About

Read the version from ${CLAUDE_PLUGIN_ROOT}/.claude-plugin/plugin.json (the version field), then display:

About bitwize-music

Version: (version from plugin.json)

Who Am I

I'm bitwize—a hacker who loves music and experimenting with new technology. When AI music generation tools started getting good, I couldn't resist seeing what was possible.

Website: https://www.bitwizemusic.com/

Behind the Music: https://www.bitwizemusic.com/behind-the-music/

Discord: https://discord.gg/dMURByGF

Share What You Make: Tag @bitwizemusic on X/Twitter with anything interesting you create!

Project History

Brief history and design philosophy of the bitwize-music plugin.

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Origins

The bitwize-music plugin started as a personal workflow for creating AI-generated music albums using Suno and Claude. What began as a collection of prompts and templates evolved into a structured system for managing the entire album creation process.

The core insight: AI music generation isn't just about prompting - it's about workflow. Managing concepts, research, lyrics, generation attempts, mastering, and release requires organization that scales.

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Version Milestones

v0.1.0 - Foundation

Initial release with core skills: lyric-writer, researcher, suno-engineer, album-conceptualizer. Established the template-based approach and track file format.

v0.5.0 - Infrastructure

Major infrastructure additions:

• Config system (~/.bitwize-music/config.yaml)
• Path separation (content, audio, documents)
• Import skills (audio, track, art)
• Test framework
• Sheet music publisher

v0.7.0 - Customization

Override system introduced:

• User-customizable files in {content_root}/overrides/
• Plugin updates don't overwrite user preferences
• 10 skills support overrides

v0.8.0 - Workflow Polish

Album ideas tracking, clipboard skill, workflow documentation extracted to reference files. CLAUDE.md refactored for performance.

v0.12.0 - Onboarding

Focus on new user experience:

• Resume skill for finding albums
• Troubleshooting guide
• Getting Started checklist
• Common Mistakes sections in skills

v0.13.0 - Promo Videos

Social media integration:

• Promo video generation
• 9 visualization styles
• Album sampler videos
• Cloud upload support

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Design Decisions

Why Markdown Files?

Markdown is:

• Human-readable without special tools
• Version-controllable with git
• Editable in any text editor
• Parseable by Claude

Track files as markdown means your lyrics and prompts are never locked in a proprietary format.

Why Separate Content from Plugin?

Early versions mixed plugin code with user content. This caused problems:

• Plugin updates overwrote user files
• Git conflicts on every update
• Unclear what was "mine" vs "template"

The current architecture keeps plugin code in one place and user content in another. Update the plugin freely; your albums stay untouched.

Why Config Outside Plugin Directory?

~/.bitwize-music/config.yaml lives outside the plugin because:

• Same location whether plugin is installed or cloned
• Plugin updates can't overwrite config
• Easy to back up separately
• Standard Unix convention (dotfiles in home)

Why Override Files Instead of Config Fields?

Originally, customization meant adding config fields: custom_pronunciation_path, custom_lyrics_style_path, etc. This doesn't scale.

Override files use convention over configuration:

• Put pronunciation-guide.md in overrides → skill uses it
• No new config field needed per customization
• Self-documenting (filename = what it overrides)
• Future-proof for new overrides

Why Human Verification for Sources?

AI can fetch and summarize sources, but can't verify accuracy at the level required for true-story albums. The verification step ensures:

• Sources actually exist and say what's claimed
• Quotes are accurate
• No fabricated details slip through

This is a deliberate friction point. Music about real events carries responsibility.

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Philosophy

Tools, Not Magic

The plugin doesn't try to fully automate album creation. It provides tools that make the human-AI collaboration more efficient:

• Templates reduce boilerplate
• Skills encode best practices
• Validation catches common mistakes
• But creative decisions stay with you

Explicit Over Implicit

The plugin is verbose about what it's doing and why. Status tracking, checkpoint messages, and validation feedback keep you informed. Surprises are bad in creative workflows.

Iterate and Improve

Skills update themselves when they learn new things:

• Pronunciation specialist adds to the guide
• Suno engineer updates best practices
• Model updater keeps skills current

The system gets smarter over time.

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Contributing

See /CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines on:

• Adding new skills
• Updating documentation
• Running tests
• Creating pull requests

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See Also

• SKILL.md - About skill documentation
• /CHANGELOG.md - Detailed version history
• /README.md - Project overview
• bitwizemusic.com - Artist website