@glslint/cli

A GLSL checker and language server for the shaders WebGL toolkits actually ship, distributed as a prebuilt binary. No Rust toolchain needed.

Stock GLSL tools choke on these files because they aren't standalone translation units: WebGL has no #include, so libraries like luma.gl/deck.gl, maplibre-gl-js, and ShaderToy each assemble shaders in JS at build time — a raw .glsl references UBO instances (wind.*), deck builtins (project_position_to_clipspace), maplibre's #pragma maplibre: properties and shared projectTile/_prelude library, or ShaderToy's implicit iTime, none of which are in the file. glslint reconstructs the complete unit — discovering the project's shared library and expanding its dialect — validates it with the Khronos glslangValidator reference compiler, and maps every diagnostic back to the original file and line. The core works on an unfamiliar project with zero config; ecosystem specifics live in data (bundled presets and a project's own glslint.toml).

Requires glslangValidator

glslint shells out to glslangValidator, the Khronos GLSL reference compiler. It is not bundled in this package, so install it once:

brew install glslang            # macOS (provides glslangValidator and the newer `glslang`)
sudo apt install glslang-tools  # Debian / Ubuntu

On Windows it ships with the Vulkan SDK. glslint finds it on PATH; set GLSLINT_GLSLANG to point at a specific binary. If it is missing, glslint names the install command for your platform rather than reporting a bare "not found".

Install

npm install --save-dev @glslint/cli

The binary arrives through a per-platform optional dependency (@glslint/darwin-arm64 and friends), so you download one binary rather than all of them. Prebuilt platforms: macOS arm64 and x64, Linux x64, Windows x64. On anything else, install with cargo install glslint.

Usage

The package installs a glslint command, so the scope only appears when you install it:

npx glslint check src/shaders/draw.vert.glsl   # one-shot, exit 1 on errors
npx glslint check 'src/**/*.ts'                # lint GLSL in JS/TS tagged templates
npx glslint lsp                                # language server over stdio

check resolves config by walking up for a glsl-lsp.toml. With no config at all it derives each shader's modules from your new Model({ vs, fs, modules }) calls, and falls back to sibling *Uniforms.glsl discovery.

To resolve the binary yourself, for example to launch the language server from an editor extension without the wrapper process:

const { binaryPath } = require('@glslint/cli');
spawn(binaryPath(), ['lsp']);

Documentation

Config format, the assembler, the diagnostic mapping, and why glslangValidator instead of naga: github.com/johncarmack1984/glslint.

License

Dual-licensed under either MIT or Apache-2.0, at your option.