WE Seed System

March 17, 2026 · View on GitHub

The seed system allows developers to build custom launchers by defining a we-seed.json file that specifies which applications to embed and how to configure the launcher.

Overview

A seed file is a JSON configuration that defines:

  • Project metadata (name, version, author)
  • Host customization (launcher UI, settings)
  • Embedded applications (paths, capabilities, commands)

The launcher automatically adapts based on the number of apps:

  • Single app: Full-screen layout (no sidebar)
  • Multiple apps: Sidebar navigation + app routing

Quick Start

1. Clone Required Repositories

# Clone the WE framework
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/we.git

# Clone applications you want to embed
git clone https://github.com/juntofoundation/flux.git
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/my-app.git

2. Create a Seed File

Create we/we-seed.json:

{
  "project": {
    "name": "My Custom Launcher",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "description": "A custom launcher with my favorite apps",
    "author": "Your Name"
  },
  "host": {},
  "ad4m": {},
  "apps": [
    {
      "id": "flux",
      "name": "Flux",
      "route": "/flux",
      "capabilities": ["perspectives", "languages", "agents"],
      "paths": {
        "projectRoot": "../flux/app",
        "dist": "../flux/app/dist",
        "devServer": {
          "port": 3030,
          "host": "localhost"
        }
      },
      "commands": {
        "install": "yarn install",
        "build": "yarn build",
        "dev": "yarn dev"
      }
    }
  ]
}

3. Build and Run

cd we
pnpm install
pnpm build
cd apps/we-web
pnpm dev

Open http://localhost:3000 to see your launcher!

Seed File Schema

Project Section

{
  "project": {
    "name": "string", // Required: Display name
    "version": "string", // Required: Semantic version
    "description": "string", // Optional: Description
    "author": "string" // Required: Author name
  }
}

Host Section

{
  "host": {
    "ui": {
      "bootScreen": {}, // Optional: Custom boot screen schema
      "appSettings": {}, // Optional: Custom app settings schema
      "enableTemplateSwitching": true // Optional: Allow template switching
    }
  }
}

Note: The launcher shell UI (boot screen, app settings) can be fully customized via inline JSON schemas. See Launcher UI Customization for detailed examples and best practices.

Apps Section

Each app in the apps array:

{
  "id": "string", // Required: Unique identifier
  "name": "string", // Required: Display name
  "route": "/path", // Required: Route path (e.g., /flux)
  "capabilities": [], // Required: AD4M capabilities (see below)
  "paths": {
    "projectRoot": "string", // Path to app's project root
    "dist": "string", // Path to built app (production)
    "devServer": {
      "port": 3000, // Dev server port
      "host": "localhost" // Dev server host
    }
  },
  "commands": {
    "install": "string", // Install command (npm/yarn/pnpm)
    "build": "string", // Build command
    "dev": "string" // Dev server command
  }
}

Capabilities

Available AD4M capabilities:

  • perspectives - Access to AD4M perspectives
  • languages - Language management
  • agents - Agent operations
  • filesystem - File system access
  • network - Network requests

Capabilities automatically configure iframe permissions (camera, microphone, etc.).

Single vs Multi-App Mode

Single App (Full-Screen)

When apps array has 1 app:

  • App loads at root route /
  • No sidebar or navigation
  • 100% viewport width/height
  • Ideal for standalone launchers

Multiple Apps (Sidebar)

When apps array has 2+ apps:

  • Sidebar (100px) with navigation buttons
  • Each app has its own route
  • Click sidebar buttons to switch apps
  • Content area fills remaining space

Development Workflow

  1. Edit seed file: Modify we/we-seed.json
  2. Rebuild: cd packages/app-framework && pnpm build
  3. Restart dev server: cd apps/we-web && pnpm dev
  4. See changes: Refresh browser

Example: Flux-Only Launcher

{
  "project": {
    "name": "Flux Launcher",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "author": "Your Name"
  },
  "host": {},
  "ad4m": {},
  "apps": [
    {
      "id": "flux",
      "name": "Flux",
      "route": "/",
      "capabilities": ["perspectives", "languages", "agents"],
      "paths": {
        "projectRoot": "../flux/app",
        "dist": "../flux/app/dist",
        "devServer": { "port": 3030, "host": "localhost" }
      },
      "commands": {
        "install": "yarn install",
        "build": "yarn build",
        "dev": "yarn dev"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Result: Full-screen Flux at http://localhost:3000

Example: Multi-App Launcher

{
  "project": {
    "name": "My Multi-App Workspace",
    "version": "1.0.0",
    "author": "Your Name"
  },
  "host": {},
  "ad4m": {},
  "apps": [
    {
      "id": "flux",
      "name": "Flux",
      "route": "/flux",
      "capabilities": ["perspectives", "languages", "agents"],
      "paths": {
        "projectRoot": "../flux/app",
        "dist": "../flux/app/dist",
        "devServer": { "port": 3030, "host": "localhost" }
      },
      "commands": {
        "install": "yarn install",
        "build": "yarn build",
        "dev": "yarn dev"
      }
    },
    {
      "id": "my-app",
      "name": "My App",
      "route": "/my-app",
      "capabilities": [],
      "paths": {
        "projectRoot": "../my-app",
        "dist": "../my-app/dist",
        "devServer": { "port": 3040, "host": "localhost" }
      },
      "commands": {
        "install": "npm install",
        "build": "npm run build",
        "dev": "npm run dev"
      }
    }
  ]
}

Result: Sidebar with Flux and My App navigation

Architecture

How It Works

  1. Build time: initializeIntegrations.ts imports we-seed.json via static import
  2. Module load: Seed is validated and launcher template is generated
  3. Template registration: Generated launcher replaces placeholder in templateRegistry
  4. Render time: Template store reads registry and renders launcher
  5. Runtime: Apps load in iframes with configured permissions

File Structure

we/
  we-seed.json                     ← Your seed file (REQUIRED)
  packages/app-framework/src/
    shared/
      initializeIntegrations.ts    ← Loads seed, generates launcher
      integrationComposer.ts       ← Generates template from seed
      seedLoader.ts                ← (unused) Future async loading
      registries/
        templateRegistry.ts        ← Stores generated launcher

Tips

  • Seed file location: Must be at we/we-seed.json (workspace root)
  • Requires rebuild: Changes require pnpm build in app-framework
  • Dev server ports: Ensure no conflicts (Flux: 3030, WE: 3000, etc.)
  • Path resolution: Relative paths are from workspace root (we/)

Troubleshooting

Launcher not updating?

  • Rebuild app-framework: cd packages/app-framework && pnpm build
  • Restart dev server: cd apps/we-web && pnpm dev
  • Hard refresh browser (Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + R)

App not loading in iframe?

  • Check dev server is running (e.g., cd flux/app && yarn dev)
  • Verify port in seed matches actual dev server port
  • Check browser console for CORS/permission errors

Sidebar not showing?

  • Ensure apps array has 2+ items
  • Check console for "Generating multi-app launcher" message
  • Verify each app has unique route value

Future Enhancements

  • Template forking (customize launcher UI beyond seed config)
  • Dynamic seed loading (hot-reload without rebuild)
  • Seed validation CLI tool
  • Production build support