Application Manifest

manifest.lua

The manifest is a Lua file that returns a table describing the application. It's located at the root of each app directory:

/apps/com.developer.appname/manifest.lua

Required Fields

Field	Type	Description
`name`	string	Short identifier for the app (e.g., "shell", "explorer")

Common Fields

Field	Type	Default	Description
`pretty`	string	name	Human-readable display name (e.g., "File Explorer")
`developer`	string	—	Developer/author name
`version`	string	—	Version string (e.g., "1.0.0")
`description`	string	—	Brief description of the app
`category`	string	"Other"	Category for start menu grouping (e.g., "system", "utilities", "games")
`entry`	string	"init.lua"	Main entry point file in src/ directory
`mode`	string	"gui"	App mode: "gui", "cli", or "background"
`type`	string	—	Special type: "html" for HTML-based apps

Permissions

Field	Type	Description
`permissions`	table	Array of permission strings the app requires

Available Permissions

filesystem — Access to SafeFS (sandboxed file operations)
system — Access to sys.* APIs
draw — Direct drawing capabilities
load — Access to loadstring() for dynamic code execution
ramdisk — Direct ramdisk access (bypasses sandbox)
export — Can export functions for other apps to call

Path Restrictions

Field	Type	Description
`allowedPaths`	table	Array of glob patterns for filesystem access

Example: { "/home/*", "/apps/*" } — App can only access files under /home/ and /apps/

Lifecycle Scripts

Field	Type	Description
`postInstall`	string	Script to run after installation (relative to src/)
`preUninstall`	string	Script to run before uninstallation

Example Manifest

return {
    name = "explorer";
    pretty = "File Explorer";
    developer = "luajitos";
    version = "1.2.0";
    category = "system";
    description = "Browse and manage files on the system";
    entry = "explorer.lua";
    mode = "gui";
    permissions = {
        "filesystem";
        "system";
    };
    allowedPaths = {
        "/home/*";
        "/apps/*";
    };
}

HTML App Example

return {
    name = "htmltest";
    pretty = "HTML Test App";
    developer = "luajitos";
    version = "1.0.0";
    type = "html";
    entry = "index.html";
    permissions = {
        "filesystem";
    };
}

Example HTML entry file (index.html):

<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
    <head>
        <title>HTML Test App</title>
    </head>
    <body>
        <h1>HTML App Test</h1>
        <p>This app uses type="html" in its manifest.</p>

        <p><a href="about.html">Go to About page</a></p>

        <button onclick="alert('Hello from HTML app!')">Show Alert</button>
        <button onclick="setName()">Set Name</button>

        <h2>Form Test</h2>
        <form>
            <label>Name:</label>
            <input type="text" id="name" name="name">
            <br>
            <input type="submit" value="Submit">
        </form>

        <p>Uses the app's own permissions and context!</p>

        <script>
            console.log("HTML Test App loaded!")

            function setName()
                query("#name").value = "Test User"
            end
        </script>
    </body>
</html>

Embedded Manifest

For standalone Lua scripts, you can embed the manifest directly in the file using a special comment block:

--[[MANIFEST
{
    permissions = {"filesystem", "draw"}
}
]]

-- Your script code starts here
print("Hello from script!")

The embedded manifest uses the same fields as manifest.lua, but is parsed from the comment at the top of the script.

CLI App Example

return {
    name = "lam";
    pretty = "Application Manager";
    developer = "luajitos";
    version = "2.0.0";
    category = "system";
    description = "Package and install applications";
    entry = "init.lua";
    mode = "cli";
    permissions = {
        "filesystem";
        "system";
        "load";
    };
    allowedPaths = {
        "/apps/*";
        "/home/*";
        "/keys/*";
    };
}