Build from Source

Build from Source

Requirements

• Node.js 22 or newer and npm (CI uses Node 22). The Companion extension needs Node.js 24 and npm 11.
• Git.
• Windows 10/11, macOS or Linux. Packaging for a platform has to run on that platform (or in CI).
• Optional: a local ComfyUI for generation, and Chrome or Edge for the Companion.

FFmpeg and FFprobe come from npm packages, so you do not install them yourself. The RIFE smooth-motion engine is built in CI; local builds without it work normally, only smooth motion reports the engine as missing.

Run the desktop app

git clone https://github.com/jeffreycayao/Drama-Studio.git
cd Drama-Studio
npm ci
npm run electron:dev   # Vite on 127.0.0.1:5173 + Electron

Build

npm run exe:latest             # quick unsigned Windows test exe in release/, launched when done
npm run electron:build:win     # Windows installer + portable
npm run electron:build:mac     # macOS dmg (on a Mac)
npm run electron:build:linux   # AppImage + deb

npm run build, and every command that runs it, bumps the patch version first. For a build that should not change the version, for example in a pull request, set DS_SKIP_VERSION_BUMP=1. Official releases are built by GitHub Actions from version tags.

Drama Studio Companion (browser extension)

cd extensions/companion
npm ci
npm run dev     # development build with reload
npm run check   # format, types, lint, tests, source scan
npm run build   # production build into .output/chrome-mv3

To try a build, open chrome://extensions (or edge://extensions), turn on Developer mode, click Load unpacked and pick .output/chrome-mv3.

Tests

Tests are focused Node test scripts, one per area. List them with npm run, and run the ones for the area you changed:

npm run test:security-hardening
npm run test:chat-panel
npm run test:timeline-hotfixes

More

• Project layout and versioning: README
• Setup notes: SETUP.md
• Agent and MCP tools: docs/MCP.md
• How to help: Contributing