The desktop cockpit for localhost apps. LocalWrap helps you get any local app to green, then bring the workspace back tomorrow: save projects, run their dev commands, track readiness, diagnose failures, preview local URLs, and resume the same working set without terminal juggling.
- First green run — import a project, confirm the suggested command, port, and URL, then use Save & Start to move from configured to ready.
- Saved project cockpit — keep project directory, command, port, URL, autostart, and open-on-ready preferences in one place.
- Resume Workspace — restart the last set of local projects you had running so tomorrow's workspace comes back in one action.
- Guided project import — pick a repo and LocalWrap suggests the name, command, port, and URL from common package scripts.
- Process control — start/stop/restart dev commands with
PORTinjected and bounded live output. - Readiness tracking — LocalWrap polls local
http/httpsURLs and marks projects ready when they respond. - Inline validation — see missing directories, unsafe commands, invalid URLs, and busy ports before saving or starting.
- Project Doctor — see preflight checks, next-step guidance, start timeline, readiness diagnosis, safe fixes, and a copyable report when a project needs attention.
- In-app preview — inspect ready local apps inside LocalWrap before opening a browser.
- One-click open — launch a ready local app in your browser.
- System tray integration — minimize to the tray and keep projects running in the background.
- Secure by default — privileged actions are IPC-only, commands are allowlisted, local URLs are validated, and Electron runs with context isolation and no Node integration in the renderer.
- Cross‑platform — Windows, macOS, and Linux.
Grab a prebuilt installer for your platform from the Releases page:
| Platform | File |
|---|---|
| Windows | .exe installer (NSIS) |
| macOS | .dmg (Intel + Apple Silicon) |
| Linux | .AppImage |
LocalWrap checks for updates on launch (and via the tray's Check for Updates…). Auto-update works on Windows and Linux today; signed macOS auto-update is planned.
Note: the installers are not code‑signed yet, so Windows SmartScreen and macOS Gatekeeper will warn about an "unknown developer." On Windows choose More info → Run anyway; on macOS right‑click the app and choose Open the first time.
- Node.js 18 or newer
- npm 9 or newer
git clone https://github.com/tcballard/LocalWrap.git
cd LocalWrap
npm installnpm start # launch the app
npm run dev # launch with dev flagThis repo includes a dependency-free sample app at
examples/sample-project. On first launch, when no projects are saved, choose
Try Sample Project to copy that app into LocalWrap's user data folder and
save it as a normal project. LocalWrap selects it but does not start it
automatically, so click Save & Start or Start to see Project Doctor,
logs, readiness, Preview, and Open.
When running from source, you can still use Add Project and import
examples/sample-project manually.
Packaged with electron-builder:
npm run dist # current platform, no publish
npm run dist:mac # macOS .dmg
npm run dist:win # Windows NSIS installer
npm run dist:linux # Linux AppImageOutput is written to dist/.
npm test # run the Jest suite
npm run test:watch # watch mode
npm run test:coverageLocalWrap is built defensively:
- The app UI is loaded from a local file with a strict Content-Security-Policy; there is no browser-accessible mutating localhost control API.
- Project launch, process control, directory picking, and URL opening are only reachable through Electron IPC exposed by the preload script.
- Dev commands are restricted to an allowlist (
npm,npx,yarn,pnpm,node,bun,python,python3,deno) and shell metacharacters are rejected. - Local project URLs are limited to
localhost,127.0.0.1, and::1on ports 1000-65535. - The Electron renderer runs with
contextIsolationenabled andnodeIntegrationdisabled.
Found a vulnerability? Please see SECURITY.md.
Contributions are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md.
MIT © Tom Ballard