Build & Test Quick Reference

Use this document as the single source of truth for configuring, building, and testing YAZE across platforms. Other guides (README, CLAUDE.md, GEMINI.md, etc.) should link here instead of duplicating steps.

1. Environment Prep

• Clone with submodules: git clone --recursive https://github.com/scawful/yaze.git
• Run the verifier once per machine:
  • macOS/Linux: ./scripts/verify-build-environment.sh --fix
  • Windows PowerShell: .\scripts\verify-build-environment.ps1 -FixIssues

2. Build Presets

Use cmake --preset <name> followed by cmake --build --preset <name> [--target …].

Preset	Platform(s)	Notes
mac-dbg, lin-dbg, win-dbg	macOS/Linux/Windows	Standard debug builds, tests on by default.
mac-ai, lin-ai, win-ai	macOS/Linux/Windows	Enables gRPC, agent UI, z3ed, and AI runtime.
mac-rel, lin-rel, win-rel	macOS/Linux/Windows	Optimized release builds.
mac-dev, lin-dev, win-dev	macOS/Linux/Windows	Development builds with ROM-dependent tests enabled.
mac-uni	macOS	Universal binary (ARM64 + x86_64) for distribution.
ci-* presets	Platform-specific	Mirrors CI matrix; see CMakePresets.json.

Verbose builds: add -v suffix (e.g., mac-dbg-v, lin-dbg-v, win-dbg-v) to turn off compiler warning suppression.

3. AI/Assistant Build Policy

• Human developers typically use build or build_test directories.
• AI assistants must use dedicated directories (build_ai, build_agent, etc.) to avoid clobbering user builds.
• When enabling AI features, prefer the *-ai presets and target only the binaries you need (yaze, z3ed, yaze_test, …).
• Windows helpers: use scripts/agents/windows-smoke-build.ps1 for quick builds and scripts/agents/run-tests.sh (or its PowerShell equivalent) for test runs so preset + generator settings stay consistent.

4. Common Commands

# Debug GUI build (macOS)
cmake --preset mac-dbg
cmake --build --preset mac-dbg --target yaze
 
# Debug GUI build (Linux)
cmake --preset lin-dbg
cmake --build --preset lin-dbg --target yaze
 
# Debug GUI build (Windows)
cmake --preset win-dbg
cmake --build --preset win-dbg --target yaze
 
# AI-enabled build with gRPC (macOS)
cmake --preset mac-ai
cmake --build --preset mac-ai --target yaze z3ed
 
# AI-enabled build with gRPC (Linux)
cmake --preset lin-ai
cmake --build --preset lin-ai --target yaze z3ed
 
# AI-enabled build with gRPC (Windows)
cmake --preset win-ai
cmake --build --preset win-ai --target yaze z3ed

5. Testing

Default Tests (Always Available)

Default test suites run automatically with debug/dev presets. Include stable unit/integration tests and GUI smoke tests:

# Build stable test suite (always included in debug presets)
cmake --build --preset mac-dbg --target yaze_test_stable
 
# Run with ctest (recommended approach)
ctest --preset mac-dbg -L stable          # Stable tests only
ctest --preset mac-dbg -L gui             # GUI smoke tests
ctest --test-dir build -L "stable|gui"    # Both stable + GUI

Optional: ROM-Dependent Tests

For tests requiring Zelda3 ROM file (ASAR ROM tests, complete edit workflows, ZSCustomOverworld upgrades):

# Configure with ROM path
cmake --preset mac-dbg -DYAZE_ENABLE_ROM_TESTS=ON -DYAZE_TEST_ROM_PATH=~/zelda3.sfc
 
# Build ROM test suite
cmake --build --preset mac-dbg --target yaze_test_rom_dependent
 
# Run ROM tests
ctest --test-dir build -L rom_dependent

Optional: Experimental AI Tests

For AI-powered feature tests (requires YAZE_ENABLE_AI_RUNTIME=ON):

# Use AI-enabled preset
cmake --preset mac-ai
 
# Build experimental test suite
cmake --build --preset mac-ai --target yaze_test_experimental
 
# Run AI tests
ctest --test-dir build -L experimental

Test Commands Reference

# Stable tests only (recommended for quick iteration)
ctest --test-dir build -L stable -j4
 
# All enabled tests (respects preset configuration)
ctest --test-dir build --output-on-failure
 
# GUI smoke tests
ctest --test-dir build -L gui
 
# Headless GUI tests (CI mode)
ctest --test-dir build -L headless_gui
 
# Tests matching pattern
ctest --test-dir build -R "Dungeon"
 
# Verbose output
ctest --test-dir build --verbose

Test Organization by Preset

Preset	Stable	GUI	ROM-Dep	Experimental
mac-dbg, lin-dbg, win-dbg	Yes	Yes	No	No
mac-ai, lin-ai, win-ai	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
mac-dev, lin-dev, win-dev	Yes	Yes	Yes	No
mac-rel, lin-rel, win-rel	No	No	No	No

Environment Variables

• YAZE_TEST_ROM_PATH - Set ROM path for ROM-dependent tests (or use -DYAZE_TEST_ROM_PATH=... in CMake)
• YAZE_SKIP_ROM_TESTS - Skip ROM tests if set (useful for CI without ROM)
• YAZE_ENABLE_UI_TESTS - Enable GUI tests (default if display available)

6. Troubleshooting & References

• Detailed troubleshooting: docs/public/build/troubleshooting.md
• Platform compatibility: docs/public/build/platform-compatibility.md
• Internal agents must follow coordination protocol in docs/internal/agents/coordination-board.md before running builds/tests.