feat: add standalone Reactotron server and update dependencies #52

joshuayoes · 2025-10-08T21:25:41Z

What does this PR do?

This PR adds an embedded Reactotron server that runs directly inside the reactotron-macos application. The server automatically starts on port 9292 when the app launches, eliminating the need to run a separate standalone server process. This provides a seamless out-of-the-box experience for users.

Key changes:

Added IRReactotronServer native module to bundle and run the standalone Reactotron server
Implemented useReactotronServer hook to manage server lifecycle (start on mount, stop on unmount)
Enhanced IRRunShellCommand to detect user's default shell for better compatibility
Added manual reconnect functionality in the sidebar with connection status display
Included network server entitlement for macOS app
Added esbuild for bundling the standalone server
Server runs on port 9292 by default

What GitHub issues does this PR fix?

Resolves #35

How to verify this code works?

reactotron-macos setup for this PR

gh pr checkout 52
npm install
npm run pod
npm run start
npm run macos

reactotron example app setup for this PR

yarn install
Add Reactotron standalone server port to example app configuration

diff --git a/apps/example-app/app/devtools/ReactotronConfig.ts b/apps/example-app/app/devtools/ReactotronConfig.ts
index a5c7d5b6..9b9c1dad 100644
--- a/apps/example-app/app/devtools/ReactotronConfig.ts
+++ b/apps/example-app/app/devtools/ReactotronConfig.ts
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import { Reactotron } from "./ReactotronClient"

 const reactotron = Reactotron.configure({
   name: require("../../package.json").name,
+  port: 9292,
   onConnect: () => {
     /** since this file gets hot reloaded, let's clear the past logs every time we connect */
     Reactotron.clear()

yarn workspace example-app start
Start on a different port to avoid conflicting with reactotron-macos
Press i to launch in iOS simulator
Consider Cmd + Shift + R to reload reactotron-macos to get connection

Step by step of how to test this PR

Launch reactotron-macos - the embedded server should start automatically on port 9292
Configure your React Native app to connect to port 9292
Launch your React Native app and verify it connects to reactotron-macos
Test the manual reconnect functionality in the sidebar menu
Verify connection status is displayed correctly
Test that the app properly handles disconnections and reconnections

Screenshot/Video of "How to test this PR?"

Screen.Recording.2025-10-09.at.4.30.05.PM.mov

- Introduced a bundled standalone Reactotron server that starts automatically with the macOS app. - Added a new script to bundle the server code using esbuild. - Updated package.json to include esbuild as a dependency. - Enhanced README with instructions for running the server and details about the embedded server functionality. - Updated Podfile.lock to reflect changes in dependencies. - Minor adjustments to existing scripts and configurations for better integration.

- Added .eslintignore to exclude bundled files from linting. - Removed Reactotron server start command from metro.config.js. - Updated package.json to change the output format of the bundled server. - Improved connection status handling in SidebarMenu with manual reconnect functionality. - Enhanced logging in standalone-server.js for better connection tracking and error handling. - Implemented reconnect logic in connectToServer.ts to manage connection attempts and status updates. - Updated AppDelegate.mm to use the user's default shell for running commands, improving compatibility with nvm/asdf setups. - Added new patch for reactotron-core-server to address compatibility issues.

joshuayoes · 2025-10-08T23:12:57Z

This doesn't work with an xcode production build yet, getting kind of weird error.

I tried npm run macos-release but it hangs forever at the moment.

joshuayoes · 2025-10-08T23:21:50Z

patches/reactotron-core-server+3.2.0.patch

@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+diff --git a/node_modules/reactotron-core-server/dist/index.js b/node_modules/reactotron-core-server/dist/index.js


note: Fixed ESM/CJS interop issue in bundled [email protected]. The package's pre-compiled code does var mitt=require("mitt") but mitt v3 exports { default: fn } instead of the function directly. Added mitt=mitt.default||mitt; after the require to handle both cases.

This patch is here for hacking but we can replace with a real upstream fix soon.

jamonholmgren

Some things to consider

macos/Reactotron-macOS/AppDelegate.mm

jamonholmgren · 2025-10-08T22:17:39Z

macos/Reactotron-macOS/AppDelegate.mm

+
+#pragma mark - Reactotron Server Management
+
+- (NSString *)findNodeBinary


I'd consider moving this into a TurboModule function so we can call it from JS whenever we want to.

I'm doing a little research about how to move this logic into IRRunShellCommand.

macos/Reactotron-macOS/AppDelegate.mm

standalone-server-entry.js

- Enhanced logging to indicate detected user shell and fallback behavior. - Added NSLog statements for better visibility during shell detection process.

…logging - Introduced a constant for the Reactotron server bundle name to enhance code readability. - Simplified logging logic in the output handler to reduce unnecessary checks.

