Added:

- `build.steps` for pre-build generators (e.g., `moc`/`uic`/`rcc`)
- `build.pkg_config` for `pkg-config`-driven cflags/ldflags resolution
- `[toolchain]` support for `uic`, `moc`, `rcc`
- Step command variables (`{uic}`, `{moc}`, `{rcc}`, `{cflags}`, `{stem}`, `{in}`, `{out}`)
- `{profile}` placeholder support for dependency paths

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -1,5 +1,13 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## [0.2.10] - 2026-03-16
+Added:
+- `build.steps` for pre-build generators (e.g., `moc`/`uic`/`rcc`)
+- `build.pkg_config` for `pkg-config`-driven cflags/ldflags resolution
+- `[toolchain]` support for `uic`, `moc`, `rcc`
+- Step command variables (`{uic}`, `{moc}`, `{rcc}`, `{cflags}`, `{stem}`, `{in}`, `{out}`)
+- `{profile}` placeholder support for dependency paths
+
 ## [0.2.9] - 2026-03-14
 Added:
 - Header dependency tracking for fine-grained incremental builds (rebuilds when `#include` files change)

Cargo.lock

@@ -90,8 +90,9 @@ dependencies = [
 
 [[package]]
 name = "dcr"
-version = "0.2.9"
+version = "0.2.10"
 dependencies = [
+ "glob",
  "reqwest",
  "self-replace",
  "serde",
@@ -262,6 +263,12 @@ dependencies = [
  "wasip3",
 ]
 
+[[package]]
+name = "glob"
+version = "0.3.3"
+source = "registry+https://github.com/rust-lang/crates.io-index"
+checksum = "0cc23270f6e1808e30a928bdc84dea0b9b4136a8bc82338574f23baf47bbd280"
+
 [[package]]
 name = "hashbrown"
 version = "0.15.5"

Cargo.toml

@@ -1,10 +1,11 @@
 [package]
 name = "dcr"
-version = "0.2.9"
+version = "0.2.10"
 edition = "2024"
 build = "build.rs"
 
 [dependencies]
+glob = "0.3"
 reqwest = { version = "0.12", default-features = false, features = ["blocking", "json", "rustls-tls"] }
 serde = { version = "1", features = ["derive"] }
 self-replace = "1"

docs/configuration/build-profiles.md

@@ -18,12 +18,12 @@ dcr clean --debug
 
 ### GCC/Clang-like toolchains
 
-- `debug`: `-O0 -g -Wall -Wextra -fno-omit-frame-pointer -DDEBUG`
+- `debug`: `-O0 -g -Wall -Wextra -fno-omit-frame-pointer -DDCR_DEBUG`
 - `release`: `-O3 -DNDEBUG -march=native`
 
 ### MSVC toolchain
 
-- `debug`: `/Od /Zi /W4 /DDEBUG /Oy-`
+- `debug`: `/Od /Zi /W4 /DDCR_DEBUG /Oy-`
 - `release`: `/O2 /DNDEBUG`
 
 ## Artifacts
@@ -37,12 +37,12 @@ Default compiler flags:
 
 GCC/Clang:
 
-- `debug`: `-O0 -g -Wall -Wextra -fno-omit-frame-pointer -DDEBUG`
+- `debug`: `-O0 -g -Wall -Wextra -fno-omit-frame-pointer -DDCR_DEBUG`
 - `release`: `-O3 -DNDEBUG -march=native`
 
 MSVC:
 
-- `debug`: `/Od /Zi /W4 /DDEBUG /Oy-`
+- `debug`: `/Od /Zi /W4 /DDCR_DEBUG /Oy-`
 - `release`: `/O2 /DNDEBUG`
 
 Static library mode (`kind = "staticlib"`):

docs/dependencies-and-build/compilers-and-linking.md

@@ -24,12 +24,12 @@ These flags are applied automatically based on profile and compiler backend.
 
