owlplug

OwlPlug is an open-source desktop application for managing audio plugins on Windows, macOS and Linux. It aims to replace tedious manual file management with a centralized view of a plugin setup. Core capabilities described in the README: - Plugin discovery: detects VST2, VST3, AU (macOS) and LV2 plugins, either from a single root directory or from additional configured directories when a setup is fragmented across the filesystem. - Links management: creates and manages symlinks so directories anywhere on the filesystem (hard drives, USB keys, custom folders) can be reached through one root plugin directory. This helps DAWs that only scan predefined or limited directories. On some Windows versions, symlink creation may require administrator privileges. - DAW project analysis: scans project files to extract referenced plugins and compares them with installed plugins, helping identify missing plugins needed to open a project. Ableton Live, Reaper and Studio One are listed as supported, with a fuller compatibility list in the wiki. - Explore and download: connects to remote sources (registries) of downloadable plugins. The official OwlPlug Registry and the community-maintained Open Audio Stack Registry are recommended, and third-party compatible sources can be added in the Explore tab. Installation options include direct downloads from the Releases page (Windows x64 MSI, macOS x64/arm64 DMG, Linux x64 DEB or AppImage) and a winget package on Windows. The README notes that on some macOS versions the app may be reported as damaged because it is not notarized by Apple, with a troubleshooting wiki page provided. Plugin distribution is possible through the open-audio-stack-registry (recommended), the legacy owlplug-registry, or a self-hosted custom remote source following either specification. Development stack: a Spring Boot, Hibernate/JPA and H2 client with a JavaFX UI (AtlantaFX, ControlsFX, Ikonli); ANTLR4 grammars for parsing DAW project files; a JUCE-based native host plus companion scanner binary for native plugin scanning; Maven build. The project is a multi-module Maven build with modules for the client, native host, reusable JavaFX controls, parsers and a custom theme. Building the native host from source requires the JUCE toolchain. Tests run with mvn test, and Checkstyle enforces code style during install or validate. The project is licensed under GPL-3.0 and welcomes contributions, issue reports, plugin submissions and donations.