Web-based Desktop Client for Mastodon

Mstdn is a desktop application based on mobile version Mastodon page and Electron framework. It basically uses Mastodon's mobile page and provides various desktop application features (such as desktop notification, keybinds, multi-account support).

Features:

• Small window on your menubar (or isolated normal window)
• Desktop notification
• Customizable (and pluggable) shortcut keybinds
• Multi-account (switching among accounts)
• User CSS

Mastodon is an open source project. So if you want to make a new UI, you can just fork the project, implement your favorite UI and host it on your place. Then you can participate Mastodon networks from it.

However, Mastodon is a web application. So we can't go out from a browser. So this small tool provides a way to do it.

Installation

Via npm

$ npm install -g mstdn

As an isolated app

Download a package archive from Release page, put unarchived app to proper place, and open it.

Usage

If you installed this app via npm, below command is available to start app.

$ open-mstdn-app

At first, a dialog which recommends to write up config is shown and JSON config file will be open in your editor. You need to fill up "name" and "host" keys in first element of "accounts".

Then please try to start app again. Usage is the same as web client on mobile devices. Some shortcuts are available by default (please see below 'Customization' section).

Supported platforms are macOS (confirmed with 10.12), Linux (hopefully) and Windows (confirmed with Windows 8.1).

Customization

Mstdn can be customized with JSON config file at {app dir}/config.json

The {app dir} is:

• ~/Library/Application\ Support/Mstdn for macOS
• ~/.config/Mstdn for Linux
• %APPDATA%\Mstdn for Windows.

The JSON file can contain below key-values:

hot_key

hot_key is a key sequence to toggle application window. The shortcut key is defined globally. The format is a Electron's accelerator. Please see the document to know how to configure this value. Default value is "CmdOrCtrl+Shift+S". If you want to disable, please set empty string or null.

icon_color

Color of icon in menubar. "black" or "white" can be specified.

always_on_top

When this value is set to true, the window won't be hidden if it loses a focus. Default value is false.

normal_window

When this value is set to true, application will be launched as a normal window application. If menu bar behavior does not work for you, please use set this value to true to avoid it. Default value is false on macOS or Linux, true on Windows because window position is broken in some version of Windows.

hide_menu

When this value is set to true, the application will be launched with the menubar hidden, assuming normal_window is also true. When set to false, the menubar will be visible on launch. Default value is false.

On Windows, typing Alt key shows the hidden menubar.

zoom_factor

Font zoom factor in application. It should be positive number. For example, 0.7 means 70% font zooming. Default font size is a bit bigger because the UI is originally for mobile devices. So default value is 0.9.

accounts

Array of your accounts. An element should has "name", "host" and "default_page" keys. "name" represents your screen name. "host" represents a host part of URL of your mastodon instance. "default_page" is a page firstly shown.

You need to write up this config at first.

chromium_sandbox

If true is specified, Chromium's native sandbox is enabled (and default value is true). Sandbox provides some OS level security protection such as resource access control like tabs in Chromium. However, sandbox also blocks preload scripts for Electron application.

If false is specified, you can use some advanced features (user CSS and key shortcut plugin). Before setting false to this value, please read and understand sandbox documentation in Electron repo to know what you're doing.

keymaps

Object whose key is a key sequence and whose value is an action name.

Action Name	Description	Default Key
scroll-down	Scroll down window	j
scroll-up	Scroll up window	k
scroll-top	Scroll up to top of window	i
scroll-bottom	Scroll down to bottom of window	m
next-account	Switch to next account	N/A
prev-account	Switch to previous account	N/A
open-in-browser	Open current page in browser	N/A

If an action name starts with /, it will navigate to the path. For example, if you set "/web/timelines/home" to some key shortcut and you input the key, browser will navigate page to https://{your host}/web/timelines/home.

If an action name ends with .js, it will run key shortcut plugin (please see below 'Key Shortcut Plugin' section).

By default, some key shortcuts for tab items are set in addition to above table.

Example of configuration

{
  "hot_key": "F8",
  "icon_color": "black",
  "always_on_top": false,
  "normal_window": false,
  "zoom_factor": 0.9,
  "chromium_sandbox": true,
  "accounts": [
    {
      "name": "Linda_pp",
      "host": "mstdn.jp",
      "default_page": "/web/timelines/home"
    },
    {
      "name": "inudog",
      "host": "mastodon.social",
      "default_page": "/web/timelines/home"
    }
  ],
  "keymaps": {
    "1": "/web/statuses/new",
    "2": "/web/timelines/home",
    "3": "/web/notifications",
    "4": "/web/timelines/public/local",
    "5": "/web/timelines/public",
    "6": "/web/getting-started",
    "ctrl+1": "/web/statuses/new",
    "ctrl+2": "/web/timelines/home",
    "ctrl+3": "/web/notifications",
    "ctrl+4": "/web/timelines/public/local",
    "ctrl+5": "/web/timelines/public",
    "ctrl+6": "/web/getting-started",
    "j": "scroll-down",
    "k": "scroll-up",
    "i": "scroll-top",
    "m": "scroll-bottom",
    "n": "next-account",
    "p": "prev-account"
  }
}

Multi account

If you set multiple accounts to accounts array in config.json, Accounts menu item will appear in application menu.

It will show the list of your account. Check mark is added for current user. When you click menu item of non-current user, application window will be recreated and switch page to the account.

Key Shortcut Plugin

By specifying JavaScript file to action name in keymaps of config.json, you can write your favorite behavior with JavaScript directly. Please note that "chromium_sandbox" : true is also required (if you don't know what happens with "chromium_sandbox" : true, please read above config section).

{
    ...

    "chromium_sandbox": false,

    ...

    "keymaps": {
        "r": "hello.js"
    }
}

The script file path is a relative path from your Mstdn application directory. For example, Specifying hello.js will run /Users/You/Application Support/Mstdn/hello.js on Mac.

The plugin script MUST export one function. Function receives configuration object and current account object as its parameters. So above hello.js would look like:

module.exports = function (config, account) {
    alert('Hello, ' + account.name);
}

With above example config, typing r will show 'Hello, {your name}' alert dialog. You can use any DOM APIs, Node.js's standard libraries and Electron APIs in plugin script.

User CSS

When user.css is put in your Mstdn application directory, it will be loaded automatically. To enable this feature, "chromium_sandbox" : true is also required (if you don't know what happens with "chromium_sandbox" : true, please read above config section).

For example, below /Users/You/Application Support/Mstdn/user.css will change font color to red on Mac.

body {
  color: red !important;
}