Platform architecture

This document defines which code is shared across platforms and which code belongs to one operating system. Read it before adding a source file, moving code between source sets, or implementing a platform service. Shared code must not erase native security, lifecycle, accessibility, or filesystem behavior.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-02. The implementation and release availability may have changed since then. The GitHub Releases page is the source of truth for published artifacts and their limitations. Planned work and acceptance gates live in ROADMAP.md.

# Layers

The app is built from four layers. Only the last one is platform-specific.

1. Semantic compiler. The Kotlin compiler turns discovered app contracts into the schema the app renders. The Rust crate keeps a smaller reference model; see schema ownership.
2. Shared repositories. Kotlin repositories own account state, caching, pagination, conflicts, and actions.
3. Shared Compose UI. Compose components render semantic workflows without HTML.
4. Platform launchers and services. Each platform owns lifecycle, layout adaptation, secure storage, background work, files, notifications, media, sharing, and packaging.

# Modules and source sets

This section describes where code lives today. The Gradle build has three modules (settings.gradle.kts); the Rust crate is built separately.

Location	What it owns
ui/src/commonMain	Platform-neutral models, policies, repositories, the dynamic descriptor compiler (nativeui/model), the native renderer (nativeui/runtime), and Compose screens. The NextcloudPlatformServices interface is declared here.
ui/src/jvmMain	Code that is identical on Android and desktop: OkHttp request helpers, the authenticated app-read session, detached downloads, resumable uploads, text-draft encryption, and support diagnostics.
ui/src/androidMain	Android actual implementations used by the shared UI, such as audio and video playback services, image decoding, back handling, the embedded Office editor, and server certificate trust.
ui/src/desktopMain	The complete desktop platform: DesktopNextcloudServices, secret stores, the desktop sync engine and its SQLite stores, Linux FUSE virtual files, Windows Cloud Files, tray integration, and packaging resources.
androidApp/src/main	The Android application: MainActivity, AndroidNextcloudServices, Keystore-backed credentials, WorkManager workers, NextcloudDocumentsProvider, folder sync, media backup, and share-target activities.
contractAcquisition	A plain Kotlin/JVM module that verifies signed App Store packages and extracts app contracts. Both androidApp and the desktop target depend on it; commonMain does not.
src/ (Rust crate)	The reference schema and descriptor compiler, plus the Windows Explorer shell registrar binary that the desktop Windows package bundles. The Rust compiler is not linked into the app.

jvmMain is not a separate Kotlin Multiplatform source set. The ui build adds src/jvmMain/kotlin as an extra source directory to both androidMain and desktopMain, so each target compiles its own copy of that code. Files named *.jvm.kt there provide one actual implementation for both targets. Because the code is compiled for Android too, it must work on the Android runtime as well as on desktop JVMs.

Android platform services live in the androidApp module, not in ui/src/androidMain. Desktop platform services live in ui/src/desktopMain. That asymmetry is why some Android and desktop implementations look alike without being in a shared source set.

# Shared code ownership status

This subsection records which Android and desktop implementations are shared and which remain duplicated, with their migration status. Keep entries scoped to code that exists in source and link each one to its tracking issue.

AGENTS.md forbids byte-identical Android and desktop source files. Code that behaves identically on both JVM targets belongs in ui/src/jvmMain. Code that differs because of lifecycle, storage, or operating-system APIs stays in the platform module, with the difference documented and tested.

Last reviewed: 2026-10-02. This is a source inventory, not a plan. The code may have changed since; the default branch is the source of truth. Similarity figures came from comparing function bodies after removing the Android and Desktop name prefixes.

Already shared. All Compose UI, the sync domain model (planning, conflicts, checkpoints), groupware and media DAV models, virtual-file eviction policy, and the NextcloudPlatformServices interface live in commonMain. Both service containers implement that interface. jvmMain shares login and authenticated request policy, application read sessions, detached downloads, the resumable chunk-upload state machine, staging-space reservations, support diagnostics and intake, text-draft encryption, and WebDAV href decoding.

