Mullvad Connection Status

A lightweight Windows system tray application for monitoring Mullvad VPN connection status in real-time. Built with Tauri, React, TypeScript, and Tailwind CSS.

Quick Start

For End Users (No Development Setup Required)

Download the latest installer:

1. Go to Releases
2. Download Mullvad-Connection-Status_x.x.x_x64-setup.exe
3. Run the installer
4. The app will appear in your system tray automatically

No Node.js or Rust required for the pre-built installer!

For Developers

Continue reading for full development setup instructions below.

Overview

This application provides a visual indicator for your Mullvad VPN connection status when running the VPN on a gateway device. It sits quietly in your system tray, changing colors based on your connection state, and displays detailed connection information when needed.

Mullvad connection status application - screenshot

Features

• System Tray Integration - Unobtrusive tray icon that changes color based on VPN status (green for connected, red for disconnected)
• Custom Title Bar - Modern, draggable window with minimize and close controls that blend with the application design
• Dark Mode Support - Toggle between light and dark themes with persistent preference storage
• Real-time Monitoring - Checks VPN connection status every 15 seconds
• Connection Details - View your current IP address, server location, hostname, and protocol type
• Country Flags - Visual country flag indicators showing which VPN server location you're connected to
• Auto-Start Settings - Built-in UI toggle to enable/disable automatic startup with Windows
• Desktop Notifications - Optional alerts when your VPN connection state changes
• Taskbar Integration - Window appears in the taskbar when open for easy access and management

Technology Stack

• Frontend: React 18, TypeScript, Tailwind CSS, shadcn/ui components
• Icons: Lucide React, country-flag-icons, Material Symbols
• Backend: Rust (Tauri v2 framework)
• Build Tools: Vite, npm, Sharp (for icon generation)
• APIs: Mullvad public API (am.i.mullvad.net)

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following installed:

1. Node.js (version 18 or later)

Download and Install:

• Visit nodejs.org
• Download the LTS version for Windows
• Run the installer and follow the prompts
• Verify installation:

  node --version
  npm --version

2. Rust (latest stable version)

Install using rustup:

• Visit rustup.rs
• Download and run rustup-init.exe
• Follow the installation prompts (use default options)
• Important: Restart your terminal after installation
• Verify installation:

  rustc --version
  cargo --version

Alternative using winget:

winget install Rustlang.Rustup

3. Visual Studio Build Tools (Windows - Required)

This is critical for Rust compilation on Windows.

Option A: Visual Studio Build Tools (Recommended)

1. Download from Visual Studio Downloads
2. Scroll to "Tools for Visual Studio"
3. Download Build Tools for Visual Studio 2022
4. Run the installer
5. Select "Desktop development with C++" workload
6. Ensure these components are checked:
   • MSVC v143 - VS 2022 C++ x64/x86 build tools (Latest)
   • Windows 11 SDK (or Windows 10 SDK)
   • C++ CMake tools for Windows
7. Click Install
8. Restart your terminal after installation

Option B: Using winget

winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --override "--wait --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VCTools --includeRecommended"

Verify installation:

where link.exe

This should show a path like C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft Visual Studio\2022\BuildTools\...

4. WebView2 Runtime

Usually pre-installed on Windows 11, but if needed:

• Download from Microsoft Edge WebView2
• Install the Evergreen Standalone Installer

Installation

1. Clone or download this repository

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd mullvad-connection-status

2. Install Node.js dependencies

   npm install

3. Verify prerequisites (optional but recommended)

   node --version   # Should show v18.x or higher
   cargo --version  # Should show cargo 1.x.x
   where link.exe   # Should show Visual Studio path

That's it! You're ready to go.

Development

To run the application in development mode with hot-reloading:

npm run tauri dev

This will start the Vite dev server and launch the Tauri application window.

Building for Production

To create a production build:

npm run tauri build

The compiled executable will be located in:

src-tauri/target/release/mullvad-connection-status.exe

An installer will also be generated in:

src-tauri/target/release/bundle/

Configuration

Changing the Polling Interval

By default, the application checks VPN status every 15 seconds. To modify this:

1. Open src-tauri/src/main.rs
2. Find line 84 (approximately)
3. Change the duration value:

   let mut poll_interval = interval(Duration::from_secs(15)); // Change 15 to your preferred interval

Windows Auto-Start Setup

The application includes a built-in auto-start toggle in the Settings page:

Using the Settings UI (Recommended)

1. Launch the application
2. Click the tray icon to open the status window
3. Click the Settings (gear) icon in the top navigation
4. Toggle the "Start at Windows boot" switch
5. The application will now start automatically when Windows boots

The auto-start feature uses the Windows Registry method (HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run) and can be easily toggled on or off from the Settings page.

