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Crosswake

Crosswake

Declare the crossing. Phoenix-native route policy for apps that go mobile.

Crosswake is an open-source Elixir library for shipping iOS and Android apps from Phoenix applications without pretending one runtime should own every screen. Server-centric routes can stay LiveView, device-heavy flows can move into explicit native screens, and local-first work can live in honest offline islands.

Crosswake's one job is to declare, enforce, and diagnose which runtime owns each route as a Phoenix app crosses into mobile.

What this is

Crosswake gives Phoenix apps a mobile runtime contract built around:

  • route policy
  • a versioned runtime manifest
  • host-owned native shells
  • a bounded bridge for low-frequency native affordances
  • explicit pack and transfer seams
  • offline islands and cached read-only routes

The core idea is simple: runtime ownership is explicit per route.

What this is not

Crosswake is not:

  • React Native for Phoenix
  • a generic WebView wrapper
  • LiveView rendering native UI directly
  • a universal shared UI framework
  • “write once, run anywhere”
  • “offline magically works”

See it run

bin/see-it-run.sh

Boots the shared backend on port 4700 and auto-opens http://localhost:4700/, the showcase hub for the checked-in example host. Requires Docker.

<img src="https://raw.githubusercontent.com/szTheory/crosswake/main/brandbook/collateral/see-it-run/web-home.png" alt="Crosswake showcase hub at localhost:4700 — the SaaS/Admin, Field Service, and Learning/Training lanes with route-owner and support-truth labels" width="900" />

Open the showcase hub first at http://localhost:4700/. It introduces the SaaS/Admin, Field Service, and Learning/Training lanes with route-owner labels before asking you to inspect proof routes.

The root route / — home showcase hub, LiveView route, cached read-only — is the newcomer entrypoint for this checked-in host.

Proof routes stay one click deeper and are secondary to the product-shaped showcase:

  • /offline — offline island (app-owned, socketless)
  • /bridge-proof — bounded bridge (share capability)
  • /native/claims — native-pressure route list

Support-truth labels in this first run stay narrow: Available today and Proof-backed example describe web proof surfaces, while Demo pressure and Future gap describe native-control candidates that are not shipped broadly. Showcase screenshots explain the product surface; route-tour assertions prove route-owner semantics.

Read Capability Map: guides/capability_map.md separates available support, proof-backed examples, demo pressure, future gaps, and v20 next-pack candidates. Screenshots remain collateral after route-tour assertions, not proof posture.

Advisory native collateral. iOS Simulator and Android Emulator runs are emulator evidence — advisory, not physical-device proof. A successful simulator or emulator run confirms the dev wiring reaches the local backend, but does not prove it works on a physical device. See the support-truth label legend.

For a guided walkthrough: guides/see_it_run.md. For the full proof command reference: examples/QUICK_START.md.

Choose your path

Evaluating Crosswake

Current answer: Crosswake is a Phoenix-first route-policy and runtime-contract system; it assigns one explicit owner to each managed route and fails closed when that contract cannot be satisfied. Start with the architecture guide for the model.

Use this map:

Use the canonical support matrix for current support and proof detail.

Integrating Crosswake

Current answer: your Phoenix router owns route declarations and each generated shell is host-owned. Crosswake owns compilation, compatibility checks, and bounded diagnostics. Use this current path, then let mix crosswake.doctor name the exact owner or action when proof cannot proceed:

mix deps.get
mix crosswake.install
mix crosswake.doctor

# Add native targets only when this host starts claiming them.
mix crosswake.gen.shell ios
mix crosswake.gen.shell android
mix crosswake.doctor --native-checks

Then run the checked-in proof lane:

bash script/verify_phase5_example_hosts.sh

Crosswake owns the DSL, manifest contract, doctor tooling, and proof posture. Your Phoenix host and generated shells are host-owned after generation.

Contributing or maintaining

Read:

The checked-in example hosts under examples/ are the primary public proof artifacts.

Architecture at a glance

Crosswake is strongest when teams can answer these route-by-route questions clearly:

  • Which routes stay :live_view?
  • Which routes can be cached read-only?
  • Which flows need an :offline_island?
  • Which routes must become :native_screen?
  • Which capabilities, packs, transfers, and security posture does each route need?

The current runtime ladder is:

  1. :live_view
  2. :live_view inside a native shell
  3. :live_view plus bounded native affordances
  4. cached read-only routes
  5. :offline_island
  6. :native_screen

Where Crosswake fits

Crosswake is currently shaped around three adopter profiles:

  • Phoenix SaaS Portal: mostly LiveView, one bounded native affordance
  • Selective Native Flow: mostly Phoenix-owned, one explicit native route
  • Local-First Study Flow: one honest offline island plus cached neighbors

See guides/adopter_profiles.md for the profile matrix, representative routes, and explicit non-goals. For the fastest "how would I actually use this in my app?" pass, start with guides/user_flows.md.

Proof and support posture

Crosswake treats diagnostics, support truth, and proof lanes as part of the product surface.

Blocked — sanitized route policy and signed-device proof are required before this host can be promoted. Retained reference evidence is dated, source-bound, and does not verify the first adopter's host. See the current first adopter claim layers for the executable support boundary.

  • guides/support_matrix.md is the canonical support-status surface.
  • guides/support_matrix.md#support-truth-label-legend defines support-truth labels: merge-blocking proof, advisory evidence, checked-in public-coordinate proof, local-dev proof, generated public-coordinate proof, JVM hermetic proof, emulator evidence, device evidence, verification-required, and rebuild-required.
  • guides/troubleshooting.md maps doctor findings, denial reasons, route-unavailable states, offline replay outcomes, and native evidence labels to route-owner fixes.
  • guides/install.md is the canonical install and proof-entry guide.
  • The checked-in examples/ios_shell_host and examples/android_shell_host hosts are checked-in public-coordinate proof; use --local only for maintainer/local-dev proof.
  • bash script/verify_phase5_example_hosts.sh is the primary checked-in proof lane.
  • The route-tour evidence path uses merge-blocking proof for browser semantic assertions, manifest labels for artifacts, and advisory evidence for native simulator/emulator collateral.
  • mix crosswake.doctor discovers the installed router and stays green with native support not_claimed before a shell exists; --native-targets none makes that CI posture explicit.
  • mix crosswake.doctor --native-checks reruns verification hooks for generated or explicitly claimed native targets.

Crosswake stays deliberately narrow and explicit. Unsupported or incompatible routes fail closed onto explicit denial behavior instead of silently degrading into a generic container.

Guide map

Current baseline

  • Elixir ~> 1.19
  • Phoenix ~> 1.8
  • Phoenix LiveView ~> 1.1
  • Crosswake version 0.2.3 <!-- x-release-please-version -->
  • Generated non-local native shell core coordinates resolve at the Crosswake package version.

See mix.exs and guides/support_matrix.md for the current package and platform baseline.