# ryanmcgrath/cacao

Rust bindings for AppKit (macOS) and UIKit (iOS/tvOS). Experimental, but working!

Repository: https://github.com/ryanmcgrath/cacao
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/cacao
Language: Rust
License: MIT
License Family: permissive
Topics: cocoa, rust, gui, appkit, macos, uikit, ios
Last push: 2025-02-03T08:16:22+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 25/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-02T17:46:02.011165+00:00)
- activity 4, release rhythm 8, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2378, "days_push": 576, "days_rel": null, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 0}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 2077, forks 82 (observed 2026-08-28T04:06:11.335314+00:00)

## What it is
Cacao provides safe Rust bindings for Apple's AppKit (macOS) and UIKit (iOS/tvOS) frameworks, wrapping the Objective-C runtime in a Rust-friendly API. It lets developers build native Apple-platform applications in Rust with familiar AppDelegate-style patterns.

## Use cases
- build a native macOS app in Rust
- write an iOS app using Rust instead of Swift
- create cross-platform Apple apps sharing Rust code
- wrap AppKit windows and controls from Rust
- build a tvOS application in Rust

## When to choose
- you want native Apple UI toolkits from Rust rather than a web-based or game-engine UI
- you're comfortable with beta-quality software and some rough edges
- you know AppKit/UIKit concepts from Swift or Objective-C and want a familiar API

## When to avoid
- you need production-grade stability and long-term support guarantees
- you need cross-platform GUI beyond Apple platforms (Windows/Linux)
- you're uncomfortable with crates that rely heavily on unsafe under the hood

## Facets
- artifact type: library
- maturity: experimental
- function: gui, ui-components, sdk
- domain: cross-platform, apple-ecosystem, developer-tools
- platform: rust
- tags: appkit, uikit, cocoa-bindings, native-ui, tvos, macos, ios, desktop, mobile

## Member repositories
- ryanmcgrath/cacao (main) score 25

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:11.335314+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-30T02:56:09.963172+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/ryanmcgrath/cacao (fetched 2026-08-28T04:06:11.335314+00:00, sha 100f6143c5d5)
  - registry_crates: https://crates.io/api/v1/crates/cacao (fetched 2026-08-29T10:36:19.207239+00:00, sha 45eeac7ab9bb)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.