 GCC/Clang:
 
-- `debug`: `-O0 -g -Wall -Wextra -fno-omit-frame-pointer -DDEBUG`
+- `debug`: `-O0 -g -Wall -Wextra -fno-omit-frame-pointer -DDCR_DEBUG`
 - `release`: `-O3 -DNDEBUG -march=native`
 
 MSVC:
 
-- `debug`: `/Od /Zi /W4 /DDEBUG /Oy-`
+- `debug`: `/Od /Zi /W4 /DDCR_DEBUG /Oy-`
 - `release`: `/O2 /DNDEBUG`
 
 ## Platform hint

docs/dependencies-and-build/local-dependencies.md

@@ -11,6 +11,11 @@ For each dependency in `[dependencies]`, DCR:
 5. Synchronizes dependency files to `target/<profile>/deps/<dep-name>/`.
 6. Adds include/lib/link options to compile/link commands.
 
+### Profile placeholders
+
+`path`, `include`, and `lib` entries may use `{profile}` which expands to the active profile
+(`debug` or `release`).
+
 ## Failure cases
 
 - Dependency path is missing or not a directory.

src/cli/build.rs

@@ -6,9 +6,10 @@ use crate::core::workspace::parse_workspace;
 use crate::utils::fs::{check_dir, find_project_root};
 use crate::utils::log::{error, warn};
 use crate::utils::text::{BOLD_GREEN, colored};
+use glob::glob;
 use sha2::{Digest, Sha256};
 use std::fs;
-use std::path::Path;
+use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 use std::time::Instant;
 
 pub fn build(args: &[String]) -> i32 {
@@ -190,8 +191,14 @@ fn build_project_at(
         let tc_as = get_config_opt(&config, "toolchain.as");
         let tc_ar = get_config_opt(&config, "toolchain.ar");
         let tc_ld = get_config_opt(&config, "toolchain.ld");
+        let tc_uic = get_config_opt(&config, "toolchain.uic");
+        let tc_moc = get_config_opt(&config, "toolchain.moc");
+        let tc_rcc = get_config_opt(&config, "toolchain.rcc");
         let build_cflags = get_config_list(&config, "build.cflags")?;
         let build_ldflags = get_config_list(&config, "build.ldflags")?;
+        let pkg_configs = get_config_list(&config, "build.pkg_config")?;
+        let build_generated = get_config_list(&config, "build.generated")?;
+        let build_steps = get_build_steps(&config)?;
 
         let resolved_compiler = resolve_compiler(
             &build_language,
@@ -206,6 +213,8 @@ fn build_project_at(
         ensure_target_dirs(&items, profile, normalize_target(&build_target));
 
         let resolved = resolve_deps(&config, profile, project_root)?;
+        let (resolved_cflags, resolved_ldflags) =
+            resolve_pkg_config_flags(&pkg_configs, &build_cflags, &build_ldflags)?;
         let ctx = BuildContext {
             profile,
             project_name: &project_name,
@@ -221,14 +230,34 @@ fn build_project_at(
             include_dirs: &resolved.include_dirs,
             lib_dirs: &resolved.lib_dirs,
             libs: &resolved.libs,
-            cflags: &build_cflags,
+            cflags: &resolved_cflags,
-            ldflags: &build_ldflags,
+            ldflags: &resolved_ldflags,
         };
+        if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+            eprintln!("[dcr] debug: compiler={}", ctx.compiler);
+            eprintln!("[dcr] debug: cflags={:?}", ctx.cflags);
+            eprintln!("[dcr] debug: ldflags={:?}", ctx.ldflags);
+            eprintln!("[dcr] debug: lib_dirs={:?}", ctx.lib_dirs);
+            eprintln!("[dcr] debug: libs={:?}", ctx.libs);
+        }
+        let tool_execs = resolve_toolchain_execs(&tc_uic, &tc_moc, &tc_rcc, &pkg_configs);
+        let step_flags =
+            build_step_flags(&resolved_cflags, &resolved.include_dirs, &resolved_compiler);
+        let steps_dirty = build_steps_need_run(&build_steps)?;
+        if steps_dirty {
+            clean_generated_files(&build_generated)?;
+            run_build_steps(&build_steps, &tool_execs, &step_flags)?;
+        }
         let sources = collect_sources(&ctx)?;
         let headers = collect_header_files(&ctx, project_root)?;
         let lib_files = collect_lib_files(&ctx);
         let fingerprint = compute_build_fingerprint(&ctx, &sources, &headers, &lib_files)?;
-        if should_skip_build(&ctx, &fingerprint) {
+        let mut skip = should_skip_build(&ctx, &fingerprint);
+        if steps_dirty {
+            skip = false;
+        }
+        let debug_enabled = std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok();
+        if skip && !debug_enabled {
             return Ok(());
         }
         println!(
@@ -237,8 +266,10 @@ fn build_project_at(
             project_name,
             project_version
         );
-        run_build(&ctx)?;
+        if !skip {
-        write_build_fingerprint(&ctx, &fingerprint)?;
+            run_build(&ctx)?;
+            write_build_fingerprint(&ctx, &fingerprint)?;
+        }
         Ok(())
     })
 }
@@ -350,6 +381,443 @@ fn resolve_tool(env_key: &str, fallback: Option<&str>) -> Option<String> {
     fallback.map(|v| v.to_string())
 }
 
