Vibe-coding in Rust: three macOS utilities and five browser projects

A developer going by codecity is continuing an experiment in vibe-coding with Rust, using LLMs to generate code. Their question is simple: can a neural network write genuinely useful software for real-world use? This time, in just a few hours, they built three utilities for macOS, two of which were also compiled for Windows.

ProcessTree: a process manager

It all started with a familiar situation — a process froze on macOS and refused to close via Force Quit. The author asked an LLM to build an equivalent of Process Explorer. The result was ProcessTree, a utility with a visual process tree and a button to force-quit processes with administrator rights.

The utility was only built for macOS, since Windows already has an excellent built-in Process Explorer. After downloading, you need to run `xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "ProcessTree.app"` to bypass the protection against unsigned binaries — the binary is built by GitHub Actions and is safe.

Notepad: an editor for large files

After ProcessTree's success, the author tackled Notepad. On macOS they use CotEditor, but it struggles with large files. Windows has Notepad++, which is hard to beat — but there was no real equivalent for macOS. On request, the LLM produced a minimalist editor with the needed functionality. A Windows version is also available on GitHub.

DirMerge: comparing folders

The third project fills a gap on macOS: an equivalent of WinMerge for comparing and syncing folders. Paid alternatives had been the only option. On request, the LLM produced an app with an interface for comparing folders and a built-in editor for tweaking files during comparison.

DirMerge ships in two versions: a classic Rust program and a single HTML file (PWA). The browser version works offline on Windows, Linux, macOS, and mobile devices, and can be downloaded and used like a regular app.

Five earlier projects

The author had previously released several utilities:

• A minimal Obsidian — a PWA and single HTML file for notes. Works offline on Windows, Linux, macOS, Android, and iOS. There's a Chrome extension too. It fully replaced Obsidian for the author.

• A KeePass alternative — a password manager in a single HTML file with deterministic password generation, so there's no need to store kdbx files. Available as a PWA and an official Chrome extension, working offline on all platforms.

• Disk Usage — a Rust program for analyzing disk usage, featuring a rainbow pie chart and a deletion queue for files.

• Paint with layers — a browser-based graphics editor with layer support and a PWA.

• Vector Editor — supports SVG, GLSL export, and ShaderToy integration, with a PWA available.

Why browser apps are so convenient

All the browser projects ship as a single HTML file — a concept the author can't stop admiring. They run everywhere (even in Chrome on mobile), require no installation, no updates, and no administrator rights. Crucially, the browser acts as a built-in sandbox that protects against escaping the system. Browser exploits carry substantial bug bounties, which is why the security of such apps is considerably higher.

The developer is convinced we're entering a new era of building software. What they've shown so far is just the beginning. Their GitHub profile holds something far more interesting, which they plan to write about separately.