`tauri dev` uses the same app data directory (and database) as the installed production app on macOS
Author: marcoscale98Created Sep 16, 2026Updated Sep 19, 2026
Steps to reproduce:
- Have the production Wealthfolio desktop app installed and in use on macOS (data at
~/Library/Application Support/com.teymz.wealthfolio/app.db) - In a clone of the repo, run
pnpm tauri dev - Observe the dev build starts, runs database migrations, and performs read/sync operations against
~/Library/Application Support/com.teymz.wealthfolio/app.db— the same file used by the installed production app
Expected vs actual behavior:
- Expected: the development build to use an isolated app data directory, separate from the installed production app's data.
- Actual:
apps/tauri/tauri.conf.jsondefines a singleidentifier(com.teymz.wealthfolio) with no dev-specific override. Tauri derivesapp_data_dir()from this identifier, sopnpm tauri devresolves to the same data directory as the production build. There is no warning about this in the README or CONTRIBUTING.md.
Impact:
Any contributor who runs pnpm tauri dev on a machine where the production app is also installed will have the dev build run database migrations against, and read/write, their live production data — silently, with no confirmation prompt or warning. Since schema migrations are applied automatically on startup and are not generally reversible, this means whatever migrations exist on the currently checked-out branch (including unreleased/in-progress ones) get applied directly to production data the first time a contributor runs the dev build.
Environment:
- OS: macOS 15.6.1 (24G90)
- App version: 3.7.0
- Command:
pnpm tauri dev
Source: wealthfolio/wealthfolio