+fn resolve_pkg_config_flags(
+    pkgs: &[String],
+    base_cflags: &[String],
+    base_ldflags: &[String],
+) -> Result<(Vec<String>, Vec<String>), String> {
+    let mut cflags = base_cflags.to_vec();
+    let mut ldflags = base_ldflags.to_vec();
+    if pkgs.is_empty() {
+        return Ok((cflags, ldflags));
+    }
+    for pkg in pkgs {
+        let c_out = run_pkg_config(pkg, "--cflags")?;
+        let l_out = run_pkg_config(pkg, "--libs")?;
+        cflags.extend(split_flags(&c_out));
+        ldflags.extend(split_flags(&l_out));
+    }
+    Ok((cflags, ldflags))
+}
+
+fn run_pkg_config(pkg: &str, arg: &str) -> Result<String, String> {
+    let output = std::process::Command::new("pkg-config")
+        .arg(arg)
+        .arg(pkg)
+        .output()
+        .map_err(|err| format!("Failed to run pkg-config: {err}"))?;
+    if !output.status.success() {
+        let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr);
+        return Err(format!("pkg-config failed for {pkg}: {stderr}"));
+    }
+    Ok(String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout).to_string())
+}
+
+fn split_flags(value: &str) -> Vec<String> {
+    let mut out = Vec::new();
+    let mut current = String::new();
+    let mut chars = value.chars().peekable();
+    let mut quote: Option<char> = None;
+    while let Some(ch) = chars.next() {
+        if let Some(q) = quote {
+            if ch == q {
+                quote = None;
+                continue;
+            }
+            if ch == '\\' {
+                if let Some(next) = chars.next() {
+                    current.push(next);
+                }
+                continue;
+            }
+            current.push(ch);
+            continue;
+        }
+        if ch == '"' || ch == '\'' {
+            quote = Some(ch);
+            continue;
+        }
+        if ch.is_whitespace() {
+            if !current.is_empty() {
+                out.push(current.clone());
+                current.clear();
+            }
+            continue;
+        }
+        if ch == '\\' {
+            if let Some(next) = chars.next() {
+                current.push(next);
+            }
+            continue;
+        }
+        current.push(ch);
+    }
+    if !current.is_empty() {
+        out.push(current);
+    }
+    out
+}
+
+struct ToolchainExecs {
+    uic: String,
+    moc: String,
+    rcc: String,
+}
+
+fn resolve_toolchain_execs(
+    uic: &Option<String>,
+    moc: &Option<String>,
+    rcc: &Option<String>,
+    pkg_configs: &[String],
+) -> ToolchainExecs {
+    let qt_bins = resolve_qt_host_bins(pkg_configs);
+    ToolchainExecs {
+        uic: resolve_qt_tool(uic, qt_bins.as_deref(), "uic"),
+        moc: resolve_qt_tool(moc, qt_bins.as_deref(), "moc"),
+        rcc: resolve_qt_tool(rcc, qt_bins.as_deref(), "rcc"),
+    }
+}
+
+fn resolve_qt_tool(configured: &Option<String>, qt_bins: Option<&Path>, tool: &str) -> String {
+    if let Some(value) = configured {
+        return value.clone();
+    }
+    if let Some(dir) = qt_bins {
+        let candidate = dir.join(tool);
+        if candidate.is_file() {
+            return candidate.to_string_lossy().to_string();
+        }
+        if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+            let candidate = dir.join(format!("{tool}.exe"));
+            if candidate.is_file() {
+                return candidate.to_string_lossy().to_string();
