Building from Source

Building from Source

This guide covers everything required to compile, build, and run Tuim from source.

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1. Prerequisites & Toolchain Requirements

To build Tuim, ensure the following tools are installed:

Tool	Version Requirement	Purpose
Zig	0.16.0 exactly	Compiles the Zig frontend, reactor, and TUI renderer.
Neovim	0.12.0 or newer	Editing and terminal engine.
Git	Any modern version	Source control and plugin cloning.
Python 3	Python 3.8+	Marketplace search and test suite runner.
C Compiler & Make	gcc / clang & make	Compiling Tree-sitter parsers and grammars.
Tree-sitter CLI	0.26.1+	Grammar generator (setup will auto-install if missing).

Important

Zig is actively evolving. Tuim is pinned specifically to Zig 0.16.0. Older (e.g. 0.13, 0.14) or newer nightly builds may fail due to standard library API changes.

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2. Cloning & Compiling

Clone the repository and build using Zig's standard build system:

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Rouboufy/tuim.git
cd tuim

# Compile with optimization
zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseFast

The compiled binary will be placed at:

./zig-out/bin/tuim

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3. Build Options & Optimization Modes

build.zig provides several customizable flags:

# Fast release (optimized for execution speed, stripped assertions)
zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseFast

# Safe release (optimized with runtime bounds checks enabled)
zig build -Doptimize=ReleaseSafe

# Debug build (unoptimized, full debug symbols, fastest compilation)
zig build -Doptimize=Debug

# Specify custom version string
zig build -Dversion=0.4.0-dev

# Specify custom bug reporting endpoint
zig build -Dbug-report-endpoint=https://my-reporting-worker.dev/bug-report

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4. Running the Development Build

Run your newly built binary directly:

./zig-out/bin/tuim

You can also use Zig's built-in run step:

zig build run

To run with pass-through arguments (e.g. opening a specific file or directory):

zig build run -- src/main.zig

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5. Automated Source Setup (setup.sh --source)

If you want an automated source build that downloads and configures private, isolated toolchains (Zig 0.16.0 and Neovim 0.12+) without altering your system packages:

bash setup.sh --source --yes

This installs private toolchains under ~/.local/share/tuim/tools/ and links the launcher at ~/.local/bin/tuim.

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Next Steps

Learn how to run test suites and verify your changes in Testing & Verification.