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
│   │   │   ├── backup.rs         # pg_dump / pg_restore wrappers
│   │   │   └── workspace.rs      # Workspace/folder persistence
│   │   ├── models/               # Serde structs shared across commands
│   │   │   ├── mod.rs
│   │   │   ├── connection.rs
│   │   │   ├── query.rs
│   │   │   └── 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
DB type filter (Postgres/MySQL/SQLite/Redis)	✅	Toggle chips to filter connection grid
Global search (Cmd+K)	✅	Connection URL detection auto-fills new-connection 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	❌	Currently only via edit form
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
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 (client-side)	✅	eq, neq, contains, starts, ends, gt, lt, null, notnull
Column sorting (client-side)	✅	Multi-column asc/desc
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
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	❌	Plain HTML <table>; TODO: @tanstack/react-virtual for 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
Functions	❌	Stub button in sidebar; not queried from pg_proc
Triggers	❌	Stub button in sidebar
Sequences	❌	Not listed anywhere
Enums / user-defined types	❌	udt_name returned in column metadata but no enum viewer
Extensions	❌	Not queried from pg_extension
Indexes (per table)	❌
Constraints (CHECK, UNIQUE beyond PK/FK)	❌
Materialized views	❌	Not distinguished from regular views
Stored procedures	❌
Schema visualizer (ER diagram)	❌	Stub button in sidebar

Query Editor

Feature	Status	Details
SQL text editor (Monaco)	❌	src/components/editor/ does not exist yet
SQL autocomplete (keywords, tables, columns)	❌
Custom query execution (arbitrary SQL)	❌	Only SELECT * FROM table via tab open
Multiple result sets	❌
Query history / recent queries	❌	No persistence or UI
Saved queries (named, organized)	❌	No queries table in local SQLite
Query favorites / pinning	❌
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	❌	No Rust command; shell out to system binary per design decision #3
pg_restore wrapper	❌
Backup UI	❌
DB-to-DB sync	❌
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	❌

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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.