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    if let Some(candidate) = detect_qt6_tool_variant(tool) {
+        return candidate;
+    }
+    tool.to_string()
+}
+
+fn resolve_qt_host_bins(pkgs: &[String]) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    let qt_pkgs: Vec<&String> = pkgs.iter().filter(|p| p.starts_with("Qt6")).collect();
+    if qt_pkgs.is_empty() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let preferred = ["Qt6Core", "Qt6Widgets", "Qt6Gui"];
+    for name in preferred {
+        if let Some(dir) = query_pkg_config_var(name, "host_bins") {
+            return Some(dir);
+        }
+        if let Some(dir) = query_pkg_config_var(name, "libexecdir")
+            && let Some(bin) = qt_bins_from_libexec(&dir)
+        {
+            return Some(bin);
+        }
+        if let Some(dir) = query_pkg_config_var(name, "bindir") {
+            return Some(dir);
+        }
+    }
+    for pkg in qt_pkgs {
+        if let Some(dir) = query_pkg_config_var(pkg, "host_bins") {
+            return Some(dir);
+        }
+        if let Some(dir) = query_pkg_config_var(pkg, "libexecdir")
+            && let Some(bin) = qt_bins_from_libexec(&dir)
+        {
+            return Some(bin);
+        }
+        if let Some(dir) = query_pkg_config_var(pkg, "bindir") {
+            return Some(dir);
+        }
+    }
+    None
+}
+
+fn query_pkg_config_var(pkg: &str, var: &str) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    let output = std::process::Command::new("pkg-config")
+        .arg(format!("--variable={var}"))
+        .arg(pkg)
+        .output()
+        .ok()?;
+    if !output.status.success() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let value = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout).trim().to_string();
+    if value.is_empty() {
+        return None;
+    }
+    let path = PathBuf::from(value);
+    if path.is_dir() { Some(path) } else { None }
+}
+
+fn qt_bins_from_libexec(libexec: &Path) -> Option<PathBuf> {
+    for tool in ["moc", "uic", "rcc"] {
+        if libexec.join(tool).is_file() {
+            return Some(libexec.to_path_buf());
+        }
+        if cfg!(target_os = "windows") && libexec.join(format!("{tool}.exe")).is_file() {
+            return Some(libexec.to_path_buf());
+        }
+    }
+    let bin = libexec.join("bin");
+    if bin.is_dir() { Some(bin) } else { None }
+}
+
+fn detect_qt6_tool_variant(tool: &str) -> Option<String> {
+    [format!("{tool}6"), format!("{tool}-qt6")]
+        .into_iter()
+        .find(|candidate| is_on_path(candidate))
+}
+
+fn is_on_path(cmd: &str) -> bool {
+    std::process::Command::new("sh")
+        .arg("-c")
+        .arg(format!("command -v {cmd}"))
+        .output()
+        .map(|o| o.status.success())
+        .unwrap_or(false)
+}
+
+#[derive(Clone)]
+struct BuildStep {
+    name: String,
+    input: String,
+    output: String,
+    cmd: String,
+}
+
+fn get_build_steps(config: &Config) -> Result<Vec<BuildStep>, String> {
+    let value = match config.get("build.steps") {
+        Some(v) => v,
+        None => return Ok(Vec::new()),
+    };
+    let arr = value
+        .as_array()
+        .ok_or_else(|| "build.steps must be an array".to_string())?;
+    let mut out = Vec::new();
+    for item in arr {
+        let tbl = item
+            .as_table()
+            .ok_or_else(|| "build.steps entries must be tables".to_string())?;
