Vibecode eqMac
track this build5 steps, step by step0%KINDA · weekend project
The DSP is the easy part: a cascade of biquad filters driven by sliders is textbook, and an agent will write it correctly on the first try. The hard part is getting system audio into your process at all, which on macOS means a virtual output device and a Core Audio server plugin, signed and notarized, plus graceful handling of sample rate changes, device hotplug and headphone unplug. You can dodge most of that by installing BlackHole and building a loopback app that pulls from it and pushes to your real output, which is a genuine weekend project and works fine on your own machine. What you will not match in one sitting is the invisible-ness: no driver install prompts, no latency you can hear, no manual switching every time you plug in AirPods. Good build, mediocre replacement for something you want to forget exists.
the project pack4 files · fastest path to a working personal build
You are building a lean indie version of eqMac. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # eqMac indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core eqMac workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope A SwiftUI menu bar app that captures system audio via a BlackHole virtual device, runs it through a multiband biquad EQ plus gain stage, and plays it back out to your chosen physical output with saveable presets. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - A first-party, notarized audio driver: you are borrowing someone else's virtual device instead - Automatic output-device following, so plugging in headphones means switching things by hand - Very low latency and rock-solid handling of sample rate mismatches and hotplug events - Extras like per-device presets, balance control, and a curated preset library - Updates, crash fixes, and someone else's problem when a macOS point release breaks audio If those capabilities are essential, use eqMac instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a macOS menu bar system audio equalizer in Swift, targeting macOS 13+, as an Xcode-less Swift Package with a SwiftUI app target is not possible, so scaffold a normal Xcode project via `xcodegen`-style project.yml or a plain SwiftPM executable using AppKit + SwiftUI if simpler. Pick one and commit to it. Architecture: - Assume a virtual audio device named "BlackHole 2ch" exists and is the current system output. Print clear setup instructions in the README, including the Homebrew install command, and fail with a readable error if the device is missing. - Use AVAudioEngine: input node reads from the BlackHole aggregate/input device, output node writes to a user-selected physical output device enumerated via Core Audio (AudioObjectGetPropertyData on kAudioHardwarePropertyDevices). - Insert a DSP chain between them: 10 band peaking EQ (31.25 Hz to 16 kHz, octave spaced) implemented as cascaded biquad peaking filters, plus a preamp gain stage with a soft clipper so boosting cannot produce digital clipping. - Implement biquads yourself in a small `Biquad.swift` (RBJ cookbook coefficients), processed per channel in an AVAudioUnit tap or via AVAudioSourceNode. No third party DSP libraries. - Handle sample rate: read the device's actual rate, recompute coefficients on change, and log rate mismatches instead of crashing. UI: - Menu bar extra (NSStatusItem) with a SwiftUI popover: 10 vertical sliders in dB (-12 to +12), a preamp slider, a master bypass toggle, and an output device picker. - Named presets saved as JSON in ~/Library/Application Support/DIYEQ/presets.json. Ship Flat, Bass Boost, Vocal, Podcast. Explicitly out of scope: writing our own Core Audio server plugin or driver, code signing and notarization, per-app volume, spatial audio, auto updates, telemetry, accounts, any network calls at all. Deliver: working project, `make run` or an xcodebuild one-liner, and a README with the BlackHole setup steps, the known latency caveat, and how to restore normal audio if the app dies mid-session. ## Required capabilities - macOS with Xcode and a Swift toolchain - BlackHole (or another virtual audio device) installed, e.g. via Homebrew - Willingness to set your system output to the virtual device and let the app do the routing - Microphone/audio permissions granted to the app - Basic tolerance for a few ms of added latency ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a lean indie version of eqMac. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== README.md ===== # eqMac indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core eqMac workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope A SwiftUI menu bar app that captures system audio via a BlackHole virtual device, runs it through a multiband biquad EQ plus gain stage, and plays it back out to your chosen physical output with saveable presets. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - A first-party, notarized audio driver: you are borrowing someone else's virtual device instead - Automatic output-device following, so plugging in headphones means switching things by hand - Very low latency and rock-solid handling of sample rate mismatches and hotplug events - Extras like per-device presets, balance control, and a curated preset library - Updates, crash fixes, and someone else's problem when a macOS point release breaks audio If those capabilities are essential, use eqMac instead of pretending the gap is solved. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs". ===== BUILD_PLAN.md ===== # Build plan ## Original build brief Build a macOS menu bar system audio equalizer in Swift, targeting macOS 13+, as an Xcode-less Swift Package with a SwiftUI app target is not possible, so scaffold a normal Xcode project via `xcodegen`-style project.yml or a plain SwiftPM executable using AppKit + SwiftUI if simpler. Pick one and commit to it. Architecture: - Assume a virtual audio device named "BlackHole 2ch" exists and is the current system output. Print clear setup instructions in the README, including the Homebrew install command, and fail with a readable error if the device is missing. - Use AVAudioEngine: input node reads from the BlackHole aggregate/input device, output node writes to a user-selected physical output device enumerated via Core Audio (AudioObjectGetPropertyData on kAudioHardwarePropertyDevices). - Insert a DSP chain between them: 10 band peaking EQ (31.25 Hz to 16 kHz, octave spaced) implemented as cascaded biquad peaking filters, plus a preamp gain stage with a soft clipper so boosting cannot produce digital clipping. - Implement biquads yourself in a small `Biquad.swift` (RBJ cookbook coefficients), processed per channel in an AVAudioUnit tap or via AVAudioSourceNode. No third party DSP libraries. - Handle sample rate: read the device's actual rate, recompute coefficients on change, and log rate mismatches instead of crashing. UI: - Menu bar extra (NSStatusItem) with a SwiftUI popover: 10 vertical sliders in dB (-12 to +12), a preamp slider, a master bypass toggle, and an output device picker. - Named presets saved as JSON in ~/Library/Application Support/DIYEQ/presets.json. Ship Flat, Bass Boost, Vocal, Podcast. Explicitly out of scope: writing our own Core Audio server plugin or driver, code signing and notarization, per-app volume, spatial audio, auto updates, telemetry, accounts, any network calls at all. Deliver: working project, `make run` or an xcodebuild one-liner, and a README with the BlackHole setup steps, the known latency caveat, and how to restore normal audio if the app dies mid-session. ## Required capabilities - macOS with Xcode and a Swift toolchain - BlackHole (or another virtual audio device) installed, e.g. via Homebrew - Willingness to set your system output to the virtual device and let the app do the routing - Microphone/audio permissions granted to the app - Basic tolerance for a few ms of added latency ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden. ===== .env.example ===== # Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
You are building a production product version of eqMac. Create the following project files first, then implement the application by following them. Keep the files updated as decisions change. Do not collapse this into a single README or prompt. ===== PRODUCT.md ===== # eqMac product brief ## Problem The DSP is the easy part: a cascade of biquad filters driven by sliders is textbook, and an agent will write it correctly on the first try. The hard part is getting system audio into your process at all, which on macOS means a virtual output device and a Core Audio server plugin, signed and notarized, plus graceful handling of sample rate changes, device hotplug and headphone unplug. You can dodge most of that by installing BlackHole and building a loopback app that pulls from it and pushes to your real output, which is a genuine weekend project and works fine on your own machine. What you will not match in one sitting is the invisible-ness: no driver install prompts, no latency you can hear, no manual switching every time you plug in AirPods. Good build, mediocre replacement for something you want to forget exists. ## Product outcome A SwiftUI menu bar app that captures system audio via a BlackHole virtual device, runs it through a multiband biquad EQ plus gain stage, and plays it back out to your chosen physical output with saveable presets. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - macOS with Xcode and a Swift toolchain - BlackHole (or another virtual audio device) installed, e.g. via Homebrew - Willingness to set your system output to the virtual device and let the app do the routing - Microphone/audio permissions granted to the app - Basic tolerance for a few ms of added latency ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - A first-party, notarized audio driver: you are borrowing someone else's virtual device instead - Automatic output-device following, so plugging in headphones means switching things by hand - Very low latency and rock-solid handling of sample rate mismatches and hotplug events - Extras like per-device presets, balance control, and a curated preset library - Updates, crash fixes, and someone else's problem when a macOS point release breaks audio ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees. ===== ARCHITECTURE.md ===== # Architecture ## Starting brief Build a macOS menu bar system audio equalizer in Swift, targeting macOS 13+, as an Xcode-less Swift Package with a SwiftUI app target is not possible, so scaffold a normal Xcode project via `xcodegen`-style project.yml or a plain SwiftPM executable using AppKit + SwiftUI if simpler. Pick one and commit to it. Architecture: - Assume a virtual audio device named "BlackHole 2ch" exists and is the current system output. Print clear setup instructions in the README, including the Homebrew install command, and fail with a readable error if the device is missing. - Use AVAudioEngine: input node reads from the BlackHole aggregate/input device, output node writes to a user-selected physical output device enumerated via Core Audio (AudioObjectGetPropertyData on kAudioHardwarePropertyDevices). - Insert a DSP chain between them: 10 band peaking EQ (31.25 Hz to 16 kHz, octave spaced) implemented as cascaded biquad peaking filters, plus a preamp gain stage with a soft clipper so boosting cannot produce digital clipping. - Implement biquads yourself in a small `Biquad.swift` (RBJ cookbook coefficients), processed per channel in an AVAudioUnit tap or via AVAudioSourceNode. No third party DSP libraries. - Handle sample rate: read the device's actual rate, recompute coefficients on change, and log rate mismatches instead of crashing. UI: - Menu bar extra (NSStatusItem) with a SwiftUI popover: 10 vertical sliders in dB (-12 to +12), a preamp slider, a master bypass toggle, and an output device picker. - Named presets saved as JSON in ~/Library/Application Support/DIYEQ/presets.json. Ship Flat, Bass Boost, Vocal, Podcast. Explicitly out of scope: writing our own Core Audio server plugin or driver, code signing and notarization, per-app volume, spatial audio, auto updates, telemetry, accounts, any network calls at all. Deliver: working project, `make run` or an xcodebuild one-liner, and a README with the BlackHole setup steps, the known latency caveat, and how to restore normal audio if the app dies mid-session. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it. ===== AGENTS.md ===== # Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone. ===== MILESTONES.md ===== # Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations. ===== OPERATIONS.md ===== # Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted eqMac capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
README.md
# eqMac indie build ## Goal Build the smallest trustworthy replacement for the core eqMac workflow for one developer or a tiny team. ## Scope A SwiftUI menu bar app that captures system audio via a BlackHole virtual device, runs it through a multiband biquad EQ plus gain stage, and plays it back out to your chosen physical output with saveable presets. ## Quick start 1. Install the documented dependencies. 2. Copy `.env.example` to `.env`. 3. Run the development command chosen during implementation. 4. Complete the acceptance checks in `BUILD_PLAN.md`. ## Honest limits This build deliberately does not replace: - A first-party, notarized audio driver: you are borrowing someone else's virtual device instead - Automatic output-device following, so plugging in headphones means switching things by hand - Very low latency and rock-solid handling of sample rate mismatches and hotplug events - Extras like per-device presets, balance control, and a curated preset library - Updates, crash fixes, and someone else's problem when a macOS point release breaks audio If those capabilities are essential, use eqMac instead of pretending the gap is solved.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Optimize for a working, understandable weekend build. - Prefer the fewest moving parts that satisfy the brief. - Do not invent cryptography, security guarantees, APIs, or compliance claims. - Keep secrets out of source control and logs. - Add focused tests for destructive, security-sensitive, and data-loss paths. - Run the project checks before declaring the build complete. - Record any deliberate shortcut in the README under "Tradeoffs".
