Allow Desktop app to be auto-started minimised or focused (#2622)

src/@types/global.d.ts

@@ -7,7 +7,6 @@ Please see LICENSE files in the repository root for full details.
 
 import { type BrowserWindow } from "electron";
 
-import type AutoLaunch from "auto-launch";
 import { type AppLocalization } from "../language-helper.js";
 
 // global type extensions need to use var for whatever reason
@@ -18,7 +17,6 @@ declare global {
     var mainWindow: BrowserWindow | null;
     var appQuitting: boolean;
     var appLocalization: AppLocalization;
-    var launcher: AutoLaunch;
     var vectorConfig: IConfigOptions;
     var trayConfig: {
         // eslint-disable-next-line camelcase

src/auto-launch.ts

@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+/*
+Copyright 2025 New Vector Ltd.
+
+SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only OR GPL-3.0-only OR LicenseRef-Element-Commercial
+Please see LICENSE files in the repository root for full details.
+*/
+
+import BaseAutoLaunch from "auto-launch";
+
+import Store from "./store.js";
+
+export type AutoLaunchState = "enabled" | "minimised" | "disabled";
+
+// Wrapper around auto-launch to get/set the `isHidden` option
+export class AutoLaunch extends BaseAutoLaunch {
+    private static internalInstance?: AutoLaunch;
+
+    public static get instance(): AutoLaunch {
+        if (!AutoLaunch.internalInstance) {
+            if (!Store.instance) throw new Error("Store not initialized");
+            AutoLaunch.internalInstance = new AutoLaunch({
+                name: global.vectorConfig.brand || "Element",
+                isHidden: Store.instance.get("openAtLoginMinimised"),
+                mac: {
+                    useLaunchAgent: true,
+                },
+            });
+        }
+        return AutoLaunch.internalInstance;
+    }
+
+    public async getState(): Promise<AutoLaunchState> {
+        if (!(await this.isEnabled())) {
+            return "disabled";
+        }
+        return this.opts.isHiddenOnLaunch ? "minimised" : "enabled";
+    }
+
+    public async setState(state: AutoLaunchState): Promise<void> {
+        const openAtLoginMinimised = state === "minimised";
+        Store.instance?.set("openAtLoginMinimised", openAtLoginMinimised);
+        this.opts.isHiddenOnLaunch = openAtLoginMinimised;
+
+        if (state !== "disabled") {
+            return this.enable();
+        } else {
+            return this.disable();
+        }
+    }
+}

src/electron-main.ts

@@ -24,7 +24,6 @@ import {
 } from "electron";
 // eslint-disable-next-line n/file-extension-in-import
 import * as Sentry from "@sentry/electron/main";
-import AutoLaunch from "auto-launch";
 import path, { dirname } from "node:path";
 import windowStateKeeper from "electron-window-state";
 import fs, { promises as afs } from "node:fs";
@@ -254,7 +253,7 @@ async function configureSentry(): Promise<void> {
     }
 }
 
-// Set up globals for Tray and AutoLaunch
+// Set up globals for Tray
 async function setupGlobals(): Promise<void> {
     const asarPath = await getAsarPath();
     await loadConfig();
@@ -265,15 +264,6 @@ async function setupGlobals(): Promise<void> {
         icon_path: path.join(path.dirname(asarPath), "build", iconFile),
         brand: global.vectorConfig.brand || "Element",
     };
-
-    // launcher
-    global.launcher = new AutoLaunch({
-        name: global.vectorConfig.brand || "Element",
-        isHidden: true,
-        mac: {
-            useLaunchAgent: true,
-        },
-    });
 }
 
 global.appQuitting = false;

src/settings.ts

@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@ import { ipcMain } from "electron";
 
 import * as tray from "./tray.js";
 import Store from "./store.js";
+import { AutoLaunch, type AutoLaunchState } from "./auto-launch.js";
 
 interface Setting {
     read(): Promise<any>;
@@ -18,15 +19,11 @@ interface Setting {
 
 const Settings: Record<string, Setting> = {
     "Electron.autoLaunch": {
-        async read(): Promise<any> {
-            return global.launcher.isEnabled();
+        async read(): Promise<AutoLaunchState> {
+            return AutoLaunch.instance.getState();
         },
-        async write(value: any): Promise<void> {
-            if (value) {
-                return global.launcher.enable();
-            } else {
-                return global.launcher.disable();
-            }
+        async write(value: AutoLaunchState): Promise<void> {
+            return AutoLaunch.instance.setState(value);
         },
     },
     "Electron.warnBeforeExit": {

src/store.ts

@@ -89,6 +89,8 @@ interface StoreData {
     safeStorageBackendOverride?: boolean;
     /** whether to perform a migration of the safeStorage data */
     safeStorageBackendMigrate?: boolean;
+    /** whether to open the app at login minimised, only valid when app.openAtLogin is true */
+    openAtLoginMinimised: boolean;
 }
 
 /**
@@ -232,6 +234,10 @@ class Store extends ElectronStore<StoreData> {
                 safeStorageBackendMigrate: {
                     type: "boolean",
                 },
+                openAtLoginMinimised: {
+                    type: "boolean",
+                    default: true,
+                },
             },
         });
     }