Still duplicated. The gap is below the shared interface: each platform has its own HTTP request code, protocol adapters, XML parsers, and sync executor.

Priority	Area	Android	Desktop	Shared owner to aim for
High	Protocol adapters and HTTP request code. About 57 functions are at least 90% similar; desktop has notes and template functions Android lacks	AndroidNextcloudServices.kt	DesktopNextcloudServices.kt	One jvmMain HTTP gateway plus typed per-domain adapters in commonMain
High	WebDAV and XML parsing, written four ways with different hardening	SafeXmlParser.kt, NextcloudDocumentWebDav.kt	DocumentBuilderFactory setups in DesktopNextcloudServices.kt and DesktopFileVersionDav.kt, DesktopFileSyncDavParser.kt	One hardened parser and typed multistatus parsers in jvmMain, with Android runtime tests
High	Same-origin redirect rule, written three times	AndroidNextcloudRedirect.kt	DesktopNextcloudServices.kt	NextcloudAuthenticatedRequestPolicy in jvmMain
High	Folder sync execution and owned-upload reconciliation. Behavior differs: when a folder replaces a remote file, desktop keeps a backup and Android does not; desktop records the uploaded ETag and Android rescans	AndroidFileSyncEngine.kt, AndroidFileSyncRemoteTree.kt, NextcloudChunkUploadWebDav.kt	DesktopFileSyncEngine.kt, DesktopFileSyncRemoteTree.kt, DesktopFileSyncChunkUploadRemote.kt	Step by step: a jvmMain owned-stage reconciler, then one WebDAV file client, then a commonMain orchestrator. Each step needs restart, conflict, cancellation, and ambiguous-result tests
Medium	Sync persistence. Desktop uses SQLite; Android stores encoded blobs	AndroidFileSyncStore.kt, AndroidFileSyncUploadCleanupStore.kt	DesktopFileSyncStore.kt and related stores	A commonMain SQLite store with a tested one-time Android migration
Medium	Dynamic discovery cache. Most of the logic is identical	AndroidDynamicDiscoveryCache.kt	DesktopDynamicDiscoveryCache.kt	One jvmMain cache
Medium	Deck card draft codec, capacity, and migration policy	AndroidDeckCardDraftStore.kt	DesktopDeckCardDraftStore.kt	commonMain policy behind a storage port
Medium	File read cache. Android skips leased entries during eviction; desktop eviction has no lease check	AndroidFileReadCache.kt, AndroidVirtualFileCache.kt	DesktopFileReadCache.kt	A jvmMain blob store
Medium	Account removal stages and journals	Five AndroidAccountRemoval* files	DesktopAccountRemoval.kt	A commonMain removal state machine
Medium	Pure policy kept in platform code	AndroidFileSyncContentEvidence.kt	DesktopFileSyncRetryPolicy.kt, DesktopFileSyncBatchResult.kt, DesktopFileSyncContentSlices.kt	commonMain
Low	Small identical helpers: streaming multipart body, document-editing capability parsing, bounded reads, sha256Hex copies, update-channel preferences	Several files	Several files	jvmMain

Intentionally platform-specific. Credential storage (Keystore versus Secret Service, Credential Manager, and Keychain), local file access (SAF and MediaStore versus java.nio), virtual files (DocumentsProvider versus FUSE and Windows Cloud Files), background scheduling (WorkManager versus the desktop tray and runtime conditions), and external file launch. Only the logic around them, such as range hashing and handoff validation, should be shared.

Test gap. jvmMain code is tested only by desktopTest; Android unit tests do not run it. Several suites exist once per platform and should merge when the code they test is shared: dynamic discovery cache, Deck draft store, account operation guard, file read cache, and file sync store.

Check gap. The byte-identical check in tools/check-kotlin-architecture.sh compares only same-named files in ui/src/androidMain and ui/src/desktopMain. Most Android platform code lives in androidApp, and its files carry an Android prefix, so the check cannot detect the duplicates listed above.

# Platform status

This table describes the repository at the review date. It is not a support guarantee. A platform supports a workflow only after that workflow's platform acceptance tests pass and its limitations are recorded in COMPATIBILITY.md. Packaging alone is not feature parity.

