Host App¶
The host is a Compose Desktop app that discovers running Livewire clients, connects to them, and renders their plugin UI.
Running¶
macOS:
or
Until publishing is configured for other platforms, you may run the host app from source:
Native installers can also be built with Compose Desktop packaging:
Connecting to an app¶
On launch the host shows every discovered client — Android devices and emulators (via ADB), physical iOS devices (via USB), iOS simulators, and desktop apps on the same machine — each with its app icon, name, and device. The list updates live as apps start and stop.
Click an app to connect. A status chip in the top bar tracks the connection: Forwarding (setting up the ADB/USB bridge) → Listening (waiting for the client) → Connected. If the app disappears — a crash, a redeploy — the host keeps listening and reconnects automatically when it comes back.
Protocol version
If an app shows a warning instead of a Connect button, its Livewire library and your host speak different protocol versions — update whichever side is older.
The main window¶
- Plugin drawer: a collapsible left drawer lists the connected app's installed plugins, using the icons and titles the app supplied. Select one to stream its UI.
- Dark mode toggle: restyles the host and notifies the client, so plugin UI follows along. Rendered plugin UI uses the connected app's own theme colors.
- Network meter: opens a separate window with live charts of layout frame sizes, cumulative bytes, and throughput, plus a log of recent protocol messages. Useful when developing plugins to see what your UI costs on the wire.
- Crash recovery: if a plugin throws on-device, the host shows a snackbar with a Reload action. The app itself is unaffected.
Window size, position, dark mode, drawer state, and the last-connected app are remembered between launches.