editor/QueryEditor.tsx)
Custom query execution (arbitrary SQL)	✅	execute_query Rust command: subquery-wrapped pagination + raw fallback; PostgreSQL + SQLite; results in virtualized grid
Destructive query guard	✅	Confirmation dialog for INSERT/UPDATE/DELETE/DROP/ALTER/TRUNCATE/CREATE/REPLACE (isDestructiveQuery + DestructiveQueryDialog)
Query history / recent queries	✅	v5 query_history table + v6 favorite column; consecutive-identical dedup + retention pruning (500/connection); get_query_history/clear_query_history/set_history_favorite commands; QueryHistoryDropdown in the query toolbar (load / run / favorite / clear, lazy fetch, loading + error states)
SQL autocomplete (keywords, tables, columns)	✅	Completion provider in src/lib/monacoSetup.ts backed by src/lib/sqlCompletion.ts (pure, unit-tested): keywords (~60) + table names from the active schema; typing table. or schema.table. suggests that table's columns (introspected via get_schema_graph, cached per schema in memory, incomplete: true warm-up on first use)
Multiple result sets	❌
Saved queries (named, organized)	✅	v6 queries table (nullable connection_id for global queries, folder field, ON DELETE CASCADE); save_query/get_saved_queries/update_saved_query/delete_saved_query commands with validation (name ≤200, folder ≤100, text ≤1MB); SaveQueryDialog (name + folder, empty-name guard); managed in the Queries view Saved tab
Query favorites / pinning	✅	Star toggle per history entry via set_history_favorite; favorites-only filter in the Queries view History tab
Queries view	✅	Two-pane layout following Explorer: left sidebar (Explorer-styled header — Queries title, History/Saved dropdown, favorites/clear/search icons, animated search) scoped to the current connection, right side reuses the shared tabbed query workspace (TabBar + toolbar + editor + results); clicking a history/saved row loads it into the editor
Editor settings (font, tab size, word wrap, minimap)	❌	Settings page has "Editor" tab with "coming soon" placeholder

Backup & Restore

Feature	Status	Details
pg_dump wrapper	✅	Rust command spawns pg_dump with real-time progress events (backup-progress)
pg_restore wrapper	✅	Rust command spawns pg_restore with progress events
Backup UI	✅	In-page view: format selector, file browse (Tauri dialog), schema dropdown, no-owner toggle, progress bar with event-driven status
Restore UI	✅	In-page view: file browse, format, clean toggle, destructive confirmation checkbox, progress bar
DB-to-DB sync	✅	In-page view: source/target connection pickers, schema dropdown, pipe-based pg_dump → pg_restore
Unified Tools view	✅	Backup / Restore / DB Sync merged into a single Tools nav item; operation-switcher dropdown in the view toolbar, existing forms rendered below
SQLite .dump	❌
Table structure export (DDL)	❌

Settings

Feature	Status	Details
Theme (dark/light/system)	✅	Tailwind dark-first with ThemePicker
Font size	✅
Default folder for new connections	✅
Table page size default	✅
Auto-refresh rate	✅
Tags management	✅	Full CRUD with color picker, drag reorder
Shortcuts (2 configurable)	✅	Open command palette, Close tab
Confirm-before-delete toggle	✅
Default ports per DB type	✅
More keyboard shortcuts	❌	Only 2 configurable actions
Editor settings	❌	Placeholder tab
SSH key management	❌	Only path inputs, no key file reading
Settings export/import	❌

Demo & Onboarding

Feature	Status	Details
Demo SQLite database (auto-seeded)	✅	users, products, orders, order_items tables
Re-add demo DB button	✅	Settings → Advanced
Getting started / onboarding flow	❌
Welcome tooltips / tour	❌

AI Integration (Future Planning)

Feature	Status	Details
AI assistant (BYOK)	🔮	Planned for future. Bring-Your-Own-Key model (user supplies their own API key — no paywall, no bundling). Intended use cases: natural-language → SQL generation, query explanations, schema summaries, error message suggestions. No design decided yet — deliberate before implementation (privacy: SQL/text only sent to user's chosen provider, key stored in OS keychain like DB passwords).

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Related Documents

• Tauri 2.0 Documentation
• sqlx Documentation
• Monaco Editor API
• Project README
• Feature Specification

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This file is read by AI coding agents (Claude, Cursor, Copilot, etc.) to understand project conventions and architecture before making changes. Keep it current as the project evolves.