Spike: Tauri desktop wrapper (path to AppImage, Flathub, Windows Store, brew cask)

[cevheri]

Part of the distribution-channels epic #108.

Problem

AppImage, Flathub, Windows Store (MSIX), and brew cask all require a GUI desktop application — they do not accept headless server apps. A desktop wrapper is the single building block that unlocks all four channels, and desktop is a real expectation in the DB IDE category (DBeaver, Beekeeper Studio, pgAdmin all ship desktop apps; pgAdmin is the closest precedent: a web server wrapped in a desktop shell).

Spike scope (timeboxed, no store submissions yet)

• Prototype a Tauri app that launches the standalone server as a sidecar process and renders it in the webview. Tauri preferred over Electron for bundle size (~10 MB shell vs ~100 MB), but the spike should note any blockers that would force Electron.
• Sidecar lifecycle: free-port selection, startup health check, clean shutdown, crash restart.
• Desktop-mode auth: reuse the localhost bootstrap from the zero-config issue; the wrapper should log the user in transparently.
• Validate native modules inside the packaged app on all three OSes.
• Produce unsigned proof-of-concept builds: AppImage + .dmg + NSIS installer.

Deliverable

A written recommendation on the epic: go/no-go, chosen stack, packaging matrix, signing/notarization costs (Apple Developer ID, Windows code signing), and follow-up issues per store (Flathub, Windows Store, brew cask, AppImage releases) if go.

Depends on

• Zero-config first run.