Smidr

Smidr is a cargo- inspired build tool for C projects, meant to bridge dependencies across different build systems into a single build.

Why

Working with C projects usually means hand-writing a Makefile, CMakeLists.txt, or invoking the compiler directly. Smidr handles that:

• scaffolds a new project
• discovers and compiles .c sources
• links the result into a binary
• keeps project configuration in a plain smidr.toml, not a bespoke build script
• is not tied to a specific compiler (clang, tcc, gcc, or the system cc)

Installation

Requires Rust 1.85 or newer (this project uses the 2024 edition). Tested with Rust 1.96.0.

git clone https://github.com/Max-Mend/smidr
cd smidr
cargo install --path .

Usage

smidr new hello
cd hello
smidr build
smidr run

$ smidr new demo
Created project: demo

$ cd demo && smidr run
Using compiler: cc
Running: target/bin/demo
Hello, World!

smidr new hello scaffolds:

hello/
├── smidr.toml
├── .gitignore
├── include/
└── src/
    └── main.c

Commands

Configuration

Project metadata and build settings live in smidr.toml:

[project]
name = "hello"
version = "0.1.0"
authors = []
authors_email = []

[build]
compiler = "auto"      # auto | clang | tcc | gcc
warnings = "standard"  # none | standard | strict
cflags = []

[dependencies]
# external C libraries - see Roadmap

A note on [dependencies]

The [dependencies] section is parsed but not yet wired into the build - see Roadmap. Once it is, be aware that build_system = "custom" runs arbitrary shell commands defined in build_commands. Only use a smidr.toml from a source you trust, the same way you would with any shell script.

Architecture

src/
├── main.rs         entry point, CLI dispatch
├── cli.rs           command definitions (clap)
├── config.rs        smidr.toml types and (de)serialization
├── project.rs        project model: init, load, source discovery
├── builder.rs         compilation and linking
├── resolver.rs        dependency source resolution (git or local path)
├── compile_db.rs       compile_commands.json generation, for clangd and other LSPs
├── error.rs           the crate's error type
└── toolchain/          build-system abstraction for dependencies
    ├── cmake.rs
    ├── meson.rs
    ├── make.rs
    └── custom.rs

Each external process (the compiler, cmake, meson) is invoked behind a dedicated, isolated layer. smidr itself is not tied to any single build tool.

Roadmap

• smidr new - project scaffolding
• smidr build / smidr run - compile and run
• Compiler-agnostic builds, with auto-detection (clang, tcc, gcc)
• compile_commands.json generation - implemented, not yet wired into build
• Local (path =) dependencies - resolver implemented, not yet wired into build
• Build-system auto-detection for dependencies (CMake, Meson, Make) - implemented, not yet wired into build
• Git dependencies
• Linking against CMake/Meson-built libraries (pkg-config resolution)
• MSVC support

Contributing

This project is in early development, maintained alongside my studies - response to issues and pull requests can be slow at times (exam periods especially). See CONTRIBUTING.md for what to do in the meantime if you run into a bug and don't hear back right away. Issues and pull requests are welcome regardless - for larger changes, open an issue first to discuss the approach.

Security

Please do not open a public issue for security vulnerabilities - see SECURITY.md for how to report them privately.

License

Smidr is primarily distributed under the terms of both the MIT license and the Apache License (Version 2.0), with portions covered by various BSD-like licenses.

See LICENSE-APACHE, LICENSE-MIT, and COPYRIGHT for details.

Contribution

Unless you explicitly state otherwise, any contribution intentionally submitted for inclusion in the work by you, as defined in the Apache-2.0 license, shall be dual licensed as above, without any additional terms or conditions.