mikkeli
c6f2f32fb3
Cargo.toml declared Apache-2.0 while the default build linked vst3-sys, whose bindings are GPLv3 — so the artifact a fresh clone produced could not legally be distributed under the licence the repo claimed. A template should not hand that trap to every project cloned from it. NIH-plug already anticipates this: its `vst3` feature exists, in upstream's own words, "mostly for GPL-compliance reasons". Taking `default-features = false` and re-exporting `vst3` as a local opt-in makes the default build CLAP-only and genuinely Apache-2.0 clean, while `--features vst3` remains one flag away for anyone who accepts GPLv3. Gating the feature rather than relicensing keeps the decision with whoever uses the template. Reversing it is a one-line default plus removing two cfg attributes, where relicensing to GPLv3 now would commit every downstream plugin to that choice. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01WHt4DykxXaQnyaJfyS8KCn
NIH-plug Template
Minimal scaffold for new NIH-plug audio plugins (Rust + CLAP/VST3 + egui).
Based on patterns from musiikki/codename-206.
Quick Start
# 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
Build
# 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:
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.
- Copy the
.vst3bundle to a folder FL scans (e.g.C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3). - Copy the
.clapbundle to a folder FL scans (e.g.C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP). - 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
# 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
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:
- Build with
--features vst3. - Relicense your plugin as GPLv3 (or obtain a commercial Steinberg licence) and update
Cargo.toml,LICENSE, and the SPDX headers insrc/. - Accept Steinberg's VST3 SDK licence.
CLAP has no such restriction.