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.
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:
- guides/architecture.md for the system mental model from route declaration to runtime owner or denial
- guides/route_policy.md for the start-here route-owner map
- guides/web_to_mobile_migration.md for an operational Phoenix route inventory pass
- guides/user_flows.md for the fastest JTBD and user-flow ramp-up
- guides/adopter_profiles.md for the three target app shapes
- guides/install.md for the public install and proof path
- guides/support_matrix.md for the current supported baseline
- examples/phoenix_host/README.md for the shared exemplar host contract
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:
- guides/code-walkthrough.md for a source-level trail through policy, manifests, activation, and the native contract
- AGENTS.md
- guides/install.md
- guides/native_shell.md
- guides/packs.md
- guides/offline.md
- docs/COMPANION-PUBLISH-RUNBOOK.md and
mix crosswake.release.status [--json] [--live]for package-family release status.
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:
:live_view:live_viewinside a native shell:live_viewplus bounded native affordances- cached read-only routes
:offline_island: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_hostandexamples/android_shell_hosthosts arechecked-in public-coordinate proof; use--localonly for maintainer/local-dev proof. bash script/verify_phase5_example_hosts.shis the primary checked-in proof lane.- The route-tour evidence path uses
merge-blocking prooffor browser semantic assertions, manifest labels for artifacts, andadvisory evidencefor native simulator/emulator collateral. mix crosswake.doctordiscovers the installed router and stays green with native supportnot_claimedbefore a shell exists;--native-targets nonemakes that CI posture explicit.mix crosswake.doctor --native-checksreruns 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
- guides/architecture.md — outside-in route ownership, manifest, activation, package, and proof model
- guides/code-walkthrough.md — inside-out reading trail through current Elixir, Swift, and Kotlin contracts
- guides/install.md — Phoenix install path and native shell generation
- guides/route_policy.md — start-here route-owner decisions and DSL examples
- guides/web_to_mobile_migration.md — route inventory pass for existing Phoenix SaaS apps
- guides/user_flows.md — JTBD and route-by-route adopter ramp-up
- guides/native_shell.md — manifest-first activation and shell contract
- guides/bridge.md — bounded bridge vocabulary
- guides/packs.md — required packs, transfers, and native capture handoff
- guides/offline.md — cached read-only and offline-island posture
- guides/compatibility.md — compatibility and denial posture
- guides/support_matrix.md — proof classes, support labels, and rebuild truth
- guides/troubleshooting.md — route-owner fixes for doctor findings, denials, offline outcomes, and native evidence labels
Current baseline
- Elixir
~> 1.19 - Phoenix
~> 1.8 - Phoenix LiveView
~> 1.1 - Crosswake version
0.2.5 - 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.