commit 90ef9456c88dcb4f5878730cd7470617bea1b71e
Author: wompmacho <michael@wompmacho.com>
Date:   Sun May 17 16:18:37 2026 +0000

    init commit

diff --git a/.gitignore b/.gitignore
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+# REAPER / Project backups
+*.RPP-bak
+*.reaper-ext
+*.bak
+
+# OS generated files
+.DS_Store
+.DS_Store?
+._*
+.Spotlight-V100
+.Trashes
+ehthumbs.db
+Thumbs.db
+
+# Lua / Busted
+.luarocks/
+lua_modules/
+*.o
+*.a
+*.so
+*.dll
+
+# IDEs
+.vscode/
+.idea/
+*.swp
+*.swo
+
+# Docker
+.dockerignore
+
+# MeowTab specific
+*.original.md
+/home/wompmacho/.gemini/tmp/
+/notes_on_pitch_to_midi/
+/legacy/
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
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+# MeowTab: Simplicity-First MIDI Tablature Editor for REAPER 🐱🎸
+
+MeowTab is a lightweight, low-latency REAPER extension designed to act as a visual guitar tablature editor. It provides a simplified interface for editing MIDI notes directly on a fretboard, acting as a streamlined alternative to the standard Piano Roll.
+
+## ✨ Features
+*   **Visual Fretboard Editor:** Insert and modify MIDI notes by clicking directly on a customizable fretboard.
+*   **Dual-Layer MIDI Encoding:** Uses REAPER Text Events for 100% visual accuracy and General MIDI hacks (velocity/legato) for immediate audible feedback and compatibility with tools like Guitar Pro.
+*   **Real-Time Sync:** The fretboard visualizer scrolls in real-time with REAPER's transport, showing notes passing a neon-green playback cursor.
+*   **Piano Roll Integration:** Highlight notes in the native REAPER Piano Roll and update their string/fret position via the MeowTab UI.
+*   **Customizable Instrument Setup:** Configure any number of strings and per-string tunings to match your guitar, bass, or other fretted instrument.
+*   **Built-in Preview:** Hear what you're writing immediately with a default synth tone preview on click.
+*   **Interaction Logging:** Dedicated log tab for tracking tool actions and troubleshooting.
+
+## 🛠 Architecture
+*   **UI Layer (`src/main_ui.lua`):** Hardware-accelerated interface using **ReaImGui**.
+*   **Logic Module (`src/tuning_logic.lua`):** Advanced MIDI-to-Fret mapping and TDD-validated tuning matrices.
+*   **MIDI Engine:** Custom Lua logic for inserting dual-layer MIDI data (Text Events + Note properties).
+
+## 🚀 Development & Testing
+
+### 1. Test-Driven Development (TDD)
+MeowTab is developed using strict TDD. All core logic must have a passing test in the `spec/` directory.
+
+#### Local Docker Testing
+We use a headless REAPER environment for testing.
+```bash
+docker build -t meowtab-test -f Dockerfile.test .
+docker run --rm -v $(pwd):/app meowtab-test
+```
+
+### 2. REAPER Dependencies
+MeowTab relies on several community extensions:
+*   **ReaImGui:** Essential for the visual tablature interface.
+*   **SWS Extension:** Recommended for advanced track/item management.
+*   **js_ReaScriptAPI:** Required for advanced window and mouse handling.
+
+## 🎸 Usage Workflow
+1.  **Initialize:** Open the MeowTab extension and click **"Create Tab Track"**.
+2.  **Configure:** Set your string count and tuning in the **Settings** tab.
+3.  **Edit:** Select a note length and modifier (e.g., Palm Mute), then click on the fretboard to place a note.
+4.  **Visualize:** Hit play in REAPER; the fretboard will automatically scroll and highlight notes as they are played.
+
+## 🧪 Running Unit Tests
+Once Lua and Busted are installed, you can verify the core logic:
+```bash
+busted
+```
+
+## 📈 Development Roadmap
+- [x] **Phase 1:** Pivot Architecture to Visual Tab Editor.
+- [x] **Phase 2:** Dockerized Headless Testing Environment.
+- [ ] **Phase 3:** ReaImGui UI Skeleton (Settings, Editor, Log).
+- [ ] **Phase 4:** TDD Implementation of Dual-Layer MIDI Engine.
+- [ ] **Phase 5:** Real-Time Visualizer Scrolling.
+- [ ] **Phase 6:** ReaPack Distribution.
+
+## 📝 Documentation
+*   [Architecture & Tools](./architecture_and_tools.md) - Detailed breakdown of MIDI encoding and external libraries.
+*   [Implementation Plan](./implementation_plan.md) - The master roadmap and user stories.
+*   [Prompt Log](./prompt_log.md) - History of project decisions and development steps.
+
+author: wompmacho
+date: '2024-05-24T12:05:00-04:00'
+lastmod: '2024-05-24'
+tags: ["guitar", "tabs", "reaper", "midi", "tdd"]