+        let name = tbl
+            .get("name")
+            .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
+            .unwrap_or("")
+            .trim()
+            .to_string();
+        let input = tbl
+            .get("in")
+            .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
+            .unwrap_or("")
+            .trim()
+            .to_string();
+        let output = tbl
+            .get("out")
+            .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
+            .unwrap_or("")
+            .trim()
+            .to_string();
+        let cmd = tbl
+            .get("cmd")
+            .and_then(|v| v.as_str())
+            .unwrap_or("")
+            .trim()
+            .to_string();
+        if name.is_empty() || input.is_empty() || output.is_empty() || cmd.is_empty() {
+            return Err("build.steps entries must include name, in, out, cmd".to_string());
+        }
+        out.push(BuildStep {
+            name,
+            input,
+            output,
+            cmd,
+        });
+    }
+    Ok(out)
+}
+
+fn run_build_steps(
+    steps: &[BuildStep],
+    tools: &ToolchainExecs,
+    step_flags: &str,
+) -> Result<(), String> {
+    for step in steps {
+        run_build_step(step, tools, step_flags)?;
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+fn run_build_step(
+    step: &BuildStep,
+    tools: &ToolchainExecs,
+    step_flags: &str,
+) -> Result<(), String> {
+    let inputs = expand_glob(&step.input)?;
+    if inputs.is_empty() {
+        return Ok(());
+    }
+    let needs_stem = step.output.contains("{stem}");
+    if inputs.len() > 1 && !needs_stem {
+        return Err(format!(
+            "build.steps '{}' output must include {{stem}} for multiple inputs",
+            step.name
+        ));
+    }
+    for input in inputs {
+        let stem = input.file_stem().and_then(|v| v.to_str()).unwrap_or("");
+        let out_path = PathBuf::from(step.output.replace("{stem}", stem));
+        if !should_run_step(&input, &out_path) {
+            continue;
+        }
+        if let Some(parent) = out_path.parent() {
+            fs::create_dir_all(parent)
+                .map_err(|err| format!("Failed to create step output dir: {err}"))?;
+        }
+        let cmd = substitute_step_cmd(&step.cmd, &input, &out_path, tools, step_flags, stem);
+        let status = run_shell_command(&cmd)
+            .map_err(|err| format!("Failed to run step '{}': {err}", step.name))?;
+        if !status.success() {
+            return Err(format!("Step '{}' failed", step.name));
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+fn clean_generated_files(patterns: &[String]) -> Result<(), String> {
+    for pattern in patterns {
+        for path in expand_glob(pattern)? {
+            if path.is_file() {
+                let _ = fs::remove_file(&path);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(())
+}
+
+fn expand_glob(pattern: &str) -> Result<Vec<PathBuf>, String> {
+    let mut out = Vec::new();
+    let entries = glob(pattern).map_err(|err| format!("glob error: {err}"))?;
+    for entry in entries {
+        let path = entry.map_err(|err| format!("glob error: {err}"))?;
+        out.push(path);
+    }
+    Ok(out)
+}
+
+fn should_run_step(input: &Path, output: &Path) -> bool {
+    let in_time = fs::metadata(input).and_then(|m| m.modified());
