RustDesk Development Environment Setup Guide

Project Overview
Prerequisites
macOS Setup
Windows Setup
Building the Project
Troubleshooting
Additional Resources

Project Overview

RustDesk is an open-source remote desktop application written in Rust with a Flutter-based UI for both desktop and mobile platforms.

Technology Stack

Component	Technology
Core Application	Rust
Desktop/Mobile UI	Flutter
Legacy UI (Deprecated)	Sciter
Video Codecs	libvpx, aom, libyuv
Audio Codec	Opus
Package Manager	vcpkg (C++ dependencies)

Project Structure

Customdesk/
├── src/                    # Main Rust application code
│   ├── server/             # Audio/clipboard/input/video services
│   ├── client.rs           # Peer connection handling
│   ├── platform/           # Platform-specific code
│   └── ui/                 # Legacy Sciter UI (deprecated)
├── flutter/                # Flutter UI for desktop & mobile
│   ├── lib/desktop/        # Desktop-specific Flutter code
│   ├── lib/mobile/         # Mobile-specific Flutter code
│   └── lib/common/         # Shared Flutter components
├── libs/                   # Core Rust libraries
│   ├── hbb_common/         # Video codec, config, network utils
│   ├── scrap/              # Screen capture
│   ├── enigo/              # Keyboard/mouse control
│   └── clipboard/          # Cross-platform clipboard
├── res/                    # Resources and build scripts
├── build.py                # Main build script
└── Cargo.toml              # Rust package manifest

Minimum Rust Version

Rust 1.75 or later

Flutter Version

Flutter SDK ^3.1.0 or later

Prerequisites

Before setting up the development environment, ensure you have:

Git installed and configured
Internet connection for downloading dependencies
At least 20 GB of free disk space
Administrator/sudo privileges

macOS Setup

Step 1: Install Xcode Command Line Tools

Open Terminal and run:

xcode-select --install

If prompted, click Install and agree to the license.

Step 2: Install Homebrew

If not already installed:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"

Add Homebrew to PATH (for Apple Silicon Macs):

echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"

Step 3: Install System Dependencies

brew install cmake nasm yasm ninja llvm pkg-config wget curl zip unzip

Step 4: Install Rust

curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh

Select option 1 for default installation. Then reload the shell:

source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

Verify installation:

rustc --version
cargo --version

Step 5: Install vcpkg

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg
cd vcpkg
git checkout 2023.04.15
./bootstrap-vcpkg.sh

Set the environment variable (add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc):

echo 'export VCPKG_ROOT="$HOME/vcpkg"' >> ~/.zshrc
echo 'export PATH="$VCPKG_ROOT:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Step 6: Install vcpkg Dependencies

cd $VCPKG_ROOT
./vcpkg install libvpx libyuv opus aom

Note: This step may take 15-30 minutes depending on your system.

Step 7: Install Flutter SDK

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/flutter/flutter.git -b stable

Add Flutter to PATH:

echo 'export PATH="$HOME/flutter/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.zshrc
source ~/.zshrc

Verify and accept licenses:

flutter doctor
flutter doctor --android-licenses

Step 8: Download Sciter Library (Legacy UI)

Note: This is optional if you're only building the Flutter version.

cd /path/to/Customdesk
mkdir -p target/debug
wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/c-smile/sciter-sdk/master/bin.osx/libsciter.dylib
mv libsciter.dylib target/debug/

Step 9: Clone and Setup the Project

cd /path/to/Customdesk
git submodule update --init --recursive

Install Flutter dependencies:

cd flutter
flutter pub get
cd ..

Step 10: Verify macOS Setup

# Check Rust
rustc --version

# Check vcpkg
echo $VCPKG_ROOT

# Check Flutter
flutter doctor

# Check cmake
cmake --version

Windows Setup

Step 1: Install Visual Studio Build Tools

Download and install Visual Studio 2022 (Community Edition is free):

Download Visual Studio

During installation, select:

☑️ Desktop development with C++
☑️ Windows 10/11 SDK (latest version)
☑️ MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 build tools

Step 2: Install Git for Windows

Download and install:

Git for Windows

Use default installation options.

