Is the HISE REST server ready for use?

[dannytaurus]

@Christoph-Hart said in Is the HISE REST server ready for use?:

It's not intended to be used directly as REST API but the hise-cli app will talk to it and Claude should use the hise-cli app as this is more token efficient than dumping the entire HTTP response into the context window.

Makes sense. Using it through the CLI now

Using REST directly was having things like the /repl endpoint not recompiling the scripts, and some values getting out of sync during saves.

But the CLI between seems much better now. Thanks!

[ustk]

I was doing the same through the REST API, but without having bugs though...
I switched to the CLI as well

[David Healey]

@ustk @dannytaurus What do you use it for?

[ustk]

@David-Healey

• For annoying and long tasks on the UI for instance. I've just made a re-ordering panel that is nice and smooth.
• For helping me to improve DSP too, and to catch issues I haven't anticipated.
• Sketch new designs quickly
• ...

[dannytaurus]

@David-Healey Honestly, pretty much everything in HISE now.

Not UI design, Claude is still pretty bad at that. But all the other stuff inside HISE.

I've been using Claude with HISE for weeks now, but only giving it the project repo and the HISE source. Not giving it access to a running HISE instance.

But in the last few days I tried the REST server, and now today, after Christoph's comment, using the hise-cli has made it much more reliable and easier for Claude to make changes.

Yesterday I asked it to implement a Growl control for the filter. A simple resonance control wasn't cutting it for this synth, so I asked it to add a narrow bandpass filter that tracked the existing LPF, with some variable tanh distortion. It changed the UI control from Res to Growl, added a ScriptNode effect with a dry/wet chain, filter and saturation nodes, so that the Growl knob would mix in the BP filter in parallel as the knob turned. It tidied up all the old res code too.

Today I had it convert a few old AHDSR modules into FlexAHDSR so I have more control, and rewire one UI envelope component to control the amp, pitch and filter envelopes, all with different ranges. Easy peasy for Claude, and even easier through the CLI.

I've even had it make a bunch of presets for me, based on the style of the synth, the controls UI and a few existing presets I made myself. Claude's presets weren't amazing but they were all valid - meaning no 'silent' or 'just noise' ones that you can get with pure randomisation. And they're all a great starting point for me to tweak and turn into valuable presets.

[dannytaurus]

@ustk I don't even know if those things I described were an issue with the REST server or with Claude not using it properly.

Either way, using the CLI has made it MUCH easier.

[dannytaurus]

@David-Healey Actually, Claud did make a couple of cool design suggestions yesterday. I didn't end up using them because the feature itself wasn't good, but the UI ideas were OK.

I just wouldn't have it design a UI from scratch, not right now.

[ustk]

@dannytaurus Yeah for all those DSP stuff and for creating presets as well.

The panel transition was existing way before I used Claude but I was lacking the reordering menu, they were just simple buttons.

[dannytaurus]

@ustk Nice!

[dannytaurus]

@David-Healey One of the best aspects of using the CLI/REST setup is a much tighter iteration loop, where Claude can test the changes and fix mistakes itself, without involving me.

That means it delivers a working feature, instead of a code-only change where I have to open HISE, test it manually, provide Claude with compiler errors and/or UI bugs and do that round-trip several times to get to a working state.

[dannytaurus]

@Christoph-Hart Specific bug: Claude says the screenshot endpoint is giving a 404 error.

Latest HISE build 6446c4a

[Chazrox]

@dannytaurus how are you doing this?

[dannytaurus]

@Chazrox Which part? Do you already use Claude in your plugin project? If not, that's the place to start. I can help with that.

If you're already using Claude, it's just a matter of getting the CLI installed and REST server running. I can help with that too.

[Chazrox]

@dannytaurus Claude "in" my project no. I use Claude yes. Can you help me with the CLI part? Tbh I have no clue what CLI or REST is.....but I feel like I need it. lol. Forgive me. haha.

[David Healey]

@Chazrox
CLI means command line interface - it's a console app where you can put commands.
REST is the system used to send and receive data from a server.

[Chazrox]

@David-Healey Aha. Thanks. This should be interesting. I was using Claude with Cursor for a little bit. Still getting a hang of that but havent used it much lately. Is this a similar kind of situation? Or would I still be prompting from Claude app interface?

[ustk]

@Chazrox Claude can self install/link with hise. It analyses the REST API and the CLI structure of Hise and can pul git, install, link, test, until ready for running...
That being said, it's always better to understand what it does...

[trillbilly]

I havent used Claude but Codex works better than expected as well.

Ive used it with VS Code and linked it directly to my HISE projects.

No GUI creation or anything but with effects, scriptnode, debugging, etc it has been a huge time saver.