Platform	Runtime	State in source and packaging	Platform-specific direction
Android	Compose Multiplatform	Active launcher; signed alpha APK and AAB. Source includes Keystore-backed credentials, WorkManager workers, a DocumentsProvider, selected-folder sync, media backup, Media3 playback sessions, and share targets.	Notifications and push, calls, and the platform acceptance gates in the roadmap
Linux	Compose Desktop	Primary interactive desktop target; alpha RPM and DEB. Source includes Secret Service storage through secret-tool, a StatusNotifier tray, selected-folder sync, and a FUSE virtual filesystem (LinuxVirtualFileSystem.kt).	Portals, notifications, media keys, and conventional sync roots
Windows	Compose Desktop	Unsigned x86-64 MSI with Credential Manager storage, build provenance, and a Cloud Files provider (WindowsCloudFilesProvider.kt) under prerelease qualification.	Explorer validation, trusted signing when available, notifications, media controls, and updates
macOS	Compose Desktop	Early DMG packaging artifact. Keychain storage (MacOsKeychainSecretStore) is present in source and unit-tested, but authenticated use has not been live-validated or qualified.	Keychain, File Provider and Finder integration, notifications, media controls, and updates
iOS / iPadOS	None	No iOS target exists in the Gradle build and no launcher is shipped.	Keychain, File Provider, background transfer, share extension, notifications, media, and CallKit

Standard CI builds Android packages and runs Android unit tests. It does not run connected-device instrumentation, although instrumented tests exist under androidApp/src/androidTest. A package or a passing unit-test job is not evidence that device acceptance criteria have passed.

# Shared boundaries

These rules decide where new code goes:

• Shared modules must not import Android, Apple, Windows, macOS, or Linux APIs.
• Platform services implement interfaces owned by shared domain code.
• Protocol parsing, permission rules, sync policy, retries, conflicts, and account identity belong in shared code. Move existing duplication toward that boundary instead of designing a new platform-specific copy.
• Credentials stay inside the platform credential store.
• Filesystem providers and sync roots expose shared file and transfer semantics while keeping each operating system's native provider model.
• Shared Compose components carry behavior and semantics. Platform layouts may arrange them differently.

# Shared application read session

Android and desktop use the same JVM adapter for dynamic application reads, including native audio stream requests (JvmAuthenticatedAppReadSession.kt).

• Playback refreshes an expired session per request on a stream worker, and cancelling the stream cancels its preparation.
• Account retirement clears pending Android requests and stops the matching MediaSession queue. Leaving a screen does not stop background playback.
• Desktop retirement cancels the matching download and disposes its player and staged file.
• Queue identities prevent a delayed cleanup from stopping a replacement queue.

Deterministic JVM tests cover cookie rotation, path isolation, credential replacement, cancellation, and retirement. They do not establish Android device or live-server compatibility; that evidence belongs in COMPATIBILITY.md.

# Shared workspace components

This section describes behavior present in source, not availability in a published package. Shared rendering and deterministic tests do not prove identical input handling on every operating system or touchpad; native-device interaction validation is still required.

Navigation and app shell

• NextcloudCollectionWorkspaceScaffold uses the same typed destinations and selection callbacks in every layout. Compact layouts use short text tabs for small destination sets. For larger sets, the workspace title opens a section chooser, which adds search above seven sections. Tablets and desktop keep rails and collapsible sidebars. Changing section never bypasses the host's draft or mutation navigation guards.
• The app shell uses Home on every platform. On phone and tablet, the Apps navigation slot names the open app and opens an app switcher with pinned and recent apps, installed-app search, Folder sync, and the full catalog. Opening the switcher keeps the workspace mounted, and switching apps still uses the host's guarded callbacks.
• A phone-to-tablet layout change moves the same workspace composition, so local drafts survive within the running session.
• Desktop sidebars collapse on request and below 900dp. Both widths keep pinned, recent, and current apps with labeled controls and full-name tooltips. Settings and the account entry share a utility footer that scrolls in short windows. Collapse state is a saved presentation preference, not a server setting.
• The compact Apps browser is a searchable list with category filters and pinned shortcuts. Long labels truncate explicitly and the header grows with text size. Desktop keeps its catalog grid. App tiles open directly; pinning and compatibility details are in overflow menus.

