{"slug": "ilx-launcher-a-developer-cockpit-for-python-apps-hot-reload-crash-capture", "title": "ILX Launcher – a developer cockpit for Python apps (hot reload, crash capture)", "summary": "ILX Studio released ILX Launcher, a developer cockpit for Python desktop apps that provides hot reload, crash capture, and a local-LLM coding assistant in a single persistent window. The tool eliminates the need for multiple terminal windows by managing interpreters, dependencies, testing, and builds, and is available as an open-source project on GitHub.", "body_md": "**A developer cockpit for running, hot-reloading, testing, and shipping Python desktop apps.**\n\nPoint it at any project with a `main.py`\n\n. It runs your app as a child process, watches source files, hot-patches live edits, captures crashes, manages interpreters and dependencies, builds an EXE, and gives you a local-LLM coding assistant — all from one window that stays open while you work.\n\nOne window. Start, reload, test, debug, build, ship — without ever touching a terminal.\n\nRunning a Python desktop app while you develop usually means:\n\n- A terminal you keep switching to and from\n- A manual restart on every edit (even a one-liner)\n- Separate windows for pip, tests, profiling, and builds\n- Tracebacks in one of five terminal windows — you're not sure which\n- No safety net when a memory leak or infinite loop runs away with your machine\n\nThe ILX Launcher folds all of that into one persistent window.\n\n```\ngit clone https://github.com/ilxstudio/ILX-Launcher\ncd ILX-Launcher\npython main.py\n```\n\nNo install step. No third-party dependencies. Just Python 3.11+ with tkinter.\n\nWindows EXE— build a standalone`launcher.exe`\n\nfrom inside the launcher (Build EXE button), or:\n\n```\npip install pyinstaller\npyinstaller --onefile --windowed --name launcher main.py\n```\n\n| Feature | What it does |\n|---|---|\nStart / Restart / Refresh |\nRun `main.py` as a child process; restart or hot-reload on save |\nHot patch |\nLive function reload via\n|\n\n**Coder (LLM)****Interpreters**`.venv`\n\n, bundled CPython on demand**Dependencies****Tests****Build EXE****Logs****Crash history****Profiler****Quality****Git****Automation****Watchdog****Live REPL*** running*app to inspect live state| Coder (LLM workspace) | Crash history |\n|---|---|\n\n| Logs + Procfile | Git |\n|---|---|\n\n- Python 3.11+ with tkinter (ships with python.org installer on Windows/macOS;\n`sudo apt install python3-tk`\n\non some Linux) - No third-party runtime dependencies in the launcher itself — pure stdlib + tkinter\n- Optional tools (hot patch, builds, lint, profiling, LLM) install into the\n*target project's*interpreter on demand - LLM features need a local\n[Ollama](https://ollama.com)server (optional)\n\n```\nmain.py                # entry point (~50 lines, dispatches to ui/)\nversion.py             # VERSION = \"1.1.0\"\ncore/\n  state.py             # all shared globals\n  config.py            # load/save settings\n  interpreter.py       # Python resolution; fork-bomb guard\n  process.py           # child process, watchdog, crash DB, hot-patch\n  build.py             # PyInstaller + Inno Setup\n  coder.py             # LLM edit/chat/review engine\n  automation.py        # tests, quality, scaffold, SQLite, matrix\n  ollama.py            # streaming Ollama client\n  repl.py              # live REPL socket\n  notifications.py     # Windows tray balloon\n  diagnostics.py       # screenshot, py-spy\nui/\n  main_window.py       # launcher main window + tick loop\n  coder_window.py      # Coder window\n  config_window.py     # Configuration window\n  tool_windows.py      # Deps, Quality, Git, Profile, Logs, Crashes, Automation, RunConfigs\n  theme.py             # fonts, styles, syntax highlighting, shared widgets\nassets/\ndocs/\n  LAUNCHER_MANUAL.md   # full user manual with screenshots\n  whitepaper.md        # technical narrative: why we built this\n  img/                 # manual screenshots\n.github/\n  workflows/ci.yml     # smoke-test on push\n  ISSUE_TEMPLATE/      # bug report + feature request templates\n  PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md\nCONTRIBUTING.md\nCHANGELOG.md\nrequirements.txt       # OPTIONAL tools the launcher drives (not imported by it)\n```\n\nSettings persist to `~/.ilx_launcher.json`\n\n— recent projects, per-project interpreters, run configs, watchdog thresholds, all options. Configuration → Save writes it live.\n\nPer-machine runtime files (`.launcher_crashes.db`\n\n, `.launcher_session.log`\n\n, `.window_geometry.json`\n\n) are git-ignored.\n\n**Fork-bomb safe when frozen**:`tool_python()`\n\nnever returns the launcher EXE itself; callers skip rather than spawn.**Zero third-party imports in the launcher**:`psutil`\n\n,`jurigged`\n\n,`requests`\n\n, etc. run*inside the target project's interpreter*, not the launcher's.**Permissive licenses only**: MIT / BSD / Apache / PSF / OFL. No GPL/LGPL/copyleft — the launcher is part of a sold product.** ASCII-only**: em-dashes and ellipsis crash Windows cp1252 in frozen builds.`print()`\n\nSee [docs/whitepaper.md](/ilxstudio/ILX-Launcher/blob/main/docs/whitepaper.md) for the full technical narrative, and [CONTRIBUTING.md](/ilxstudio/ILX-Launcher/blob/main/CONTRIBUTING.md) for the code rules.\n\n[MIT](/ilxstudio/ILX-Launcher/blob/main/LICENSE) (c) 2026 ILX Studio, LLC", "url": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ilx-launcher-a-developer-cockpit-for-python-apps-hot-reload-crash-capture", "canonical_source": "https://github.com/ilxstudio/ILX-Launcher", "published_at": "2026-06-22 03:45:47+00:00", "updated_at": "2026-06-22 04:10:05.425138+00:00", "lang": "en", "topics": ["developer-tools", "artificial-intelligence", "large-language-models"], "entities": ["ILX Studio", "ILX Launcher", "Python", "GitHub", "Ollama", "PyInstaller", "tkinter"], "alternates": {"html": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ilx-launcher-a-developer-cockpit-for-python-apps-hot-reload-crash-capture", "markdown": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ilx-launcher-a-developer-cockpit-for-python-apps-hot-reload-crash-capture.md", "text": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ilx-launcher-a-developer-cockpit-for-python-apps-hot-reload-crash-capture.txt", "jsonld": "https://wpnews.pro/news/ilx-launcher-a-developer-cockpit-for-python-apps-hot-reload-crash-capture.jsonld"}}