Manual Methods (Alternative)

If you prefer manual setup:

Startup Folder Method:

1. Build the application using npm run tauri build
2. Navigate to: src-tauri/target/release/
3. Right-click on mullvad-connection-status.exe → "Create shortcut"
4. Press Win + R, type shell:startup, press Enter
5. Move the shortcut into the Startup folder

Registry Method:

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, press Enter
2. Navigate to: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
3. Create String Value:
   • Name: MullvadConnectionStatus
   • Value: "C:\full\path\to\mullvad-connection-status.exe"

How It Works

The application queries Mullvad's public API endpoint (https://am.i.mullvad.net/json) to determine if your internet traffic is routing through a Mullvad VPN server. The API returns information including:

• Whether you're connected to a Mullvad server
• Your current public IP address
• The geographic location of the VPN server
• The server hostname
• The connection protocol (WireGuard or OpenVPN)

This information is displayed in a clean, minimal interface accessible by clicking the tray icon.

Usage

Basic Operation

1. Launch the application
2. The tray icon appears in your system tray (bottom-right of taskbar)
3. The icon color indicates your status:
   • Green = Connected to Mullvad VPN
   • Red = Not connected
4. Left-click the tray icon to show/hide the status window
5. Right-click the tray icon for the menu (Show/Quit options)

Status Window

When you click the tray icon, a window appears showing:

• Connection status with a visual indicator and country flag
• Your current IP address
• Server location (city and country) with flag icon
• Server hostname
• Connection protocol type

The window features:

• Custom draggable title bar - Click and hold the left side to move the window
• Minimize button - Minimize to taskbar (window remains in taskbar for easy restoration)
• Close button - Hides the window to system tray (application continues running)
• Settings page - Configure auto-start and other preferences

Click the close button or the tray icon again to hide the window. The application continues running in the background.

Troubleshooting

Error: link.exe not found

Problem: Rust compilation fails with "linker link.exe not found"

Solution:

1. Install Visual Studio Build Tools (see Prerequisites section above)
2. Make sure you selected the "Desktop development with C++" workload
3. Restart your terminal after installation
4. Verify with where link.exe - should show Visual Studio path
5. If still not working, try running from "Developer Command Prompt for VS 2022"

Error: cargo command not found

Problem: Rust is not installed or not in PATH

Solution:

1. Install Rust from rustup.rs
2. Restart your terminal completely (close and reopen)
3. Verify with cargo --version
4. If still not working, manually add to PATH: %USERPROFILE%\.cargo\bin

Build Fails or Compilation Errors

Try these steps in order:

1. Update Rust:

   rustup update

2. Clean the build cache:

   cd src-tauri
   cargo clean
   cd ..

3. Remove node_modules and reinstall:

   rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
   npm install

4. Try building again:

   npm run tauri build

WebView2 Not Found

Problem: Application won't launch, missing WebView2

Solution: Download and install WebView2 Runtime from Microsoft.

Application Won't Start in Dev Mode

Problem: Port 1420 already in use

Solution:

1. Check if another instance is running (close it)
2. Or change the port in vite.config.ts:

   server: {
     port: 1421, // Change to different port
   }

Icons Don't Appear in System Tray

Problem: No tray icon visible

Solution:

1. Check that icon files exist in src-tauri/icons/ (they should be in the repo)
2. Try rebuilding: npm run tauri build
3. On Windows 11, check system tray settings (some icons may be hidden)

VPN Status Not Updating

Problem: Shows "Disconnected" even when VPN is active

Solution:

1. Verify internet connection is working
2. Test the API manually: visit https://am.i.mullvad.net/json in browser
3. Check firewall isn't blocking the application
4. Verify you're actually routing through Mullvad (check on gateway)

First Build Takes Very Long

This is normal. The first Rust build compiles all dependencies and can take 5-10 minutes. Subsequent builds will be much faster (under 1 minute for small changes).

Project Structure

mullvad-connection-status/
├── src/                          # React frontend source
│   ├── components/               # React components
│   ├── lib/                      # Utility functions
│   ├── App.tsx                   # Main application component
│   └── main.tsx                  # Entry point
├── src-tauri/                    # Rust backend source
│   ├── src/
│   │   ├── main.rs               # Application entry and tray setup
│   │   └── vpn_checker.rs        # VPN status API client
│   ├── icons/                    # Application icons
│   └── tauri.conf.json           # Tauri configuration
├── scripts/                      # Build and utility scripts
└── package.json                  # Node.js dependencies

Contributing

Contributions are welcome. Please ensure all code follows the existing style and includes appropriate documentation.

License

MIT License - Copyright (c) 2026 Christian Blank

See LICENSE file for full details.

Acknowledgments

• Mullvad VPN for providing the public API
• Tauri for the excellent application framework
• shadcn/ui for the beautiful UI components