Velo – Open-source, keyboard-first email client in Tauri and Rust

Name: Velo – Open-source, keyboard-first email client in Tauri and Rust
Availability: InStock
Author: Espired

by Espired·Feb 21, 2026·7 points·0 comments

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AI Analysis

●●●BangerShip ItSlickSolve My Problem

Superhuman workflow without paying $360/year, runs entirely offline in Rust.

Strengths

•Tauri+Rust means 15MB binary vs Electron bloat; keyboard shortcuts match Superhuman exactly
•Local SQLite + optional AI (BYOK) keeps data private while matching paid competitor's core UX
•Multi-account IMAP/SMTP and Gmail API mean real migration path from existing clients

Weaknesses

•Electron competitors (Superhuman, Mimestream) have years of mail-sync polish; early-stage Linux/Mac reliability unclear
•Threading and search parsing must match Gmail's logic exactly, otherwise feels broken

Post Description

I built Velo because I wanted Superhuman's speed and keyboard workflow without the $30/month price tag or sending all my data through someone else's servers.

Velo is a local-first desktop email client. Your emails live in a local SQLite database - no middleman servers, no cloud sync. It works offline and your data stays on your machine.

What makes it different:

- Keyboard-driven - Superhuman-style shortcuts (j/k navigate, e archive, c compose, /search). You can fly through your inbox without touching the mouse - Built with Tauri v2 + Rust backend - ~15MB binary, low memory usage, instant startup. Not another Electron app - Multi-account - Gmail (API) and IMAP/SMTP (Outlook, Yahoo, iCloud, Fastmail, etc.) - AI features (optional) - Thread summaries, smart replies, natural language inbox search. Bring your own API key (Claude, GPT, or Gemini). Results cached locally - Privacy-first - Remote images blocked by default, phishing link detection, SPF/DKIM/DMARC badges, sandboxed HTML rendering, AES-256-GCM encrypted token storage - Split inbox, snooze, scheduled send, filters, templates, newsletter bundling, quick steps, follow-up reminders, calendar sync

Tech stack: Tauri v2, React 19, TypeScript, SQLite + FTS5 (full-text search), Zustand, TipTap editor. 130 test files.

Available on Windows, macOS, and Linux. Apache-2.0 licensed.

GitHub: https://github.com/avihaymenahem/velo Site: https://velomail.app

I'm a solo developer and would love feedback, especially on UX, features you'd want, or if you run into issues. Happy to answer any questions about the architecture or Tauri v2 in general.