Install & Build

Requirements

• Node.js 24.17+
• npm (bundled with Node.js)
• A Roku device on your local network, or a remote server for remote access

Building distributables also needs platform tools: Xcode Command Line Tools (macOS), Windows SDK (Windows, for the NSIS installer), or standard build essentials — gcc, make, etc. (Linux).

Quick Start (Development)

• Install dependencies (from repo root):

  npm install

• Run the app:

  npm start

• Optional — verify TypeScript across every workspace (API, Electron main/preload, renderer, remote server):

  npm run typecheck

Building Distributable Apps

macOS

npm run build:mac

Creates, under apps/roku-dev-studio/dist/:

• mac/arm64/*.dmg — Apple Silicon installer
• mac/arm64/*.zip — Apple Silicon app bundle used by the in-app updater

Intel Mac builds are no longer produced by default; build locally (deprecated) with npm run build:mac:intel.

Windows

npm run build:win

Creates, under windows/x64/, the NSIS installer (…-Setup-…-x64.exe) and a portable executable (…-Portable-…-x64.exe). File names for every platform come from build.artifactName in apps/roku-dev-studio/package.json; npm run verify:artifact-names -w roku-dev-studio prints them.

Linux

npm run build:linux

Creates, under linux/x64/ and linux/arm64/, a Debian package (.deb) and an AppImage per architecture. electron-builder spells x64 as amd64 in .deb names and x86_64 in .AppImage names.

All platforms

npm run build:all

Per-platform notes

macOS — code signing & notarization

Release builds are signed with a Developer ID Application certificate and notarized by Apple. electron-builder does both natively (build.mac.notarize: true) when it finds a signing identity plus notarytool credentials, and staples the ticket into the .app. Without them it emits an ad-hoc-signed build and end users need to clear quarantine before launching:

xattr -cr "/Applications/Roku Dev Studio.app"

Certificate import, notarytool credentials and the GitHub Actions secrets are documented in the repo's INSTALLATION.md.

Windows

No code signing is configured by default — Windows shows a SmartScreen warning until you add an Authenticode certificate. Cross-building from macOS/Linux requires Wine; the reliable option is building on Windows (or in a Windows VM / GitHub Actions runner).

Linux

The .deb target lists its runtime dependencies in package.json → build.deb.depends:

libgtk-3-0  libnotify4  libnss3  libxss1  libxtst6  xdg-utils  libatspi2.0-0  libuuid1

Debian/Ubuntu users install with sudo apt install ./Roku-Dev-Studio-*.deb (apt resolves the depends automatically). The AppImage is self-contained — chmod +x and run.

Troubleshooting

Connection issues

• Ensure the Roku and your computer are on the same network
• Control by Mobile Apps (ECP): Settings → System → Advanced system settings → Control by mobile apps → Network access. Roku's Disabled mode blocks remote/keypress entirely; Limited allows text input / app launch / query but not full remote keypress; Permissive needs this computer on the same subnet; Enabled gives full control on private network addresses
• Allow connections on port 8060 in your firewall

Building issues

• macOS code signing: distribution needs an Apple Developer certificate
• Windows builds on macOS: use a Windows VM or GitHub Actions
• Linux builds: ensure the dependencies above are installed on the build host