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
98 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
98 lines
3.3 KiB
Markdown
# NIH-plug Template
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Minimal scaffold for new [NIH-plug](https://github.com/robbert-vdh/nih-plug) audio plugins (Rust + CLAP/VST3 + egui).
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Based on patterns from [`musiikki/codename-206`](http://192.168.2.199:3005/musiikki/codename-206).
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## Quick Start
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```bash
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# Clone this repo as your starting point
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git clone http://192.168.2.199:3005/musiikki/nih-plug-template my-plugin
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cd my-plugin
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# Edit: src/lib.rs, Cargo.toml, bundler.toml — replace placeholder values
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# See musiikki/codename-206 for a real-world example of how to fill these in
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```
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## Build
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```bash
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# Install Rust via rustup: https://rustup.rs
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# No VST3 SDK needed — NIH-plug bundles its own bindings.
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# Build + bundle the CLAP (default)
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cargo xtask bundle nih_plug_template --release
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# Add the VST3 as well — see the licensing note below before you do this
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cargo xtask bundle nih_plug_template --release --features vst3
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```
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**Output:** `target/bundled/<name>.clap` (and `<name>.vst3` with `--features vst3`), where
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`<name>` is the `name` set in `bundler.toml` — **not** the crate name. Out of the box that
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means `target/bundled/Plugin Name.clap`.
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On Linux the egui editor needs the GUI development headers:
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```bash
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sudo apt install pkg-config libgl-dev libx11-dev libxcursor-dev libxcb1-dev \
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libxcb-icccm4-dev libxcb-dri2-0-dev libx11-xcb-dev libxkbcommon-dev libxkbcommon-x11-dev
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```
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## Deploy
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### FL Studio
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Build with `--features vst3` first if you want the VST3 (see the licensing note below).
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FL Studio scans `C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3` by default, **ignores directory junctions**
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(so a symlinked bundle is invisible to its scanner), and caches failed scans.
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1. Copy the `.vst3` bundle to a folder FL scans (e.g. `C:\Program Files\Common Files\VST3`).
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2. Copy the `.clap` bundle to a folder FL scans (e.g. `C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP`).
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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`).
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### Linux
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```bash
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# CLAP
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cp -r "target/bundled/Plugin Name.clap" ~/.clap/
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# VST3 (only exists if you built with --features vst3)
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cp -r "target/bundled/Plugin Name.vst3" ~/.vst3/
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# Or globally:
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# sudo cp -r "target/bundled/Plugin Name.clap" /usr/lib/clap/
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# sudo cp -r "target/bundled/Plugin Name.vst3" /usr/lib/vst3/
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```
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## Project Structure
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```
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Cargo.toml # Package deps + the opt-in `vst3` feature — NIH-plug pinned to codename-206's rev
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bundler.toml # Bundle name for `cargo xtask bundle`
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src/lib.rs # Plugin skeleton — params, DSP, and egui editor, with one example gain param
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xtask/ # Bundler xtask (cargo xtask bundle)
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.cargo/config.toml # xtask alias
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```
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## License
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Apache-2.0
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## VST3 Licensing Note
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NIH-plug's VST3 bindings (`vst3-sys`) are GPLv3. Linking them makes the resulting binary
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GPLv3 regardless of what `Cargo.toml` declares, so **VST3 is behind an opt-in `vst3` feature
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and this template builds CLAP only by default.** That keeps the default build consistent with
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the Apache-2.0 licence in `Cargo.toml`/`LICENSE`.
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If you want to ship a VST3:
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1. Build with `--features vst3`.
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2. Relicense your plugin as GPLv3 (or obtain a commercial Steinberg licence) and update
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`Cargo.toml`, `LICENSE`, and the SPDX headers in `src/`.
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3. Accept Steinberg's VST3 SDK licence.
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CLAP has no such restriction.
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