Step 3: Install Rust

Download and run the Rust installer:

Rust Installer (rustup-init.exe)

Open a new Command Prompt or PowerShell and verify:

rustc --version
cargo --version

Step 4: Install Required Tools

Install using winget (Windows Package Manager):

winget install Kitware.CMake
winget install NASM.NASM
winget install yasm.yasm
winget install Ninja-build.Ninja
winget install LLVM.LLVM

Or download manually:

Tool	Download Link
CMake	cmake.org/download
NASM	nasm.us
YASM	yasm.tortall.net
LLVM	releases.llvm.org

Add tools to System PATH:

Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, press Enter
Go to Advanced → Environment Variables
Under System variables, find Path and click Edit
Add paths to installed tools (e.g., C:\Program Files\CMake\bin)

Step 5: Install vcpkg

Open PowerShell (as Administrator):

cd C:\
git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg
cd vcpkg
git checkout 2023.04.15
.\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat

Set environment variable permanently:

[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("VCPKG_ROOT", "C:\vcpkg", "User")

Restart PowerShell, then verify:

echo $env:VCPKG_ROOT

Step 6: Install vcpkg Dependencies

cd C:\vcpkg
.\vcpkg install libvpx:x64-windows-static libyuv:x64-windows-static opus:x64-windows-static aom:x64-windows-static

Note: This step may take 30-60 minutes.

Step 7: Install Flutter SDK

Option A - Using Git:

cd C:\
git clone https://github.com/flutter/flutter.git -b stable

Option B - Download ZIP from flutter.dev

Add Flutter to PATH:

Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, press Enter
Go to Advanced → Environment Variables
Under User variables, find Path and click Edit
Add C:\flutter\bin

Verify and accept licenses:

flutter doctor
flutter doctor --android-licenses

Step 8: Download Sciter Library (Legacy UI)

Note: This is optional if you're only building the Flutter version.

cd C:\path\to\Customdesk
mkdir -p target\debug
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/c-smile/sciter-sdk/master/bin.win/x64/sciter.dll" -OutFile "target\debug\sciter.dll"

Step 9: Clone and Setup the Project

cd C:\path\to\Customdesk
git submodule update --init --recursive

Install Flutter dependencies:

cd flutter
flutter pub get
cd ..

Step 10: Verify Windows Setup

# Check Rust
rustc --version

# Check vcpkg
echo $env:VCPKG_ROOT

# Check Flutter
flutter doctor

# Check cmake
cmake --version

# Check Visual Studio
where cl.exe

Building the Project

Build Commands Summary

Build Type	Command
Debug (Sciter UI)	`cargo run`
Release (Sciter UI)	`cargo build --release`
Flutter Desktop	`python3 build.py --flutter`
Flutter Desktop (Release)	`python3 build.py --flutter --release`
Flutter with HW Codec	`python3 build.py --flutter --hwcodec`
VRAM Support (Windows)	`python3 build.py --flutter --vram`

Building on macOS

Option 1: Sciter UI (Legacy)

cd /path/to/Customdesk
VCPKG_ROOT=$HOME/vcpkg cargo run

Option 2: Flutter UI (Recommended)

cd /path/to/Customdesk
python3 build.py --flutter

For release build:

python3 build.py --flutter --release

Option 3: With Hardware Codec Support

python3 build.py --flutter --hwcodec

Building on Windows

Open Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022 or PowerShell.

Option 1: Sciter UI (Legacy)

cd C:\path\to\Customdesk
$env:VCPKG_ROOT = "C:\vcpkg"
cargo run

Option 2: Flutter UI (Recommended)

cd C:\path\to\Customdesk
python build.py --flutter

For release build:

python build.py --flutter --release

Option 3: With Hardware Codec & VRAM Support

python build.py --flutter --hwcodec --vram

Build Output Locations

Platform	Output Directory
macOS	`flutter/build/macos/Build/Products/Release/`
Windows	`flutter/build/windows/x64/runner/Release/`
Linux	`flutter/build/linux/x64/release/bundle/`
Rust Binary	`target/release/rustdesk` (or `rustdesk.exe`)

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. vcpkg Dependencies Not Found

Error: Could not find package libvpx

Solution:

# macOS
cd $VCPKG_ROOT && ./vcpkg install libvpx libyuv opus aom

# Windows
cd $env:VCPKG_ROOT && .\vcpkg install libvpx:x64-windows-static libyuv:x64-windows-static opus:x64-windows-static aom:x64-windows-static

2. Rust Version Too Old

Error: rustc 1.XX is too old

Solution:

rustup update stable

3. Flutter Doctor Issues

Error: [✗] Flutter

Solution:

flutter doctor -v
flutter upgrade

4. Git Submodules Not Initialized

Error: Submodule 'xxx' not found

Solution:

git submodule update --init --recursive

5. Windows: MSVC Not Found

Error: link.exe not found

Solution:

Open Visual Studio Installer
Ensure Desktop development with C++ workload is installed
Use Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022 instead of regular PowerShell

6. macOS: Sciter Library Not Found

Error: dyld: Library not loaded: libsciter.dylib

Solution:

mkdir -p target/debug
wget -O target/debug/libsciter.dylib https://raw.githubusercontent.com/c-smile/sciter-sdk/master/bin.osx/libsciter.dylib

