tauri-apps/tauri · error

Failed to install Cargo dependency

Error message

Failed to install Cargo dependency

What it means

The helper runs `cargo add <name> ...` (inheriting stdio) and checks the exit status. Cargo's own diagnostic has already been printed to the terminal; this error is the CLI's summary that the dependency could not be added to the manifest.

Source

Thrown at crates/tauri-cli/src/helpers/cargo.rs:62

      _ => crate::error::bail!("Only one of --tag, --rev and --branch can be specified"),
    };
  }

  if let Some(target) = options.target {
    cargo.args(["--target", target]);
  }

  if let Some(cwd) = options.cwd {
    cargo.current_dir(cwd);
  }

  log::info!("Installing Cargo dependency \"{}\"...", options.name);
  let status = cargo.status().map_err(|error| Error::CommandFailed {
    command: "cargo add".to_string(),
    error,
  })?;
  if !status.success() {
    crate::error::bail!("Failed to install Cargo dependency");
  }

  Ok(())
}

#[derive(Debug, Default, Clone, Copy)]
pub struct CargoUninstallOptions<'a> {
  pub name: &'a str,
  pub cwd: Option<&'a std::path::Path>,
  pub target: Option<&'a str>,
}

pub fn uninstall_one(options: CargoUninstallOptions) -> crate::Result<()> {
  let mut cargo = Command::new("cargo");
  cargo.arg("remove");

  cargo.arg(options.name);

View on GitHub (pinned to 52e4b6e71d)

Solutions

1. Scroll up and read the cargo error printed just above this message — it names the real cause (403 from registry, version not found, etc.)
2. Reproduce manually: `cargo add tauri-plugin-<name>` inside `src-tauri` and fix what it complains about
3. For network issues, check proxy/offline settings (`cargo --config net.offline=false`, `~/.cargo/config.toml`) and registry reachability

# smoke-test cargo registry access and manifest writability before tauri add
cd src-tauri
cargo search tauri-plugin-dialog --limit 1 >/dev/null   # fails fast offline / bad proxy
[ -w Cargo.toml ] || { echo 'Cargo.toml not writable' >&2; exit 1; }

When it happens

Trigger: `tauri add <plugin>` where the underlying `cargo add tauri-plugin-<name>` fails: crate version not found, network/registry unreachable, incompatible Rust edition/MSRV, or a Cargo.toml that is locked/read-only.

Common situations: Corporate proxies or offline environments blocking crates.io; requesting a plugin version not yet published; cargo not installed or an ancient cargo without `cargo add`; Cargo.toml merge conflicts left in place.

Related errors

• Failed to remove Cargo dependency
• No external IP detected.
• Couldn't bind to {port} on {ip}
• Only one of --tag, --rev and --branch can be specified
• Failed to install NPM {dependencies_str}

AI-assisted analysis of tauri-apps/tauri@52e4b6e71d (2026-08-20). Data as JSON: /api/errors/c4ce51e69180efb2. Report an issue: GitHub.