BUILD_PLAN.md
# Build plan ## Original build brief Build a macOS menu bar system audio equalizer in Swift, targeting macOS 13+, as an Xcode-less Swift Package with a SwiftUI app target is not possible, so scaffold a normal Xcode project via `xcodegen`-style project.yml or a plain SwiftPM executable using AppKit + SwiftUI if simpler. Pick one and commit to it. Architecture: - Assume a virtual audio device named "BlackHole 2ch" exists and is the current system output. Print clear setup instructions in the README, including the Homebrew install command, and fail with a readable error if the device is missing. - Use AVAudioEngine: input node reads from the BlackHole aggregate/input device, output node writes to a user-selected physical output device enumerated via Core Audio (AudioObjectGetPropertyData on kAudioHardwarePropertyDevices). - Insert a DSP chain between them: 10 band peaking EQ (31.25 Hz to 16 kHz, octave spaced) implemented as cascaded biquad peaking filters, plus a preamp gain stage with a soft clipper so boosting cannot produce digital clipping. - Implement biquads yourself in a small `Biquad.swift` (RBJ cookbook coefficients), processed per channel in an AVAudioUnit tap or via AVAudioSourceNode. No third party DSP libraries. - Handle sample rate: read the device's actual rate, recompute coefficients on change, and log rate mismatches instead of crashing. UI: - Menu bar extra (NSStatusItem) with a SwiftUI popover: 10 vertical sliders in dB (-12 to +12), a preamp slider, a master bypass toggle, and an output device picker. - Named presets saved as JSON in ~/Library/Application Support/DIYEQ/presets.json. Ship Flat, Bass Boost, Vocal, Podcast. Explicitly out of scope: writing our own Core Audio server plugin or driver, code signing and notarization, per-app volume, spatial audio, auto updates, telemetry, accounts, any network calls at all. Deliver: working project, `make run` or an xcodebuild one-liner, and a README with the BlackHole setup steps, the known latency caveat, and how to restore normal audio if the app dies mid-session. ## Required capabilities - macOS with Xcode and a Swift toolchain - BlackHole (or another virtual audio device) installed, e.g. via Homebrew - Willingness to set your system output to the virtual device and let the app do the routing - Microphone/audio permissions granted to the app - Basic tolerance for a few ms of added latency ## Delivery order 1. Scaffold the smallest runnable application and document its commands. 2. Implement the primary data model and core workflow. 3. Add validation, safe failure states, and persistence. 4. Cover the critical path with automated tests. 5. Exercise a clean install from the README and fix every missing step. ## Done when - A new user can go from clone to first successful workflow using only the README. - The core workflow works without paid infrastructure unless the brief requires it. - Tests cover the highest-risk behavior. - Known limitations are explicit rather than hidden.
.env.example
# Copy to .env and document every variable when it is introduced. # Never put real credentials in this file. APP_ENV=development # Add only values required by the selected implementation.
