feedBack-desktop/WINDOWS_BUILD_REQUIREMENTS.md

Windows Build Requirements

This document describes the dependencies and setup required to build Slopsmith Desktop on Windows.

Required Software

Visual Studio Build Tools 2022

• Version: 17.14 or later
• Purpose: Compile native C++ audio engine and Node.js native addons
• Install: winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools --override "--wait --passive --add Microsoft.VisualStudio.Workload.VCTools --includeRecommended"
• Required Components: Desktop development with C++ workload

CMake

• Version: 3.22 or later
• Purpose: Build system for native audio engine
• Install: winget install Kitware.CMake
• Note: Add to PATH: C:\Program Files\CMake\bin

Git (for plugin cloning)

• Purpose: clone_slopsmith in scripts/build-common.sh clones the Slopsmith repo and every plugin via plain git clone. Git for Windows ships with Git Bash, which is required anyway to run the build scripts.
• Install: winget install Git.Git (you almost certainly already have this).
• Optional (private plugins only): If any clones target private repos you have access to, configure git credentials (e.g. git config --global credential.helper manager plus a one-time push/clone to cache a PAT). The build does NOT use the GitHub CLI.

Chocolatey (optional)

• Purpose: Package manager for cmake and ffmpeg (can also be downloaded directly)
• Install: See https://chocolatey.org/install

Windows-Specific Build Notes

Python Embeddable Distribution

The Windows build uses Python's embeddable distribution, which has a special configuration:

1. .pth file isolation: The Python embeddable distribution uses a python312._pth file that enables "isolated mode". In this mode, the PYTHONPATH environment variable is completely ignored.

2. Solution: Slopsmith paths must be added directly to the ._pth file. This is handled automatically by scripts/build-windows.sh, but if you need to add custom paths:

   # In python312._pth (relative to resources/python):
   ../slopsmith
   ../slopsmith/lib
   

Git authentication for private plugins

If your build pulls private plugin repos (e.g. got-feedback/feedback-plugin-cf), make sure git can authenticate non-interactively before running the build — Git Credential Manager + a PAT or SSH key both work. The build uses git clone --depth 1 for every plugin and does NOT call the GitHub CLI.

Quick Start

# Install dependencies (Git for Windows brings Git Bash which the scripts run under)
winget install Microsoft.VisualStudio.2022.BuildTools Kitware.CMake Git.Git

# Add CMake to PATH (if not automatic)
export PATH="$PATH:/c/Program Files/CMake/bin"

# Run the build
bash scripts/build-windows.sh

Common Issues

"CMake is not installed"

• Install via winget: winget install Kitware.CMake
• Or add existing installation to PATH: export PATH="$PATH:/c/Program Files/CMake/bin"

"Repository not found" during plugin cloning

• Configure git itself for authentication (the build uses plain git clone, not the GitHub CLI):
  • Git Credential Manager + a Personal Access Token: git config --global credential.helper manager
  • Or an SSH key registered on your account
• Verify you can manually git clone the failing plugin URL from Git Bash before retrying the build
• Confirm the plugin repository exists on GitHub and your account has access to any private repos referenced in scripts/build-common.sh's clone list