Electron Base Skill

Build secure, modern desktop applications with Electron 33, Vite, React, and TypeScript.

Quick Start

1. Initialize Project

# Create Vite project
npm create vite@latest my-app -- --template react-ts
cd my-app

# Install Electron dependencies
npm install electron electron-store
npm install -D vite-plugin-electron vite-plugin-electron-renderer electron-builder

2. Project Structure

my-app/
├── electron/
│   ├── main.ts           # Main process entry
│   ├── preload.ts        # Preload script (contextBridge)
│   └── ipc-handlers/     # Modular IPC handlers
│       ├── auth.ts
│       └── store.ts
├── src/                  # React app (renderer)
├── vite.config.ts        # Dual-entry Vite config
├── electron-builder.json # Build config
└── package.json

3. Package.json Updates

{
  "main": "dist-electron/main.mjs",
  "scripts": {
    "dev": "vite",
    "build": "vite build",
    "preview": "electron .",
    "package": "electron-builder"
  }
}

Architecture Patterns

Main vs Renderer Process Separation

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                     MAIN PROCESS                            │
│  (Node.js + Electron APIs)                                  │
│  - File system access                                       │
│  - Native modules (better-sqlite3)                          │
│  - System dialogs                                           │
│  - Protocol handlers                                        │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │ IPC (invoke/handle)
                      │ Events (send/on)
┌─────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────────┐
│                   PRELOAD SCRIPT                            │
│  (contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld)                          │
│  - Type-safe API exposed to renderer                        │
│  - No direct ipcRenderer exposure                           │
└─────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┘
                      │ window.electron.*
┌─────────────────────▼───────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  RENDERER PROCESS                           │
│  (Browser context - React app)                              │
│  - No Node.js APIs                                          │
│  - Uses window.electron.* for IPC                           │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Type-Safe IPC Pattern

The preload script exposes a typed API to the renderer:

// electron/preload.ts
export interface ElectronAPI {
  auth: {
    startOAuth: (provider: 'google' | 'github') => Promise<void>;
    getSession: () => Promise<Session | null>;
    logout: () => Promise<void>;
    onSuccess: (callback: (session: Session) => void) => () => void;
    onError: (callback: (error: string) => void) => () => void;
  };
  app: {
    getVersion: () => Promise<string>;
    openExternal: (url: string) => Promise<void>;
  };
}

// Expose to renderer
contextBridge.exposeInMainWorld('electron', electronAPI);

// Global type declaration
declare global {
  interface Window {
    electron: ElectronAPI;
  }
}

Security Best Practices

REQUIRED: Context Isolation

Always enable context isolation and disable node integration:

// electron/main.ts
const mainWindow = new BrowserWindow({
  webPreferences: {
    preload: join(__dirname, 'preload.cjs'),
    contextIsolation: true,    // REQUIRED - isolates preload from renderer
    nodeIntegration: false,    // REQUIRED - no Node.js in renderer
    sandbox: false,            // May need to disable for native modules
  },
});

NEVER: Hardcode Encryption Keys

// WRONG - hardcoded key is a security vulnerability
const store = new Store({
  encryptionKey: 'my-secret-key',  // DO NOT DO THIS
});

// CORRECT - derive from machine ID
import { machineIdSync } from 'node-machine-id';

const store = new Store({
  encryptionKey: machineIdSync().slice(0, 32),  // Machine-unique key
});

Sandbox Trade-offs

Native modules like better-sqlite3 require sandbox: false. Document this trade-off:

webPreferences: {
  sandbox: false, // Required for better-sqlite3 - document security trade-off
}

Modules requiring sandbox: false:

• better-sqlite3
• node-pty
• native-keymap

Modules working with sandbox: true:

• electron-store (pure JS)
• keytar (uses Electron's safeStorage)

OAuth with Custom Protocol Handlers

1. Register Protocol (main.ts)

// In development, need to pass executable path
if (process.defaultApp) {
  if (process.argv.length >= 2) {
    app.setAsDefaultProtocolClient('myapp', process.execPath, [process.argv[1]]);
  }
} else {
  app.setAsDefaultProtocolClient('myapp');
}

2. Handle Protocol URL

// Single instance lock (required for reliable protocol handling)
const gotTheLock = app.requestSingleInstanceLock();

if (!gotTheLock) {
  app.quit();
} else {
  app.on('second-instance', (_event, commandLine) => {
    const url = commandLine.find((arg) => arg.startsWith('myapp://'));
    if (url) handleProtocolUrl(url);
    if (mainWindow?.isMinimized()) mainWindow.restore();
    mainWindow?.focus();
  });
}

// macOS handles protocol differently
app.on('open-url', (_event, url) => {
  
how to use electron-base
CursorClaude CodeClineCodexWindsurfGooseGitHub CopilotVS CodeGemini CLIKiloOpencodeKimi CLIRoo ClineAiderContinueZedBolt.newLovablev0Replit AgentSweepSmol DeveloperDevinCavemanAmpAntigravity
How to use electron-base on Cursor
AI-first code editor with Composer
1
Prerequisites
Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:
›Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
›Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
›Active project directory or workspace where you want to add electron-base
2
Execute installation command
Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:
$npx skills add https://github.com/jezweb/claude-skills --skill electron-basecopy
The skills CLI fetches electron-base from GitHub repository jezweb/claude-skills and configures it for Cursor.
3
Select Cursor when prompted
The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:
◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│   • Amp
│   • Antigravity
│   • Cline
│   • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│   • Cursor
│   • Windsurf
4
Verify installation
Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:
.cursor/skills/electron-base
Reload or restart Cursor to activate electron-base. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /electron-base) or your agent's skill management interface.
⚠
Security & Verification Notice
We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.
Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.
Additional Resources
›View source code on GitHub›Skills CLI documentation›Learn more about Cursor›What are agent skills?