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13916 :: Experimental build tool: Baumeister

• bitstorm (orginal) [2026-05-15T14:05:48+02:00] view original

  Dear Nim community,

  After a longer break, I have restarted my work with Nim with some experiments into vibe coding.

  My first attempt in this direction is a build tool called bau (short for "Baumeister" - build master). After a few evenings of work, I got to a first working state and would be interested in your feedback so I have a chance to either shelve it or develop it into something useful.

  The project is hosted at https://github.com/bitstormFA/bau and can be installed with 'nimble install bau'.

  Some features worth metioning are:

  • One project file for common Nim workflows: build, run, test, check, docs, formatting, linting, dependency sync, and CI checks.
  • Named profiles keep development and release compiler settings explicit.
  • Build fingerprints track source files, compiler flags, platform, toolchain, and profile so unchanged targets can be skipped.
  • Multiple targets and workspaces allow a repository to build more than one executable or member project from the same command style.
  • Atlas integration provides dependency syncing for Git, local path, and package dependencies declared in bau.toml.
  • TOML lockfiles, dependency patching, trusted/blocked dependency policy, and workspace defaults help make multi-package repositories more reproducible.
  • Feature flags, optional dependencies, cached build-script directives, and dependency catalogs make variant builds explicit.
  • Task inputs/outputs, local or shared output caching, dry runs, metadata, affected-change analysis, and graph/query commands make project automation easier to inspect.
  • Dependency verification, toolchain checks, and structured metadata help keep CI and editor integrations reproducible.
  • Project scaffolding creates a basic binary or library layout with tests and default profiles.
  • Nimble conversion turns existing .nimble package metadata, targets, dependencies, features, literal tasks, and hooks into a reviewable bau.toml.
  • An MCP mode exposes real Bau build, test, docs, conversion, dependency, metadata, graph, affected, cache, and status operations to compatible tools.

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• bitstorm (orginal) [2026-05-17T15:38:14+02:00] view original

  For all the brave explorers looking into this, bau version 0.5.1 now has extended functionality in the MCP server and assists in setting up MCP and a bau skill in a local project with 'bau mcp setup --all'.

  The architecture documentation is now much cleaner and bau has been tested in a large (yet unpublished) project where it performs well.

  If you do any experiments, please give me your feedback.

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• moigagoo (orginal) [2026-05-17T15:50:50+02:00] view original

  Could you please give a hint about what kind of tasks I can solve using the MCP tools and the assisting skill?

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• bitstorm (orginal) [2026-05-17T16:05:20+02:00] view original

  Sure:

  MCP tool	Task	Corresponding CLI command
  bau_build	Compile target(s)	bau build [target] [--all-targets]
  bau_run	Build and run a binary	bau run [target] -- [args...]
  bau_test	Run the Test Plan	bau test [filter]
  bau_check	Type-check target(s)	bau check [target] [--all-targets]
  bau_doc	Generate docs	bau doc
  bau_clean	Remove Bau outputs	bau clean
  bau_install	Install/update/remove binaries	bau install [target], bau update [target], bau uninstall [target]
  bau_deps	Sync/lock/update/verify/vendor/patch deps	bau deps sync\|lock\|update\|verify\|vendor\|patch
  bau_add	Add dependency	bau add <dep>
  bau_remove	Remove dependency	bau remove <dep>
  bau_deps_verify	Verify lock/dependency policy	bau deps verify
  bau_tree	Show dependency tree	bau tree
  bau_outdated	Show dependency status	bau outdated
  bau_init	Initialize current/project dir	bau init [name] [--bin\|--lib]
  bau_new	Create new project dir	bau new <path> [--bin\|--lib]
  bau_convert	Convert Nimble project	bau convert [path\|file] [--dry-run]
  bau_fmt	Format Nim sources	bau fmt
  bau_lint	Validate style	bau lint
  bau_ci	Run validation sequence	bau ci
  bau_task	List/run custom tasks	bau task --list, bau task <name>
  bau_cache	List/clean/explain task cache	bau cache list\|clean\|explain
  bau_cache_explain	Explain one task cache key	bau cache explain <task> --json
  bau_explain	Explain build freshness	bau explain
  bau_compile_commands	Generate LSP compilation database	bau compile-commands
  bau_metadata	Return project metadata	bau metadata --json
  bau_graph	Return project graph	bau graph --format json
  bau_query	Query deps/why	bau query deps <name>, bau query why <dep>
  bau_affected	List/build/test/check affected work	bau affected list\|build\|test\|check --since <ref>
  bau_tailor	Discover/write target declarations	bau tailor --check, bau tailor --write
  bau_package	Package preflight/manifest	bau package --list, bau package --dry-run
  bau_publish	Publication preflight/publish	bau publish --dry-run, bau publish
  bau_bump	Bump package version	bau bump major\|minor\|patch
  bau_ci_template	Write CI template	bau ci-template github\|gitlab
  bau_env	Return build environment	bau env --json
  bau_doctor	Check toolchain/project health	bau doctor
  bau_shell_init	Add Bau bin dir to shell startup	bau shell-init [shell]
  bau_mcp_setup	Register MCP + local skills	bau mcp setup --all\|--codex\|--claude\|--copilot

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