Files
nih-plug-template/README.md
T
mikkeli 1ddba77c28 feat: add a branding consistency checker
Adapted from musiikki/codename-206, where the same script guards a single
plugin. It matters more here: renaming is the first thing anyone does with
a template, and identity is duplicated across Cargo.toml, bundler.toml,
src/lib.rs and the docs with nothing keeping them in agreement. A
half-finished rename builds a bundle under one name while the docs and
deploy script look for another.

Changes from the codename-206 original:

- Checks for files this repo does not ship (deploy.ps1) report as `skip`
  rather than FAIL, and start enforcing once the file appears.
- STALE ships pre-seeded with this template's own placeholders, and each
  entry is skipped while it is still part of a canonical value. That makes
  renaming self-checking: entries arm themselves as you change the value
  they belong to, with no bookkeeping. Substring rather than equality,
  because placeholders nest — "your-domain" lives inside the canonical
  CLAP_ID.
- Covers identity this template carries that codename-206's did not:
  VENDOR, EMAIL, the Cargo homepage feeding Plugin::URL, that the `env!`
  indirection is still in place, and the README's bundle command.
- Asserts CLAP_ID is reverse-DNS safe. A stray capital or space there is
  not a compile error, it is a silent identity change between machines.

Two placeholder spellings had to move to avoid false positives, since a
checker that cries wolf trains you to ignore it: bundler.toml's comment
contained the literal "Plugin Name", and the CLAP_ID TODO spelled the
placeholder a third way that matched neither the constant nor the STALE
list. The TODO now illustrates the form instead of repeating a placeholder.

.gitattributes pins *.sh to LF so core.autocrlf=true on Windows cannot
check the script out with a CRLF shebang that dash rejects.

Verified three ways: clean template passes, a partial rename names every
drifted file, and a complete rename passes and still compiles.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01WHt4DykxXaQnyaJfyS8KCn
2026-08-29 10:24:52 +09:00

125 lines
4.5 KiB
Markdown

# NIH-plug Template
Minimal scaffold for new [NIH-plug](https://github.com/robbert-vdh/nih-plug) audio plugins (Rust + CLAP/VST3 + egui).
Based on patterns from [`musiikki/codename-206`](http://192.168.2.199:3005/musiikki/codename-206).
## Quick Start
```bash
# Clone this repo as your starting point
git clone http://192.168.2.199:3005/musiikki/nih-plug-template my-plugin
cd my-plugin
# Edit: src/lib.rs, Cargo.toml, bundler.toml — replace placeholder values
# See musiikki/codename-206 for a real-world example of how to fill these in
# Then verify the rename landed everywhere
sh check-branding.sh
```
## Renaming
Branding is duplicated across `Cargo.toml`, `bundler.toml`, `src/lib.rs` and the docs,
and nothing makes those agree — so a half-finished rename builds a bundle under one name
while the docs and deploy script look for another.
`check-branding.sh` declares the identity once at the top and asserts every copy matches:
```bash
sh check-branding.sh # exit 0 = consistent, 1 = drift found
```
To rename: edit the canonical block at the top of the script, run it, and fix everything
it reports. The placeholder spellings are pre-seeded into its `STALE` list, and each one
arms itself as soon as you change the matching canonical value — so leftovers surface
without you having to track them. It also asserts `VST3_CLASS_ID` is exactly 16 bytes and
that `CLAP_ID` is reverse-DNS safe, both of which are otherwise a compile error or a
silent identity change between machines.
Checks for files the template doesn't ship (e.g. a `deploy.ps1`) report as `skip` and
start enforcing once you add them.
## Build
```bash
# Install Rust via rustup: https://rustup.rs
# No VST3 SDK needed — NIH-plug bundles its own bindings.
# Build + bundle the CLAP (default)
cargo xtask bundle nih_plug_template --release
# Add the VST3 as well — see the licensing note below before you do this
cargo xtask bundle nih_plug_template --release --features vst3
```
**Output:** `target/bundled/<name>.clap` (and `<name>.vst3` with `--features vst3`), where
`<name>` is the `name` set in `bundler.toml` — **not** the crate name. Out of the box that
means `target/bundled/Plugin Name.clap`.
On Linux the egui editor needs the GUI development headers:
```bash
sudo apt install pkg-config libgl-dev libx11-dev libxcursor-dev libxcb1-dev \
libxcb-icccm4-dev libxcb-dri2-0-dev libx11-xcb-dev libxkbcommon-dev libxkbcommon-x11-dev
```
## Deploy
### FL Studio
Build with `--features vst3` first if you want the VST3 (see the licensing note below).
FL Studio scans `C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3` by default, **ignores directory junctions**
(so a symlinked bundle is invisible to its scanner), and caches failed scans.
1. Copy the `.vst3` bundle to a folder FL scans (e.g. `C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3`).
2. Copy the `.clap` bundle to a folder FL scans (e.g. `C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP`).
3. In FL Studio: **Options → Manage plugins → tick "Rescan previously failed plugins" → Find installed plugins**, then search for your plugin name (set in `bundler.toml`).
### Linux
```bash
# CLAP
cp -r "target/bundled/Plugin Name.clap" ~/.clap/
# VST3 (only exists if you built with --features vst3)
cp -r "target/bundled/Plugin Name.vst3" ~/.vst3/
# Or globally:
# sudo cp -r "target/bundled/Plugin Name.clap" /usr/lib/clap/
# sudo cp -r "target/bundled/Plugin Name.vst3" /usr/lib/vst3/
```
## Project Structure
```
Cargo.toml # Package deps + the opt-in `vst3` feature — NIH-plug pinned to codename-206's rev
bundler.toml # Bundle name for `cargo xtask bundle`
src/lib.rs # Plugin skeleton — params, DSP, and egui editor, with one example gain param
xtask/ # Bundler xtask (cargo xtask bundle)
.cargo/config.toml # xtask alias
check-branding.sh # Asserts the plugin's identity strings agree everywhere (see Renaming)
.gitattributes # Pins *.sh to LF so Windows checkouts keep a valid shebang
```
## License
Apache-2.0
## VST3 Licensing Note
NIH-plug's VST3 bindings (`vst3-sys`) are GPLv3. Linking them makes the resulting binary
GPLv3 regardless of what `Cargo.toml` declares, so **VST3 is behind an opt-in `vst3` feature
and this template builds CLAP only by default.** That keeps the default build consistent with
the Apache-2.0 licence in `Cargo.toml`/`LICENSE`.
If you want to ship a VST3:
1. Build with `--features vst3`.
2. Relicense your plugin as GPLv3 (or obtain a commercial Steinberg licence) and update
`Cargo.toml`, `LICENSE`, and the SPDX headers in `src/`.
3. Accept Steinberg's VST3 SDK licence.
CLAP has no such restriction.