Build the User Package

Help query: "How do I build the user package?" / "How do I rebuild volt-user?" / "Where is user.dll?"

The user package is the volt-user Cargo crate. Building it produces the shared library Volt loads for plugins.

From the Volt git checkout

Run these from the repository root.

Debug build

cargo build -p volt-user

Release build

cargo build -p volt-user --release

Editor + user library together

cargo build -p volt -p volt-user
cargo build -p volt -p volt-user --release

Output artifacts

Platform	User library	Editor binary
Windows	target/<profile>/user.dll	target/<profile>/volt.exe
Linux	target/<profile>/libuser.so	target/<profile>/volt
macOS	target/<profile>/libuser.dylib	target/<profile>/volt

<profile> is debug or release.

Verify the build

# Headless one-frame smoke test
cargo run -p volt -- --shell-hidden

# Print registered packages / subsystem summary
cargo run -p volt -- --bootstrap-demo

# Tests and lints
cargo xtask test
cargo xtask clippy

Interactive launch:

cargo run -p volt

From a release User Source Tree

Shipped installs can include a user/ tree beside the binary. Rebuild there, not in an unrelated git checkout:

cd /path/to/install/user
cargo build --release -p volt-user

Or use the in-editor command workspace.compile. It prefills cargo build --release -p volt-user, stages the artifact under user/target/<profile>/volt-user-hot/, and hot-reloads into the running process (important on Windows, where mapped DLLs cannot be overwritten in place).

Details: Hot reload.

Point Volt at a specific library

Override the loaded library with:

# Windows example
set VOLT_USER_LIBRARY=C:\path\to\user.dll

Use the platform library filename (user.dll, libuser.so, or libuser.dylib).

When do I need to rebuild?

Change	Rebuild volt-user?
New / edited .rs plugin module	Yes
Register package in lib.rs	Yes
Commands, hooks, Rust keybindings	Yes
Evaluator / autocomplete wiring	Yes
user/config/*.yaml	No (hot reload)
user/themes/*.toml	No (theme watcher)

Developer command cheat sheet

Command	Purpose
cargo build -p volt-user	Build user library (debug)
cargo build -p volt-user --release	Build user library (release)
cargo build -p volt	Build editor binary
workspace.compile	Rebuild + hot-reload shipped user tree
cargo xtask fmt	Format
cargo xtask check	cargo check
cargo xtask clippy	Clippy (warnings denied)
cargo xtask test	Workspace tests
cargo xtask ci	Full CI

Lint policy

Workspace lints forbid unsafe_code and deny dbg!, todo!, and unwrap(). Run cargo xtask clippy before submitting changes.

Related help topics

• Create a new plugin
• After scaffolding a plugin
• Troubleshooting builds