+    let out_time = fs::metadata(output).and_then(|m| m.modified());
+    match (in_time, out_time) {
+        (Ok(i), Ok(o)) => i > o,
+        (Ok(_), Err(_)) => true,
+        _ => true,
+    }
+}
+
+fn substitute_step_cmd(
+    template: &str,
+    input: &Path,
+    output: &Path,
+    tools: &ToolchainExecs,
+    step_flags: &str,
+    stem: &str,
+) -> String {
+    template
+        .replace("{in}", &input.to_string_lossy())
+        .replace("{out}", &output.to_string_lossy())
+        .replace("{uic}", &tools.uic)
+        .replace("{moc}", &tools.moc)
+        .replace("{rcc}", &tools.rcc)
+        .replace("{cflags}", step_flags)
+        .replace("{stem}", stem)
+}
+
+fn build_step_flags(cflags: &[String], include_dirs: &[String], compiler: &str) -> String {
+    let mut out = Vec::new();
+    let msvc_style = is_msvc_compiler(compiler) || cflags.iter().any(|f| f.starts_with('/'));
+    for flag in cflags {
+        if flag.starts_with("-I") || flag.starts_with("-D") {
+            out.push(flag.clone());
+        }
+        if flag.starts_with("/I") || flag.starts_with("/D") {
+            out.push(flag.clone());
+        }
+        if msvc_style && flag.starts_with("-D") {
+            out.push(format!("/D{}", flag.trim_start_matches("-D")));
+        }
+    }
+    for dir in include_dirs {
+        out.push(format!("-I{dir}"));
+        if msvc_style {
+            out.push(format!("/I{dir}"));
+        }
+    }
+    let mut dedup = Vec::new();
+    for item in out {
+        if !dedup.contains(&item) {
+            dedup.push(item);
+        }
+    }
+    dedup
+        .into_iter()
+        .map(quote_step_arg)
+        .collect::<Vec<_>>()
+        .join(" ")
+}
+
+fn quote_step_arg(arg: String) -> String {
+    if !arg.chars().any(|c| c.is_whitespace() || c == '"') {
+        return arg;
+    }
+    let escaped = arg.replace('"', "\\\"");
+    format!("\"{escaped}\"")
+}
+
+fn is_msvc_compiler(compiler: &str) -> bool {
+    let lower = compiler.to_lowercase();
+    lower.contains("cl.exe")
+        || lower == "cl"
+        || lower.contains("clang-cl")
+        || lower.contains("msvc")
+}
+
+fn run_shell_command(cmd: &str) -> Result<std::process::ExitStatus, std::io::Error> {
+    if cfg!(target_os = "windows") {
+        std::process::Command::new("cmd")
+            .arg("/C")
+            .arg(cmd)
+            .status()
+    } else {
+        std::process::Command::new("sh").arg("-c").arg(cmd).status()
+    }
+}
+
+fn build_steps_need_run(steps: &[BuildStep]) -> Result<bool, String> {
+    for step in steps {
+        let inputs = expand_glob(&step.input)?;
+        if inputs.is_empty() {
+            continue;
+        }
+        let needs_stem = step.output.contains("{stem}");
+        if inputs.len() > 1 && !needs_stem {
+            return Err(format!(
+                "build.steps '{}' output must include {{stem}} for multiple inputs",
+                step.name
+            ));
+        }
+        for input in inputs {
+            let stem = input.file_stem().and_then(|v| v.to_str()).unwrap_or("");
+            let out_path = PathBuf::from(step.output.replace("{stem}", stem));
+            if should_run_step(&input, &out_path) {
+                return Ok(true);
+            }
+        }
+    }
+    Ok(false)
+}
+
 fn compute_build_fingerprint(
     ctx: &BuildContext,
     sources: &[String],