7. Permission Denied on macOS

Error: Permission denied

Solution:

chmod +x build.py
chmod +x flutter/build_*.sh

Environment Variable Checklist

Variable	macOS	Windows
`VCPKG_ROOT`	`$HOME/vcpkg`	`C:\vcpkg`
`PATH` (Flutter)	`$HOME/flutter/bin`	`C:\flutter\bin`
`PATH` (Rust)	`$HOME/.cargo/bin`	`%USERPROFILE%\.cargo\bin`

Additional Resources

Official Documentation

Community & Support

Discord: discord.gg/nDceKgxnkV
GitHub Issues: github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk/issues
FAQ: github.com/rustdesk/rustdesk/wiki/FAQ

Feature Flags Reference

Feature	Description	Platform
`hwcodec`	Hardware video encoding/decoding	All
`vram`	VRAM optimization	Windows only
`flutter`	Enable Flutter UI	All
`screencapturekit`	ScreenCaptureKit support	macOS only
`unix-file-copy-paste`	File clipboard support	Unix

Quick Reference Card

macOS Quick Setup

# 1. Install dependencies
xcode-select --install
brew install cmake nasm yasm ninja llvm pkg-config wget

# 2. Install Rust
curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh
source "$HOME/.cargo/env"

# 3. Install vcpkg
cd ~ && git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg && cd vcpkg
git checkout 2023.04.15 && ./bootstrap-vcpkg.sh
export VCPKG_ROOT="$HOME/vcpkg"
./vcpkg install libvpx libyuv opus aom

# 4. Install Flutter
cd ~ && git clone https://github.com/flutter/flutter.git -b stable
export PATH="$HOME/flutter/bin:$PATH"

# 5. Build
cd /path/to/Customdesk
git submodule update --init --recursive
python3 build.py --flutter

Windows Quick Setup

# 1. Install Visual Studio with C++ workload
# 2. Install tools
winget install Kitware.CMake NASM.NASM Ninja-build.Ninja LLVM.LLVM

# 3. Install Rust (download rustup-init.exe from rust-lang.org)

# 4. Install vcpkg
cd C:\ && git clone https://github.com/microsoft/vcpkg && cd vcpkg
git checkout 2023.04.15 && .\bootstrap-vcpkg.bat
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("VCPKG_ROOT", "C:\vcpkg", "User")
.\vcpkg install libvpx:x64-windows-static libyuv:x64-windows-static opus:x64-windows-static aom:x64-windows-static

# 5. Install Flutter
cd C:\ && git clone https://github.com/flutter/flutter.git -b stable
# Add C:\flutter\bin to PATH

# 6. Build
cd C:\path\to\Customdesk
git submodule update --init --recursive
python build.py --flutter

Document Version: 1.0
Last Updated: February 2026
RustDesk Version: 1.4.5

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RustDesk Development Environment Setup Guide

Table of Contents

Project Overview

Technology Stack

Project Structure

Minimum Rust Version

Flutter Version

Prerequisites

macOS Setup

Step 1: Install Xcode Command Line Tools

Step 2: Install Homebrew

Step 3: Install System Dependencies

Step 4: Install Rust

Step 5: Install vcpkg

Step 6: Install vcpkg Dependencies

Step 7: Install Flutter SDK

Step 8: Download Sciter Library (Legacy UI)

Step 9: Clone and Setup the Project

Step 10: Verify macOS Setup

Windows Setup

Step 1: Install Visual Studio Build Tools

Step 2: Install Git for Windows

Step 3: Install Rust

Step 4: Install Required Tools

Step 5: Install vcpkg

Step 6: Install vcpkg Dependencies

Step 7: Install Flutter SDK

Step 8: Download Sciter Library (Legacy UI)

Step 9: Clone and Setup the Project

Step 10: Verify Windows Setup

Building the Project

Build Commands Summary

Building on macOS

Option 1: Sciter UI (Legacy)

Option 2: Flutter UI (Recommended)

Option 3: With Hardware Codec Support

Building on Windows

Option 1: Sciter UI (Legacy)

Option 2: Flutter UI (Recommended)

Option 3: With Hardware Codec & VRAM Support

Build Output Locations

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. vcpkg Dependencies Not Found

2. Rust Version Too Old

3. Flutter Doctor Issues

4. Git Submodules Not Initialized

5. Windows: MSVC Not Found

6. macOS: Sciter Library Not Found

7. Permission Denied on macOS

Environment Variable Checklist

Additional Resources

Official Documentation

Community & Support

Feature Flags Reference

Quick Reference Card

macOS Quick Setup

Windows Quick Setup