Media

• MediaImageCanvas shares bounded zoom and pan across touch, mouse, touchpad, keyboard, and visible controls. Pinch or double-tap zooms, and scrolling zooms around the pointer. With keyboard focus, + and - zoom, 0 fits, 1 shows actual size, and arrow keys pan while zoomed. At fit size, Left and Right move to the previous or next item.
• Fit and 1:1 controls distinguish fitting the window from one decoded pixel per viewport pixel. Percentages describe the decoded image, not an original that has not been loaded. These controls never edit the source image.
• Photos places the date scrubber over edge-to-edge timeline content. The thumb and narrow rail keep date navigation while the surrounding area still accepts photo taps.

Files, Activity, and Folder sync

• Desktop Files can hide the library or details pane. At intermediate widths only one secondary pane is shown, so the file list stays usable.
• Activity separates actionable notices from the rest of the event history. Settings opens account details on demand.
• Folder sync shows queue state and last scan time separately. A completed scan is never presented as a completed sync. Phone pair rows open dedicated details; desktop keeps a pair table and inspector. Conflict choices explain their consequences before the existing confirmation and revision checks.
• Storage distinguishes integration availability, connection state, and retained edits. Transfer history uses the verified receipt time for completed uploads.

Editors

• Existing Calendar events and editable dynamic records use in-place workspace editors with the same fields, validation, and mutation paths as their dialog versions. Save and Cancel stay with the form. A dirty draft needs an explicit discard decision before navigation, and a pending save blocks leaving. Creation, pickers, and short confirmations may still use dialogs.
• Notes uses an editor toolbar with Save outside the scrolling content. In short windows, title and folder controls move into an accessible Details dialog. Shared Markdown typography uses content-sized headings in Notes, Files, Deck, Talk, and news. NoteEditorContentTest covers the short-window controls and preservation of temporary form values.
• Contact detail bodies scroll independently of their Edit and Delete buttons.

Calendar and Talk

• Calendar shares view selection, time-first event rows, named calendar checkboxes, and event detail facts. Phone Month shows a compact date grid above the selected day's events, and Week uses a day strip. Desktop has a continuous month grid with event overflow and scrollable week columns.
• Shared date grouping includes multi-day events within a bounded window and respects exclusive all-day end dates. The editor puts title and schedule first, with compact recurrence and calendar selectors.
• Talk bounds the composer and the desktop message width. A failed send keeps the draft. Refresh only reads the conversation, and an uncertain resend needs explicit confirmation. Timestamps show UTC and do not imply delivery or read state.

Office

• Office uses native document selection. Android embeds only a Direct Editing session the user asked for, never the Nextcloud dashboard or app navigation. Desktop opens editing sessions in the system browser. Preview and Edit are separate actions, and Edit is gated by advertised MIME support and current permissions. This is not an automatic web fallback for other apps. See ADR 0001 for the authentication, provider selection, and retry boundaries.

Focused scene tests cover many of these interactions. Device rotation, visual evidence, and dated device observations belong in COMPATIBILITY.md.

# Mobile product rules

Every mobile surface must provide:

• correct safe-area insets, system back, touch targets, and permission flows;
• state restoration across rotation, activity recreation, and process death;
• durable background work that is honest about Android and iOS scheduling limits;
• progressive layouts for large phones, tablets, foldables, and external displays;
• native share and open-with, notifications, media sessions, filesystem providers, camera and media discovery, and calling surfaces.

