Noizefield/audio-plugin-coder

Audio Plugin Coder (APC) – Quick Overview

What it is – An open‑source framework that lets you build audio plug‑ins (VST3, AU, LV2, CLAP, Standalone) by steering a large‑language‑model (LLM) through the whole development life‑cycle. The framework provides a set of slash‑style commands (/apc‑setup, /apc‑dream, /apc‑plan, …) that an AI coding assistant (Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, OpenCode, etc.) can understand and act on.

Why it matters – Writing a JUCE plug‑in normally requires a deep C++ toolchain, build‑system knowledge, and a lot of boiler‑plate. APC abstracts those chores, keeps the state of each plug‑in in a status.json, and lets the LLM focus on the creative parts (specifying DSP, UI layout, naming, etc.). It also supports “orchestration”: a single goal can be split across a team of sub‑agents that run in parallel.

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Core Features (as described in the README)

Feature	What it does
LLM‑driven workflow	Guides an AI assistant through six phases – setup → dream → plan → design → impl → ship.
Slash commands	Unique /apc‑* commands that map to CLI actions (apc tool) and are understood by supported agents.
Multi‑agent orchestration (/apc‑orchestrate)	Breaks a large goal into independent tasks, runs them on a pool of worker agents (cheap‑worker → expert‑worker), verifies results and merges them.
APC Hub	Local web dashboard (node hub/server.js) showing the status of every plug‑in, docs, settings, and build artefacts.
Dual UI options	Visage (pure C++) or WebView (HTML/CSS/JS) for the plug‑in’s graphical interface.
Plugin format support	VST3, Standalone, AU (macOS only), LV2 (Linux only), and beta CLAP (opt‑in).
Cross‑platform	Windows, macOS, Linux – uses JUCE 9, CMake, and platform‑specific runtimes (WebView2, WKWebView, WebKitGTK).
Template bridges	One‑click scripts to generate FFGL visual‑plugin or Max‑for‑Live externals.
Self‑improving knowledge base	Issues encountered are auto‑captured into a troubleshooting knowledge base that the agents can query later.
Versioned state & rollback	status.json tracks phase, validation results and allows resume, patch (/apc‑patch) or evolve (/apc‑evolve) after shipping.

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How a New User Starts

1. One‑command bootstrap – npx github:Noizefield/audio-plugin-coder clones the repo, checks the toolchain and prints next steps.
2. Run the setup command – /apc‑setup (or node bin/apc.js setup) configures paths, selects the LLM you use, and installs sub‑modules (JUCE, pluginval).
3. Create a plug‑in idea – /apc‑dream MyPlugin "Warm analog tape delay" creates the initial spec files.
4. Progress through the phases – Use /apc‑plan, /apc‑design, /apc‑impl, /apc‑test, /apc‑ship.
5. Monitor with the Hub – node hub/server.js --port 4872 opens a browser UI that shows each plug‑in’s current phase, logs, and lets you tweak settings.

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Supported AI Coding Assistants

Assistant	Integration level
Codex	Dedicated skill, cost‑aware model routing, full slash‑command support.
Claude Code	Native /apc‑* commands.
Cursor	Custom rules + slash commands out of the box.
OpenCode	Same command set as Claude Code.
Kilo	Fully supported.
Antigravity / Gemini	Natural‑language prompts plus AGENTS.md guidance.

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Technical Stack (from the README)

• JUCE 9 – core audio‑DSP and UI framework (included as a submodule).
• CMake – cross‑platform build system; the CLI automatically resolves a working compiler.
• Node.js – powers the apc CLI, the Hub server, and various helper scripts.
• PowerShell / Bash – platform‑specific automation scripts.
• WebView2 / WKWebView / WebKitGTK – runtime for the WebView UI option.
• pluginval – validation tool for VST3/CLAP builds (also a submodule).

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License & Distribution

• APC code – MIT license.
• Generated plug‑ins – inherit JUCE’s dual licensing (AGPLv3 for open‑source, commercial JUCE licence for closed‑source).

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Who Might Use It?

• Musicians & hobbyists who want a plug‑in but don’t want to wrestle with C++ build tools.
• Audio‑software developers looking to prototype ideas quickly with LLM assistance.
• Teams that already use an LLM coding assistant and want a structured workflow for plug‑in projects.

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Current Maturity (as of v1.8.0)

• Stable support for VST3, Standalone, AU (macOS) and LV2 (Linux).
• Beta CLAP support – builds and validates but not yet battle‑tested across DAWs.
• Orchestration and multi‑agent features are production‑ready for the listed assistants.
• Ongoing roadmap includes preset management, a plug‑in marketplace and real‑time collaboration.

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Bottom line: Audio Plugin Coder is a genuine, AI‑first open‑source project that automates the end‑to‑end creation of JUCE‑based audio plug‑ins, making the process accessible to non‑expert developers while still giving power users full control over the build pipeline.