Plushie for Gleam
Build native desktop apps in Gleam. Pre-1.0
Plushie is a desktop GUI framework that allows you to write your entire application in Gleam – state, events, UI – and get native windows on Linux, macOS, and Windows. Rendering is powered by iced, a cross-platform GUI library for Rust, which plushie drives as a precompiled binary behind the scenes.
import gleam/int
import plushie/app
import plushie/gui
import plushie/command
import plushie/event.{type Event, WidgetClick}
import plushie/node.{type Node}
import plushie/prop/padding
import plushie/ui
type Model {
Model(count: Int)
}
fn init() {
#(Model(count: 0), command.none())
}
fn update(model: Model, event: Event) {
case event {
WidgetClick(id: "inc", ..) -> #(Model(count: model.count + 1), command.none())
WidgetClick(id: "dec", ..) -> #(Model(count: model.count - 1), command.none())
_ -> #(model, command.none())
}
}
fn view(model: Model) -> Node {
ui.window("main", [ui.title("Counter")], [
ui.column("content", [ui.padding(padding.all(16.0)), ui.spacing(8)], [
ui.text_("count", "Count: " <> int.to_string(model.count)),
ui.row("buttons", [ui.spacing(8)], [
ui.button_("inc", "+"),
ui.button_("dec", "-"),
]),
]),
])
}
pub fn main() {
gui.run(app.simple(init, update, view), gui.default_opts())
}
gleam run -m examples/counter
This is one of 8 examples included in the repo, from a minimal counter to a full widget catalog. Edit them while the GUI is running and see changes instantly.
Getting started
Add plushie to your dependencies:
gleam add plushie_gleam
Then:
gleam run -m plushie/download # download precompiled binary
gleam run -m my_app # run your app
Pin to an exact version and read the CHANGELOG carefully when upgrading.
The precompiled binary requires no Rust toolchain. To build from
source instead, install rustup and run
gleam run -m plushie/build. See the
getting started guide for the full
walkthrough.
Features
- 38 built-in widget types – buttons, text inputs, sliders, tables, markdown, canvas, and more. Easy to build your own. Layout guide
- 22 built-in themes – light, dark, dracula, nord, solarized, gruvbox, catppuccin, tokyo night, kanagawa, and more. Custom palettes and per-widget style overrides. Theming guide
- Multi-window – declare window nodes in your widget tree; the framework opens, closes, and manages them automatically. App behaviour guide
- Platform effects – native file dialogs, clipboard, OS notifications. Effects guide
- Accessibility – screen reader support via accesskit on all platforms. Accessibility guide
- Live reload – edit code, see changes instantly. Enabled by default in dev mode.
- Extensions – multiple paths to custom widgets:
- Compose existing widgets into higher-level components with pure Gleam. No Rust, no binary rebuild.
- Draw on the canvas with shape primitives for charts, gauges, diagrams, and other custom 2D rendering.
- Native – implement
WidgetExtensionin Rust for full control over rendering, state, and event handling. - Extensions guide
- Remote rendering – native desktop UI for apps running on servers or embedded devices. Dashboards, admin tools, IoT diagnostics – over SSH with configurable event throttling. Running guide
Testing
Plushie ships a test framework with three interchangeable backends. Write your tests once, run them at whatever fidelity you need:
- Mocked – millisecond tests, no display server. Uses a shared mock process for fast logic and interaction testing.
- Headless – real rendering via tiny-skia, no display server needed. Supports screenshots for pixel regression in CI.
- Windowed – real windows with GPU rendering. Platform effects, real input, the works.
import gleeunit/should
import gleam/option
import plushie/testing as test
import plushie/testing/element
pub fn add_and_complete_a_todo_test() {
let session = test.start(todo_app)
let session = test.type_text(session, "new_todo", "Buy milk")
let session = test.submit(session, "new_todo")
let assert option.Some(el) = test.find(session, "todo_count")
let assert option.Some(txt) = element.text(el)
should.equal(txt, "1 item")
should.be_true(option.is_some(test.find(session, "todo:1")))
let session = test.toggle(session, "todo:1")
let session = test.click(session, "filter_completed")
let assert option.Some(el) = test.find(session, "todo_count")
let assert option.Some(txt) = element.text(el)
should.equal(txt, "0 items")
should.be_true(option.is_none(test.find(session, "todo:1")))
}
See the testing guide for the full API, backend details, and CI configuration.
How it works
Under the hood, a renderer built on iced handles window drawing and platform integration. Your Gleam code sends widget trees to the renderer over stdin; the renderer draws native windows and sends user events back over stdout.
You don’t need Rust to use plushie. The renderer is a precompiled binary, similar to how your app talks to a database without you writing C. If you ever need custom native rendering, the extension system lets you write Rust for just those parts.
The same protocol works over a local pipe, an SSH connection, or any bidirectional byte stream – your code doesn’t need to change. See the running guide for deployment options.
Status
Pre-1.0. The core works – 38 widget types, event system, 22 themes, multi-window, testing framework, accessibility – but the API is still evolving:
- Pin to an exact version and read the CHANGELOG when upgrading.
- The extension framework (
plushie/extension) is the least stable part of the API.
Documentation
Guides are in docs/ and will be on
hexdocs once published:
- Getting started – setup, first app, CLI helpers, dev mode
- Tutorial – build a todo app step by step
- App behaviour – the Gleam API contract, multi-window
- Layout – length, padding, alignment, spacing
- Events – full event taxonomy
- Commands and subscriptions – async work, timers, widget ops
- Effects – native platform features
- Theming – themes, custom palettes, styling
- Composition patterns – tabs, sidebars, modals, cards, state helpers
- Scoped IDs – hierarchical ID namespacing
- Testing – three-backend test framework and pixel regression
- Accessibility – accesskit integration, a11y props
- Extensions – custom widgets, publishing packages
Development
./bin/preflight # run all CI checks locally
Mirrors CI and stops on first failure: format, compile, test.
System requirements
The precompiled binary (gleam run -m plushie/download) has no additional
dependencies. To build from source, install a Rust toolchain via
rustup and the platform-specific libraries:
- Linux (Debian/Ubuntu):
sudo apt-get install libxkbcommon-dev libwayland-dev libx11-dev cmake fontconfig pkg-config - Linux (Arch):
sudo pacman -S libxkbcommon wayland libx11 cmake fontconfig pkgconf - macOS:
xcode-select --install - Windows: Visual Studio Build Tools with “Desktop development with C++”
Links
| Gleam SDK | github.com/plushie-ui/plushie-gleam |
| Elixir SDK | github.com/plushie-ui/plushie-elixir |
| Renderer | github.com/plushie-ui/plushie |
| Rust crate | crates.io/crates/plushie |
License
MIT