/bc-validate Skill

Name: Bc Validate
Rating: 92
Author: BeatConnect

Validate a BeatConnect plugin project before building. Catches common issues early and saves build credits.

CRITICAL: This validation MUST actually run cmake and web builds, not just check if files exist.

Usage

code

/bc-validate

Run from your plugin repository root.

MANDATORY VALIDATION STEPS

You MUST execute these steps in order. Do NOT skip any step.

Step 1: Check for Pre-compiled Binaries in Git

Run this command:

bash

git ls-files | grep -E "\.(exe|dll|lib|obj|o|a|so|dylib|vst3|component|aaxplugin)$"

If ANY files are returned, FAIL immediately with error:

code

CRITICAL ERROR: Pre-compiled binaries found in repository!
Files: [list the files]
These must be removed with: git rm <file> && git commit

Step 2: Check Project Structure

Check these files/directories exist:

•CMakeLists.txt (at repo root - REQUIRED for CI)
•plugin/CMakeLists.txt (plugin code)
•plugin/Source/ directory
•plugin/Source/PluginProcessor.cpp and .h
•plugin/Source/PluginEditor.cpp and .h
•plugin/Source/ParameterIDs.h
•beatconnect-sdk/ directory

Step 3: Check for CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR Bug

Run this command:

bash

grep -r "CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR" plugin/CMakeLists.txt

If found WITHOUT CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR, WARN:

code

WARNING: Using CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR instead of CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR
This will break when built from repo root. Change to CMAKE_CURRENT_SOURCE_DIR.

Step 4: Check Root CMakeLists.txt

The root CMakeLists.txt MUST:

•Include LANGUAGES C CXX (not just CXX)
•Call add_subdirectory(plugin) or similar

Read the file and verify these are present.

Step 5: Extract and Display Plugin Metadata

Parse plugin/CMakeLists.txt and extract:

•Project name and version from project(NAME VERSION X.X.X)
•COMPANY_NAME from juce_add_plugin()
•PLUGIN_MANUFACTURER_CODE (must be exactly 4 chars)
•PLUGIN_CODE (must be exactly 4 chars)
•FORMATS
•IS_SYNTH
•NEEDS_WEBVIEW2

Display in report header.

Step 6: Build Web UI (if present)

If plugin/web-ui/ exists:

First, check package-lock.json exists and is committed:

bash

git ls-files plugin/web-ui/package-lock.json

If NOT found, FAIL:

code

CRITICAL: plugin/web-ui/package-lock.json is missing or gitignored!
CI uses 'npm ci' which requires package-lock.json for reproducible builds.
Fix: Remove 'package-lock.json' from .gitignore, run 'npm install', then commit the lock file.

Then build:

bash

cd plugin/web-ui
npm ci  # or npm install
npm run build

Check that plugin/Resources/WebUI/index.html exists after build.

If build fails, capture and display the error.

Step 7: Run CMake Configure WITH ACTIVATION ENABLED

This is the most critical test. CI builds with activation enabled, so we MUST test that way:

bash

cd <repo-root>
rm -rf build-validate
cmake -B build-validate -S . -DBEATCONNECT_ENABLE_ACTIVATION=ON 2>&1

Check output for:

•✓ Configuration completes without error
•✓ "[BeatConnect] Detected SDK-at-root structure" message appears
•✓ "[BeatConnect] WebUI directory found" (if web UI)
•✓ "[BeatConnect] Activation SDK enabled" message appears
•✓ "BeatConnect SDK: Using JUCE cryptography for SHA256" message appears
•✗ Any CMake errors or warnings

If cmake fails, this is a CRITICAL FAILURE.

Step 7b: Run CMake BUILD (Full Compile + Link Test)

Don't just configure - actually build to catch linker errors:

bash

cmake --build build-validate --config Release 2>&1

Check for:

•✓ Build completes without error
•✓ VST3 and/or Standalone artefacts created
•✗ Any linker errors (LNK2001, undefined symbols, etc.)

If build fails, this is a CRITICAL FAILURE.