App-specific presentation groups related values around the task. These surfaces reuse the existing typed models, action bindings, and recovery policies:

• Budget puts account balance and period spending first, keeps category limits and carryover together, and omits unavailable totals instead of showing zero.
• Music playlists keep ordered tracks and playback controls together.
• Calendar editors group Schedule and Details, with Save and Cancel outside the scrolling body.
• Transfer history puts queue status and the failed-upload filter before the records, centered and bounded on wider windows.
• Pantry collection cards emphasize household and list descriptions. Grocery rows show quantity without replacing completion recovery.
• Tables cards keep declared counts visible and secondary metadata expandable. Record details group typed cells under their primary value without repeating it. Compact table controls wrap when space is limited.

View switchers and form choices use shared native components on phone and desktop. Calendar, compact Chores, Budget categories, and dynamic enum fields share selection, focus, and overflow behavior without sharing domain state or write policy. See shared native choice controls.

# Desktop product rules

Every desktop surface should provide, where the workflow benefits:

• resizable master-detail and multi-pane workspaces;
• keyboard navigation, pointer selection, context menus, drag-and-drop, and accessibility focus;
• dense tables, persistent inspectors, multi-selection, and broad content views instead of phone cards stretched across a window;
• conventional sync roots or native virtual-file providers, according to the operating system;
• secret storage, notifications, system media controls, file associations, updates, and native packaging.

# Desktop account recovery

These are source and deterministic-test guarantees, not claims about a published installer.

• Interrupted account cleanup has its own retry screen, separate from unavailable secure storage. It keeps the saved sign-in and offers no sign-in reset while cleanup is pending or needs review. Unrecognized cleanup records direct the user to Obiente support. The screen explains how to reopen the app for another attempt; its check action only reloads session state.
• Credential-save recovery persists a terminal marker before erasing its identity fields, so a restart can finish cleanup at any interruption point without mistaking a completed save for an incomplete rollback. See DesktopCompletedCredentialSaveCleanupTest.
• Legacy Deck drafts that cannot be attributed, because the keyring or encrypted content is unreadable, keep account cleanup pending and the files preserved. Restoring keyring access permits a retry. A permanently damaged draft can keep blocking cleanup until its ownership or deliberate removal is resolved; corrupt encrypted drafts are not recovered automatically.
• A registry written by a newer format blocks sign-in with compatibility guidance. Credentials and registry data are unchanged, and the user must reopen a compatible app version instead of repeating browser login.
• Malformed registry data without a recoverable legacy session shows retained-data and support guidance, without a reset or an update claim. A valid legacy session can still repair malformed registry data.

# Platform delivery rule

Shared code is valuable only when it preserves correct native behavior. Move a rule into shared code when it is domain policy. Keep an implementation in a platform source set when it depends on lifecycle, security, scheduling, filesystem, media, notification, windowing, or accessibility APIs unique to that operating system.

The dependency order and acceptance gates are defined in ROADMAP.md, especially the platform productization milestone.

# Installed display names

The displayed brand is nati.ve on every platform:

• Android's application label is nati.ve.
• Linux launcher and AppStream names are nati.ve, including the launcher rewritten into Debian packages.
• macOS packages use nati.ve.app and the nati.ve Dock name.
• Windows product and shortcut names are described in Windows release packaging.

The Android application ID, Linux package and desktop-file IDs, persisted data paths, and Windows upgrade identity are compatibility identifiers and have not changed. On macOS, remove the previous NextcloudNative.app after installing nati.ve.app; the DMG does not migrate an existing bundle.

These names describe source packaging configuration. Check the release artifacts to see whether a published release contains them.

# Desktop SQLite runtime verification

The desktop sync stores use the bundled AndroidX SQLite driver (androidx.sqlite:sqlite-bundled). The version is pinned to 2.6.2 in gradle/libs.versions.toml because the 2.7.0 and 2.7.1 JVM artifacts omit the Intel macOS native library.

• DesktopSqliteRuntimeTest checks the native resources for each packaged desktop architecture and opens an in-memory database on the test host.
• An Intel macOS CI job validates relevant dependency, credential-storage, and packaging changes. It includes a synthetic first-account save and restore through the native Keychain. This does not replace a live browser login test.
• Nightly and prerelease macOS packages run their launcher with --verify-sqlite-runtime before creating application services. This check does not read accounts or modify user databases.

A resource check on one operating system does not establish runtime validation on another.