Hello Roku developer community!
I’ve been working on an open-source project called RokuLab, a desktop development environment for BrightScript and SceneGraph projects.
GitHub: GitHub - gadevsbr/RokuLab: Develop, debug and test Roku applications directly on your computer · GitHub
Latest Community Preview: Release RokuLab v0.1.0-alpha.15 — Recommended Community Preview · gadevsbr/RokuLab · GitHub
The goal is to provide a more complete local development workflow for Roku channels, inspired by IDEs such as Android Studio, but designed around TV applications.
RokuLab currently includes:
- Roku project and manifest loading
- BrightScript and SceneGraph source editing with Monaco
- A TV-oriented 1920×1080 preview workspace
- Virtual Roku remote controls
- BrightScript and SceneGraph execution through open-source compatibility components
- Live SceneGraph node and field inspection
- Focus-chain inspection
- Runtime events and field-update diagnostics
- Experimental runtime-call and observer-callback correlation
- Automatic project reload
- A portable Windows build
- CLI project validation
The project is still an early community preview. It is not a Roku OS, firmware, certification, DRM, or hardware emulator, and it does not claim complete compatibility with physical Roku devices. Final testing on real Roku hardware remains necessary.
Some important areas still under development include:
- More accurate SceneGraph rendering
- Better support for lists, grids, animations, Tasks, timers, and content nodes
- Runtime source stacks and debugging tools
- Inspector field editing
- Networking and request inspection
- Media state simulation
- Screenshot comparison with real Roku devices
- More Roku APIs and compatibility fixtures
- macOS and Linux builds
I would really appreciate help from experienced Roku developers. In particular, I’m looking for:
- Feedback about the project’s architecture and direction
- Small open-source sample channels that can be used as compatibility fixtures
- Reports of projects or SceneGraph patterns that do not work correctly
- Guidance about important Roku behaviors that compatibility tools often get wrong
- Contributions to the runtime, renderer, Inspector, tests, and documentation
- Suggestions for keeping the project technically useful while respecting Roku’s platform, intellectual property, and developer policies
If you test it, please remember that the current Windows executable is unsigned, so Windows SmartScreen may display an unknown-publisher warning. The SHA-256 checksum is published in the release notes and README.
This is an independent community project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Roku, Inc. It does not distribute Roku firmware, proprietary assets, fonts, or protected binaries.
I’d love to hear what would make a tool like this genuinely useful in your Roku development workflow. Even feedback about limitations, terminology, or project positioning would help.
Thank you!
