Slice 1: Project Scaffold + Sidecar Lifecycle

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Parent

• PRD: NihongOCR MVP #1 (PRD: NihongOCR MVP)

What to build

Set up the Tauri v2 project as a menu bar app with a bundled Python sidecar. The sidecar is a stub that loads and responds to NDJSON ping messages over stdin/stdout. The Rust Sidecar Manager spawns, monitors, and communicates with the Python process. A Tailwind-based splash screen shows loading progress and dismisses when the sidecar reports ready. End-to-end: launch app from menu bar → splash screen appears → sidecar loads → splash dismisses → app idle in menu bar.

This slice establishes the foundational project structure and verifies the Rust ↔ Python communication path.

Acceptance criteria

• Tauri v2 project scaffolded with menu bar tray integration (no dock icon)
• Python sidecar stub bundled as a Tauri sidecar binary
• Sidecar Manager (Rust) spawns Python process and speaks NDJSON over stdin/stdout
• Splash screen UI (TypeScript + Tailwind) displays during sidecar warmup
• Splash screen dismisses and app enters idle menu-bar state when sidecar reports ready
• Sidecar Manager mock tests verify NDJSON framing and request/response pairing
• HITL review: project structure and sidecar approach reviewed against ADRs

Blocked by

None — can start immediately

Testing notes

Write Sidecar Manager unit tests using a mock Python process (shell script echoing canned responses). Verify spawn, NDJSON framing, and pong response handling.

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This was generated by AI during triage.

Agent Brief

Goal: Set up the Tauri v2 project scaffold with a bundled Python sidecar, menu bar integration, splash screen, and NDJSON stdin/stdout protocol.

Context:

• App name: NihongOCR
• Domain glossary and ADRs in repo root (, )
• PRD: PRD: NihongOCR MVP #1
• Parent: PRD: NihongOCR MVP #1

Tech choices (already decided):

• Tauri v2 (menu bar tray APIs)
• PyInstaller for Python bundling
• NDJSON over stdin/stdout for Rust ↔ Python communication
• Tailwind CSS for UI

Project layout:

• — Rust backend
• — TypeScript frontend
• — Python sidecar code

Key acceptance criteria:

• Menu bar app (no dock icon)
• Python sidecar spawned and monitored by Rust
• NDJSON ping/pong working
• Splash screen shows during warmup, dismisses when ready
• Sidecar Manager unit tests with mock process

Blockers: None — this is the first slice.

Next slice after this: #3 (Region Capture → Reading Window with Dummy Data)