- Simplified the logging logic in the output and error handlers by removing unnecessary length checks. - Enhanced readability by using early returns for empty data conditions.

joshuayoes · 2025-10-09T20:46:03Z

macos/Reactotron-macOS/AppDelegate.mm

+  struct passwd *pw = getpwuid(getuid());
+  if (pw && pw->pw_shell) {
+    NSString *detectedShell = [NSString stringWithUTF8String:pw->pw_shell];


note: apparently there is a default shell property on the user password struct? Old OS library code is weird.

- Added a new hook, useReactotronServer, to manage the lifecycle of the Reactotron server, starting it on component mount and stopping it on unmount. - Introduced IRReactotronServer and NativeIRReactotronServer to handle server interactions. - Enhanced IRRunShellCommand to support user shell detection and command execution with shell options. - Updated App.tsx to utilize the new Reactotron server management functionality. - Improved logging for server output and completion events for better debugging.

joshuayoes · 2025-10-09T23:39:45Z

app/native/IRReactotronServer/IRReactotronServer.mm

+/**
+ * Returns the path to the bundled Reactotron server script.
+ */
+- (NSString *)getBundlePath {


note: since metro doesn't touch the server bundle, unfortunately this needs to be a native module :(

joshuayoes self-assigned this Oct 8, 2025

joshuayoes force-pushed the reactotron-macos-server branch from 467fc16 to 02abeb7 Compare October 8, 2025 21:29

joshuayoes requested review from jamonholmgren and stevenconner October 8, 2025 21:29

joshuayoes added the enhancement New feature or request label Oct 8, 2025

joshuayoes marked this pull request as draft October 8, 2025 22:26

joshuayoes added 2 commits October 8, 2025 15:27

joshuayoes force-pushed the reactotron-macos-server branch from 02abeb7 to 66253d3 Compare October 8, 2025 23:05

joshuayoes commented Oct 8, 2025

View reviewed changes

jamonholmgren requested changes Oct 8, 2025

View reviewed changes

joshuayoes added 3 commits October 9, 2025 09:49

fix: improve user shell detection in AppDelegate.mm

34dcd67

- Enhanced logging to indicate detected user shell and fallback behavior. - Added NSLog statements for better visibility during shell detection process.

refactor: use constant for Reactotron server bundle name and improve …

a6f3324

…logging - Introduced a constant for the Reactotron server bundle name to enhance code readability. - Simplified logging logic in the output handler to reduce unnecessary checks.

refactor: streamline logging checks in AppDelegate.mm

ff0b995

- Simplified the logging logic in the output and error handlers by removing unnecessary length checks. - Enhanced readability by using early returns for empty data conditions.

joshuayoes commented Oct 9, 2025

View reviewed changes

joshuayoes requested a review from jamonholmgren October 9, 2025 23:41

Provide feedback

Saved searches

Use saved searches to filter your results more quickly

Uh oh!

feat: add standalone Reactotron server and update dependencies #52

feat: add standalone Reactotron server and update dependencies #52

Uh oh!

joshuayoes commented Oct 8, 2025 •

edited

Loading

Uh oh!

joshuayoes commented Oct 8, 2025

Uh oh!

joshuayoes Oct 8, 2025

Uh oh!

jamonholmgren left a comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

jamonholmgren Oct 8, 2025

Uh oh!

joshuayoes Oct 9, 2025

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

joshuayoes Oct 9, 2025 •

edited

Loading

Uh oh!

joshuayoes Oct 9, 2025

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

2 participants

		@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
		diff --git a/node_modules/reactotron-core-server/dist/index.js b/node_modules/reactotron-core-server/dist/index.js


		#pragma mark - Reactotron Server Management

		- (NSString *)findNodeBinary

feat: add standalone Reactotron server and update dependencies #52

Are you sure you want to change the base?

feat: add standalone Reactotron server and update dependencies #52

Uh oh!

Conversation

joshuayoes commented Oct 8, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

What does this PR do?

What GitHub issues does this PR fix?

How to verify this code works?

reactotron-macos setup for this PR

reactotron example app setup for this PR

Step by step of how to test this PR

Screenshot/Video of "How to test this PR?"

Uh oh!

joshuayoes commented Oct 8, 2025

Uh oh!

joshuayoes Oct 8, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

jamonholmgren left a comment

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

jamonholmgren Oct 8, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

joshuayoes Oct 9, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

Uh oh!

joshuayoes Oct 9, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

Uh oh!

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

joshuayoes Oct 9, 2025

Choose a reason for hiding this comment

Uh oh!

Reviewers

Assignees

Labels

Projects

Milestone

Development

Uh oh!

2 participants

joshuayoes commented Oct 8, 2025 •

edited

Loading

joshuayoes Oct 9, 2025 •

edited

Loading