Step 7c: Check WebUI Resource Path (Web UI only)

CRITICAL for VST3 bundles. Check plugin/Source/PluginEditor.cpp for proper resource path handling:

cpp

// CORRECT - handles both Standalone and VST3 bundle layouts:
resourcesDir = executableDir.getChildFile("Resources").getChildFile("WebUI");
if (!resourcesDir.isDirectory())
    resourcesDir = executableDir.getParentDirectory().getChildFile("Resources").getChildFile("WebUI");

Run this check:

bash

grep -A 2 "resourcesDir" plugin/Source/PluginEditor.cpp | grep -E "getParentDirectory.*Resources"

If NOT found, WARN:

code

WARNING: PluginEditor.cpp may not handle VST3 bundle resource paths!
VST3 bundles need: executableDir.getParentDirectory().getChildFile("Resources")
This will cause "Error code: 13" when loading the plugin.

The VST3 bundle structure is:

code

Plugin.vst3/Contents/
├── x86_64-win/Plugin.vst3  ← executable
└── Resources/WebUI/         ← resources (sibling, not child!)

Step 8: Parameter Sync Check (Web UI only)

Compare parameter IDs between:

•plugin/Source/ParameterIDs.h
•plugin/web-ui/src/App.tsx

List any mismatches.

Step 9: Check .gitignore

Verify .gitignore includes:

•build/
•node_modules/
•**/Resources/WebUI/assets/
•**/Resources/WebUI/index.html

Output Format

code

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  🎛️  BEATCONNECT PLUGIN VALIDATION                           ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  📦 PLUGIN INFO                                              │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Name              DelayWave                                 │
│  Version           1.0.0                                     │
│  Company           BeatConnect                               │
│  Manufacturer      Beat (4 chars ✓)                          │
│  Plugin Code       Dwav (4 chars ✓)                          │
│  Category          Effect                                    │
│  Formats           VST3, Standalone                          │
│  Frontend          Web UI (React)                            │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

🔒 PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS ─────────────────────────────────── ✅ PASS
   ✅ No pre-compiled binaries in git
   ✅ No CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR bugs
   ✅ Root CMakeLists.txt has LANGUAGES C CXX

📁 PROJECT STRUCTURE ─────────────────────────────────── ✅ PASS
   ✅ CMakeLists.txt (root wrapper)
   ✅ plugin/CMakeLists.txt
   ✅ plugin/Source/ directory
   ✅ All required source files present
   ✅ beatconnect-sdk/ found

🌐 WEB UI BUILD ──────────────────────────────────────── ✅ PASS
   ✅ npm install succeeded
   ✅ npm run build succeeded
   ✅ Resources/WebUI/index.html generated

⚙️  CMAKE CONFIGURE ──────────────────────────────────── ✅ PASS
   ✅ cmake -B build-validate -S . succeeded
   ✅ [BeatConnect] detection messages present
   ✅ No errors or warnings

🔗 PARAMETER SYNC ────────────────────────────────────── ✅ PASS
   C++ │ time, feedback, mix, modRate, modDepth, tone, bypass
   TS  │ time, feedback, mix, modRate, modDepth, tone, bypass
   ✅ All 7 parameters match

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  🎉 ALL CHECKS PASSED                                        ║
║  Your plugin is ready for BeatConnect build!                 ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Failure Example

code

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  🎛️  BEATCONNECT PLUGIN VALIDATION                           ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│  📦 PLUGIN INFO                                              │
├──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Name              DelayWave                                 │
│  Version           1.0.0                                     │
│  ...                                                         │
└──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

🔒 PRE-FLIGHT CHECKS ─────────────────────────────────── ❌ FAIL
   ❌ CRITICAL: Root CMakeLists.txt missing!
      └─ CI runs 'cmake -S . -B build' from repo root
      └─ Create CMakeLists.txt at repo root (see fix below)

⚙️  CMAKE CONFIGURE ──────────────────────────────────── ❌ FAIL
   ❌ cmake failed with error:
      └─ CMake Error: The source directory does not contain CMakeLists.txt

╔══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║  ⛔ 2 CRITICAL ISSUES FOUND                                  ║
║  Build will fail! Fix the issues below.                      ║
╚══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

🔧 REQUIRED FIXES
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
1. Create root CMakeLists.txt:

   cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.22)
   project(Wrapper LANGUAGES C CXX)
   add_subdirectory(plugin)

2. Re-run /bc-validate after fixing
───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────

Common Issues This Catches

•Missing root CMakeLists.txt - CI builds from repo root
•CMAKE_SOURCE_DIR bug - Breaks when plugin/ is a subdirectory
•Missing LANGUAGES C - Some dependencies need C compiler
•Pre-compiled binaries - CI rejects repos with binaries
•Web UI build failures - npm errors, TypeScript errors
•Parameter mismatches - C++ and TS using different IDs