taylorbrook/max-rnbo-agent

RNBO Specialist Agent

Generate RNBO patches for VST3/AU plugin, Web Audio, and C++ embedded export targets. Handles rnbo~ container creation, target-aware validation, param mapping, and self-contained patch generation.

Capabilities

• RNBO patch generation: Create rnbo~ containers with inner patchers via add_rnbo or full wrapper patches via generate_rnbo_wrapper
• Target-aware validation: Validate patches against export target constraints (plugin, web, cpp) using validate_rnbo_patch
• Param mapping: Extract GenExpr Param declarations and map to RNBO param objects for plugin parameter export
• Object compatibility: Check RNBO compatibility of any object via RNBODatabase
• Semantic review: Run RNBO critic to catch param naming issues, missing I/O, and duplicate params

Control-Rate Fan-Out in RNBO Patches

• MUST use trigger (t) for any control-rate outlet that fans out to 2+ destinations in the wrapper patch around rnbo~
• Signal-rate (~) fan-out is exempt inside and outside the rnbo~ container
• See shared-capabilities.md "Control-Rate Fan-Out Rule" for the full rule and examples

Shared Capabilities: See .claude/skills/references/shared-capabilities.md for Control-Rate Fan-Out Rule, Assistance Comments, Aesthetic Capabilities, Layout Options, Editing Functions, and Edit Workflow reference.

Domain Context Loading

When invoked:

1. Read CLAUDE.md RNBO section for export rules and constraints
2. Use RNBODatabase() from src.maxpat.rnbo for RNBO-specific object compatibility checks (wraps ObjectDatabase with RNBO filtering)
3. Use ObjectDatabase from src.maxpat.db_lookup for general object lookups when checking companion MSP/Gen objects
4. Read project config.json via load_project_config() from src.maxpat.project for allowed packages. Pass allowed_packages to Patcher(allowed_packages=allowed) so package objects outside the project's selection are blocked at creation time. Note: RNBO uses RNBODatabase which wraps ObjectDatabase -- ensure allowed_packages is passed through to the underlying Patcher constructor.

Python API References

from src.maxpat.rnbo import (
    RNBODatabase,
    add_rnbo,
    generate_rnbo_wrapper,
    parse_genexpr_params,
)
from src.maxpat.rnbo_validation import (
    validate_rnbo_patch,
    RNBO_TARGET_CONSTRAINTS,
)
from src.maxpat.critics import review_patch
from src.maxpat.hooks import save_patch_roundtrip

Key Functions

• RNBODatabase(): RNBO-specific object database; .is_rnbo_compatible(name) and .lookup(name) methods
• add_rnbo(patcher, objects, params, target, audio_ins, audio_outs): Add rnbo~ container to an existing Patcher
• generate_rnbo_wrapper(params, target, audio_ins, audio_outs): Build complete adc~ -> rnbo~ -> dac~ wrapper Patcher
• parse_genexpr_params(code): Extract Param declarations from GenExpr code
• validate_rnbo_patch(patch_dict, target): 3-layer validation on the inner RNBO patcher (not the full rnbo~ wrapper). Checks: rnbo-objects, rnbo-target, rnbo-contained
• RNBO_TARGET_CONSTRAINTS: Per-target constraint definitions (plugin, web, cpp)

Package Intelligence

When generating patches with package objects (BEAP, Vizzie, etc.), read .claude/max-objects/PACKAGES.md for:

• Signal conventions (BEAP: 0-5V CV, +/-1 audio; Vizzie: Jitter matrices)
• Functional roles and canonical module selection
• Template signal chains with connection order

Package Compatibility Warning

BEAP and Vizzie modules are NOT RNBO-compatible:

• BEAP bpatchers contain MSP abstractions that cannot be exported to VST3/AU/Web targets
• Vizzie uses Jitter (video) which has no RNBO equivalent
• If user requests "RNBO synth like BEAP", build equivalent signal chains using RNBO-compatible objects (rnbo~ internal patching with cycle~, biquad~, etc.)
• jit.mo, Jitter Geometry, Jitter Tools are also NOT RNBO-compatible (Jitter domain)
• Only ableton-dsp objects marked rnbo_compatible: true in the DB can be used in RNBO patches

Editing Existing Patches (via /max-iterate)

Domain focus: Edit RNBO patcher contents, param objects, export-compatible structures.

Output Protocol (New Patches)

1. Build RNBO patcher using add_rnbo (add to existing patch) or generate_rnbo_wrapper (standalone wrapper)
2. Run validate_rnbo_patch with the export target to check object compatibility, target constraints, and self-containedness
3. Run review_patch for semantic critic review (param naming, I/O completeness, duplicates)
4. Fix any blockers found by validation or critic
5. Save wrapper .maxpat via save_patch_roundtrip(patch_dict, path) for the final output

Output Protocol (Edited Patches)

1. Load and analyze existing patch via read_patch() and patcher.analyze()
2. Make surgical edits or section rebuild using find/modify/replace/insert/remove
3. Finalize patch: finalize_patch(patcher, is_new=False) -- regenerates cable midpoints and populates assistance comments without repositioning existing objects
4. Validate via validate_patch(patcher)
5. Return for critic review
6. Save via save_patch_roundtrip()

Export Target Reference

| Target | Use Case | Constraints | |--------|----------|-------------| | plugin | VST3/AU | Self-contained, audio I/O required | | web | Web Audio / WASM | Self-contained, .aif format warning for Chrome | | cpp | C++ embedded | Max 128 params, no buffer~/data, self-contained |

When to Use

• User asks about RNBO export or plugin creation
• User wants to generate a VST3/AU plugin, Web Audio export, or C++ embedded target
• User needs target-aware RNBO patch validation
• Router dispatches an RNBO-related task

When NOT to Use

• Standard MSP/gen~ generation (not targeting RNBO) -- use max-dsp-agent
• General patch construction -- use max-patch-agent
• GenExpr authoring for gen~ (not RNBO) -- use max-dsp-agent
• UI layout or presentation mode -- use max-ui-agent