src/config.rs

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ pub fn flags(profile: &str) -> Option<&'static [&'static str]> {
             "-Wall",
             "-Wextra",
             "-fno-omit-frame-pointer",
-            "-DDEBUG",
+            "-DDCR_DEBUG",
         ]),
         _ => None,
     }

src/core/builder/common.rs

@@ -175,9 +175,11 @@ mod tests {
     use super::*;
     use std::fs;
     use std::path::PathBuf;
+    use std::sync::Mutex;
     use std::sync::atomic::{AtomicUsize, Ordering};
 
     static TEST_COUNTER: AtomicUsize = AtomicUsize::new(0);
+    static CWD_LOCK: Mutex<()> = Mutex::new(());
 
     fn temp_dir(prefix: &str) -> PathBuf {
         let n = TEST_COUNTER.fetch_add(1, Ordering::SeqCst);
@@ -282,6 +284,7 @@ mod tests {
         fs::write(src.join("utils.c"), "").unwrap();
         fs::write(src.join("README.md"), "").unwrap(); // should be ignored
 
+        let _guard = CWD_LOCK.lock().unwrap();
         let prev = std::env::current_dir().unwrap();
         std::env::set_current_dir(&dir).unwrap();
         let result = collect_sources(&["c"], &[]);
@@ -303,6 +306,7 @@ mod tests {
         fs::write(src.join("other.cc"), "").unwrap();
         fs::write(src.join("skip.c"), "").unwrap(); // should be ignored
 
+        let _guard = CWD_LOCK.lock().unwrap();
         let prev = std::env::current_dir().unwrap();
         std::env::set_current_dir(&dir).unwrap();
         let result = collect_sources(&["cpp", "cxx", "cc"], &[]);
@@ -318,6 +322,7 @@ mod tests {
         let src = dir.join("src");
         fs::create_dir_all(&src).unwrap();
 
+        let _guard = CWD_LOCK.lock().unwrap();
         let prev = std::env::current_dir().unwrap();
         std::env::set_current_dir(&dir).unwrap();
         let result = collect_sources(&["c"], &[]);
@@ -336,6 +341,7 @@ mod tests {
         fs::write(vendor.join("lib.c"), "").unwrap(); // should be excluded
 
         let exclude = vec![vendor.clone()];
+        let _guard = CWD_LOCK.lock().unwrap();
         let prev = std::env::current_dir().unwrap();
         std::env::set_current_dir(&dir).unwrap();
         let result = collect_sources(&["c"], &exclude);
@@ -355,6 +361,7 @@ mod tests {
         fs::write(src.join("main.c"), "").unwrap();
         fs::write(sub.join("nested.c"), "").unwrap();
 
+        let _guard = CWD_LOCK.lock().unwrap();
         let prev = std::env::current_dir().unwrap();
         std::env::set_current_dir(&dir).unwrap();
         let result = collect_sources(&["c"], &[]);

src/core/builder/gas.rs

@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ pub fn build(ctx: &BuildContext) -> Result<f64, String> {
         for obj in &objects {
             cmd.arg(obj);
         }
+        if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+            eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+        }
         match cmd.status() {
             Ok(status) if status.success() => {
                 let elapsed = ((start_time.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 100.0).trunc()) / 100.0;
@@ -73,6 +76,9 @@ pub fn build(ctx: &BuildContext) -> Result<f64, String> {
     };
     cmd.arg("-o").arg(out_path);
 
+    if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+        eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+    }
     match cmd.status() {
         Ok(status) if status.success() => {
             let elapsed = ((start_time.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 100.0).trunc()) / 100.0;

src/core/builder/msvc.rs

@@ -27,6 +27,9 @@ pub fn build(ctx: &BuildContext) -> Result<f64, String> {
         for obj in &objects {
             cmd.arg(obj);
         }
+        if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+            eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+        }
         match cmd.status() {
             Ok(status) if status.success() => {
                 let elapsed = ((start_time.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 100.0).trunc()) / 100.0;
@@ -91,6 +94,9 @@ pub fn build(ctx: &BuildContext) -> Result<f64, String> {
     };
     cmd.arg(format!("/Fe:{out_path}"));
 
+    if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+        eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+    }
     match cmd.status() {
         Ok(status) if status.success() => {
             let elapsed = ((start_time.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 100.0).trunc()) / 100.0;
@@ -158,7 +164,7 @@ fn msvc_arch_flag(platform: Option<&str>) -> Option<&'static str> {
 fn default_flags(profile: &str) -> &'static [&'static str] {
     match profile {
         "release" => &["/O2", "/DNDEBUG"],
-        "debug" => &["/Od", "/Zi", "/W4", "/DDEBUG", "/Oy-"],
+        "debug" => &["/Od", "/Zi", "/W4", "/DDCR_DEBUG", "/Oy-"],
         _ => &[],
     }
 }
@@ -209,6 +215,9 @@ fn build_objects(
             cmd.arg("/c").arg(source).arg(format!("/Fo:{}", obj_path));
             cmd.arg("/showIncludes");
 