PRODUCT.md
# eqMac product brief ## Problem The DSP is the easy part: a cascade of biquad filters driven by sliders is textbook, and an agent will write it correctly on the first try. The hard part is getting system audio into your process at all, which on macOS means a virtual output device and a Core Audio server plugin, signed and notarized, plus graceful handling of sample rate changes, device hotplug and headphone unplug. You can dodge most of that by installing BlackHole and building a loopback app that pulls from it and pushes to your real output, which is a genuine weekend project and works fine on your own machine. What you will not match in one sitting is the invisible-ness: no driver install prompts, no latency you can hear, no manual switching every time you plug in AirPods. Good build, mediocre replacement for something you want to forget exists. ## Product outcome A SwiftUI menu bar app that captures system audio via a BlackHole virtual device, runs it through a multiband biquad EQ plus gain stage, and plays it back out to your chosen physical output with saveable presets. ## Target user A serious builder who needs a maintainable product foundation rather than a one-off demo. ## Required capabilities - macOS with Xcode and a Swift toolchain - BlackHole (or another virtual audio device) installed, e.g. via Homebrew - Willingness to set your system output to the virtual device and let the app do the routing - Microphone/audio permissions granted to the app - Basic tolerance for a few ms of added latency ## Explicit non-goals for v1 - A first-party, notarized audio driver: you are borrowing someone else's virtual device instead - Automatic output-device following, so plugging in headphones means switching things by hand - Very low latency and rock-solid handling of sample rate mismatches and hotplug events - Extras like per-device presets, balance control, and a curated preset library - Updates, crash fixes, and someone else's problem when a macOS point release breaks audio ## Success criteria - The primary workflow is measurable end to end. - Setup is reproducible in a clean environment. - Failure, recovery, and support paths are documented. - Product claims match what the implementation actually guarantees.
ARCHITECTURE.md
# Architecture ## Starting brief Build a macOS menu bar system audio equalizer in Swift, targeting macOS 13+, as an Xcode-less Swift Package with a SwiftUI app target is not possible, so scaffold a normal Xcode project via `xcodegen`-style project.yml or a plain SwiftPM executable using AppKit + SwiftUI if simpler. Pick one and commit to it. Architecture: - Assume a virtual audio device named "BlackHole 2ch" exists and is the current system output. Print clear setup instructions in the README, including the Homebrew install command, and fail with a readable error if the device is missing. - Use AVAudioEngine: input node reads from the BlackHole aggregate/input device, output node writes to a user-selected physical output device enumerated via Core Audio (AudioObjectGetPropertyData on kAudioHardwarePropertyDevices). - Insert a DSP chain between them: 10 band peaking EQ (31.25 Hz to 16 kHz, octave spaced) implemented as cascaded biquad peaking filters, plus a preamp gain stage with a soft clipper so boosting cannot produce digital clipping. - Implement biquads yourself in a small `Biquad.swift` (RBJ cookbook coefficients), processed per channel in an AVAudioUnit tap or via AVAudioSourceNode. No third party DSP libraries. - Handle sample rate: read the device's actual rate, recompute coefficients on change, and log rate mismatches instead of crashing. UI: - Menu bar extra (NSStatusItem) with a SwiftUI popover: 10 vertical sliders in dB (-12 to +12), a preamp slider, a master bypass toggle, and an output device picker. - Named presets saved as JSON in ~/Library/Application Support/DIYEQ/presets.json. Ship Flat, Bass Boost, Vocal, Podcast. Explicitly out of scope: writing our own Core Audio server plugin or driver, code signing and notarization, per-app volume, spatial audio, auto updates, telemetry, accounts, any network calls at all. Deliver: working project, `make run` or an xcodebuild one-liner, and a README with the BlackHole setup steps, the known latency caveat, and how to restore normal audio if the app dies mid-session. ## Boundaries Separate the product into replaceable modules for interface, application logic, persistence, external integrations, and operational concerns. Keep domain logic independent from delivery frameworks and vendors. ## Production baseline - Configuration: validated at startup with safe local defaults where possible. - Security: least privilege, input validation, secret redaction, rate limits on abuse-prone paths, and no invented security primitives. - Data: explicit schema and migrations, transactional writes where integrity matters, backup and restore instructions. - Integrations: adapters around third-party providers, idempotent webhook or job processing, bounded retries, and timeouts. - Observability: structured logs with request or operation IDs, an error-tracking hook, and health/readiness checks where a server exists. - Quality: unit tests for domain rules, integration tests at module boundaries, and one end-to-end critical-path test. ## Decision records For each major dependency, document why it was chosen, its failure mode, and how it can be replaced. Do not introduce infrastructure until a requirement justifies it.
