rsdownit

rsdownit is an open-source desktop app for saving public video and audio. It provides a native download queue, format and quality controls, local history, and a folder picker without requiring a command line.

Windows 10 and 11 are the current release targets. The Tauri and Rust foundation is portable, but managed tool installation and release packaging for macOS and Linux are still in development.

Features

• Video, muted-video, and audio-only downloads.
• Best available quality or a video cap from 2160p to 360p.
• Native audio, MP3, M4A, Opus, and WAV output, with optional bitrate selection.
• Download progress, speed, ETA, cancellation, retry, and local history.
• A native output-folder picker. Existing files are never overwritten.
• Optional Firefox/browser profiles and Netscape cookies.txt files for media the user is authorized to access.
• A browser-compatible retry for sites that reject the first media request.
• Optional self-hosted Cobalt fallback. Community instances remain disabled by default.
• Light and dark themes with responsive desktop and tablet layouts.
• No telemetry.
• Signed in-app updates and update checks for managed yt-dlp and FFmpeg tools.

The desktop app checks the signed GitHub release feed at startup. When a newer version is available, it shows the installed and available versions and waits for the user to choose Update now or Later. Updates are installed only after Tauri verifies the release signature.

No downloader can guarantee permanent support for every website. Extractors, authentication requirements, and site markup change over time. rsdownit does not bypass DRM, paywalls, or access controls.

How links are resolved

rsdownit tries each allowed method in this order:

Order	Resolver	Role
1	Direct stream	Saves a public media file without launching another process
2	yt-dlp	Handles supported sites locally, including HLS and DASH streams
3	Self-hosted Cobalt	Uses an endpoint configured by the user
4	Community Cobalt	Optional third-party fallback that requires explicit consent
5	HTML probe	Searches public page metadata and media elements for a direct source

Managed yt-dlp, Deno, and Windows FFmpeg downloads come from publisher URLs and are checked against publisher SHA-256 values before installation. Deno runs the JavaScript challenges now required for full YouTube support. A system copy on PATH can also be used, but the app identifies it as system-provided rather than publisher-verified.

Links that require sign-in

Reddit, Instagram, X, YouTube, and other sites may require the same signed-in session used in a browser. Open Settings → Show advanced options → Site sign-in, then choose one of these methods:

1. Use a Firefox session. Select the profile when more than one profile exists.
2. Select a fresh Netscape-format cookies.txt file exported from a browser session.

Firefox is the most reliable direct-browser option on Windows. Chromium browsers can lock their cookie database while running, and newer Chrome builds can prevent third-party decryption through Windows DPAPI. rsdownit does not terminate browsers or weaken those protections. Close every Chromium window before retrying, or use Firefox or cookies.txt instead.

An HTTP 403 response means the site rejected the media request. rsdownit retries yt-dlp once with browser-compatible networking. If that also fails, refresh the signed-in session, export new cookies, or try later. Private posts still require permission, and some YouTube formats can require a site-issued PO token that rsdownit cannot create on the user's behalf.

Privacy and security

• Downloads stay local unless an API fallback is enabled.
• API tokens remain in memory and are not written to settings.json.
• Browser-cookie access is opt-in and is passed only to the local yt-dlp process. A selected cookie file takes precedence over direct browser access.
• Media URLs containing embedded credentials, local hostnames, or private IP ranges are rejected.
• Direct downloads reject executable and shortcut filename extensions.
• The Tauri window uses a restrictive Content Security Policy and a small capability set.

Security reports should follow the private process in SECURITY.md.

Download and verify a release

Windows builds are published on the Releases page. Each release includes SHA256SUMS.txt and displays the same checksums in its release notes. Signed updater builds also include the updater manifest and signature.

Compare a downloaded file with the published checksum:

Get-FileHash .\rsdownit.exe -Algorithm SHA256
Get-Content .\SHA256SUMS.txt

The repository also includes a verification helper:

.\scripts\verify-release.ps1 -Manifest .\SHA256SUMS.txt -File .\rsdownit.exe

GitHub build provenance can be checked with the GitHub CLI:

gh attestation verify .\rsdownit.exe --repo RlxChap2/rsdownit

A checksum confirms file identity, while the attestation links the file to this repository's GitHub Actions workflow. Windows publisher reputation is separate: releases need a publicly trusted Authenticode certificate, or Microsoft Store signing for an MSIX package, to identify the publisher to SmartScreen. A self-signed certificate does not provide that reputation.

Build from source

Requirements:

• Node.js 22.13 or newer; CI uses Node.js 24.
• pnpm 11.5.1.
• Stable Rust.
• Microsoft C++ Build Tools and WebView2 on Windows.

pnpm install --frozen-lockfile
pnpm tauri dev
pnpm tauri build

Run the same core checks used in CI:

pnpm version:check
pnpm test
pnpm test:smoke
pnpm build
pnpm audit --prod

Set-Location src-tauri
cargo fmt --check
cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings
cargo test

Three network integration tests are ignored by default because they download real files. Run them explicitly when that network activity is acceptable:

Set-Location src-tauri
cargo test -- --ignored

Publishing a release

The version command updates package.json, Tauri configuration, Cargo.toml, and the rsdownit entry in Cargo.lock together:

pnpm version:set 0.2.0
pnpm version:check

Commit the version change, then create and push a matching annotated tag:

git add package.json src-tauri/Cargo.toml src-tauri/Cargo.lock src-tauri/tauri.conf.json
git commit -m "release: v0.2.0"
git tag -a v0.2.0 -m "rsdownit v0.2.0"
git push origin main
git push origin v0.2.0

The release workflow checks the version and tag before starting tests or the Windows build. A valid tag triggers tests, dependency audits, the Windows build, configured signatures, SHA-256 generation, provenance attestation, and GitHub Release publication. A manual workflow run builds downloadable CI artifacts without publishing a release.

Updater signing uses the TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY and optional TAURI_SIGNING_PRIVATE_KEY_PASSWORD repository secrets. Windows Authenticode signing uses a base64-encoded PFX in WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE and its password in WINDOWS_CERTIFICATE_PASSWORD. Private keys and certificates must never be committed to the repository.

Project layout

src/app/                     App state and composition
src/components/              Shared layout and UI controls
src/features/downloads/      Download form, setup status, and history
src/features/settings/       Settings dialog
src/features/updates/        Signed update prompt
src/styles/                  Fonts, design tokens, and application styles
src-tauri/src/downloader.rs  Provider chain, progress, and cancellation
src-tauri/src/providers/     Direct, yt-dlp, and Cobalt adapters
src-tauri/src/security.rs    URL and filename policy
src-tauri/src/tools.rs       Tool discovery, download, and SHA-256 checks
scripts/version.mjs          Version synchronization and release-tag check
tests/ui-smoke.mjs           Desktop and responsive Playwright smoke test

Contributing

Bug reports and focused pull requests are welcome. See CONTRIBUTING.md for the local checks and contribution guidelines.

Legal

Download only material that may legally be saved. Website terms and copyright law still apply. rsdownit does not bypass DRM or paywalls.

License

rsdownit is released under the MIT License. Bundled and managed external tools retain their own licenses; see THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md.