AGENTS.md
# Agent instructions - Read `PRODUCT.md` and `ARCHITECTURE.md` before changing code. - Implement milestone by milestone; keep each change reviewable and leave the application runnable. - Treat authentication, payments, encryption, imports, webhooks, and destructive actions as high-risk boundaries when present. - Never invent cryptography or silently weaken a requirement to make a test pass. - Use provider interfaces for external services and deterministic fakes in tests. - Add migrations and rollback or recovery notes for persistent data changes. - Log useful operational context without credentials, tokens, passwords, or personal data. - Update documentation and run all checks before completing a milestone.
MILESTONES.md
# Delivery milestones ## M0 — Decisions and scaffold - Confirm the runtime, persistence model, threat boundaries, and deployment target. - Create a reproducible local environment and continuous checks. ## M1 — Core workflow - Implement the smallest end-to-end product path with validation and tests. - Keep integrations behind interfaces. ## M2 — Trust layer - Add secure failure behavior, recovery paths, audit-relevant events, and data safeguards. - Test abuse cases and destructive operations. ## M3 — Operability - Add structured logs, error reporting hooks, health signals, backup/restore documentation, and deployment configuration. ## M4 — Release gate - Run a clean-install test, critical-path end-to-end test, dependency review, and documented rollback exercise. - Compare the shipped behavior with `PRODUCT.md` and publish remaining limitations.
OPERATIONS.md
# Operations ## Before release - Validate configuration and secrets at startup. - Define backup, restore, and rollback procedures and test them. - Document logs, error tracking, health signals, and alert ownership. - Set dependency update and vulnerability review expectations. ## Incident checklist 1. Contain the issue without destroying evidence or user data. 2. Record the timeline and affected scope. 3. Rotate exposed secrets and revoke compromised sessions or credentials. 4. Restore from a verified source when needed. 5. Document the root cause, remediation, and regression test. ## Launch constraint Do not market omitted eqMac capabilities as implemented. The v1 non-goals in `PRODUCT.md` remain user-visible limitations until they are deliberately delivered.
$ choose a build depth, inspect the files, then open the complete pack in your agent · this prompt is generated from the build plan · improve it via PR
System audio on macOS is hostile territory: Apple gives you no sanctioned tap on the output mix, so anything like this lives or dies on driver work, signing, notarization and years of edge cases with Bluetooth, multi-output devices and OS updates. A personal build that requires you to manually route through BlackHole is fine on a laptop you control, and annoying everywhere else. Paying is mostly paying for the audio path to never think about itself again.
xA first-party, notarized audio driver: you are borrowing someone else's virtual device instead
xAutomatic output-device following, so plugging in headphones means switching things by hand
xVery low latency and rock-solid handling of sample rate mismatches and hotplug events
xExtras like per-device presets, balance control, and a curated preset library
xUpdates, crash fixes, and someone else's problem when a macOS point release breaks audio
Nothing worth pointing at. That's why the prompt exists.
share on X ↗"I just replaced eqMac ($3/mo) with one prompt"
Vibecode eqMac
Kinda. The core of eqMac is buildable in a weekend with the prompt on this page, but there are real gaps: A first-party, notarized audio driver: you are borrowing someone else's virtual device instead, Automatic output-device following, so plugging in headphones means switching things by hand. Read the honest list above before committing.
How much does eqMac cost?
eqMac costs about $3/month (Pro Subscription, checked 2026-08-18), which is $36 per year.
What do I lose by replacing eqMac?
Honestly: A first-party, notarized audio driver: you are borrowing someone else's virtual device instead; Automatic output-device following, so plugging in headphones means switching things by hand; Very low latency and rock-solid handling of sample rate mismatches and hotplug events; Extras like per-device presets, balance control, and a curated preset library; Updates, crash fixes, and someone else's problem when a macOS point release breaks audio. If any of those are load-bearing for you, keep paying.
Is there an open-source alternative to eqMac?
No mature open-source alternative worth pointing at, which is exactly why the one-shot prompt on this page exists.