+            if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+                eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+            }
             let output = cmd.output().map_err(|err| format!("Build failed: {err}"))?;
             let stdout = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stdout);
             let stderr = String::from_utf8_lossy(&output.stderr);

src/core/builder/nasm.rs

@@ -36,6 +36,9 @@ pub fn build(ctx: &BuildContext) -> Result<f64, String> {
         for obj in &objects {
             cmd.arg(obj);
         }
+        if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+            eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+        }
         match cmd.status() {
             Ok(status) if status.success() => {
                 let elapsed = ((start_time.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 100.0).trunc()) / 100.0;
@@ -73,6 +76,9 @@ pub fn build(ctx: &BuildContext) -> Result<f64, String> {
     };
     cmd.arg("-o").arg(out_path);
 
+    if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+        eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+    }
     match cmd.status() {
         Ok(status) if status.success() => {
             let elapsed = ((start_time.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 100.0).trunc()) / 100.0;
@@ -112,6 +118,9 @@ fn build_objects(
             for flag in ctx.cflags {
                 cmd.arg(flag);
             }
+            if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+                eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+            }
             match cmd.status() {
                 Ok(status) if status.success() => {}
                 Ok(_) => return Err("Build failed".to_string()),

src/core/builder/unix_cc.rs

@@ -25,6 +25,9 @@ pub fn build(ctx: &BuildContext) -> Result<f64, String> {
         for obj in &objects {
             cmd.arg(obj);
         }
+        if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+            eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+        }
         match cmd.status() {
             Ok(status) if status.success() => {
                 let elapsed = ((start_time.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 100.0).trunc()) / 100.0;
@@ -62,6 +65,9 @@ pub fn build(ctx: &BuildContext) -> Result<f64, String> {
     };
     cmd.arg("-o").arg(out_path);
 
+    if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+        eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+    }
     match cmd.status() {
         Ok(status) if status.success() => {
             let elapsed = ((start_time.elapsed().as_secs_f64() * 100.0).trunc()) / 100.0;
@@ -96,7 +102,7 @@ fn default_flags(profile: &str) -> &'static [&'static str] {
             "-Wall",
             "-Wextra",
             "-fno-omit-frame-pointer",
-            "-DDEBUG",
+            "-DDCR_DEBUG",
         ],
         _ => &[],
     }
@@ -143,6 +149,9 @@ fn build_objects(
             }
             let d_path = Path::new(&obj_path).with_extension("d");
             cmd.arg("-MMD").arg("-MF").arg(&d_path);
+            if std::env::var("DCR_DEBUG").is_ok() {
+                eprintln!("[dcr] {:?}", cmd);
+            }
             match cmd.status() {
                 Ok(status) if status.success() => {}
                 Ok(_) => return Err("Build failed".to_string()),

src/core/deps.rs

@@ -50,7 +50,8 @@ pub fn resolve_deps(
     let mut lock_packages = Vec::new();
 
     for dep in deps {
-        let dep_path = resolve_path(project_root, &dep.path_raw)?;
+        let dep_path_raw = expand_profile(&dep.path_raw, profile);
+        let dep_path = resolve_path(project_root, &dep_path_raw)?;
         if !dep_path.is_dir() {
             return Err(format!(
                 "Dependency '{}' path is not a directory: {}",
@@ -59,8 +60,13 @@ pub fn resolve_deps(
             ));
         }
 
-        let include = resolve_paths(&dep_path, dep.include_raw.as_deref(), &["include"])?;
+        let include = resolve_paths(&dep_path, dep.include_raw.as_deref(), &["include"], profile)?;
-        let lib = resolve_paths(&dep_path, dep.lib_raw.as_deref(), &["lib", "lib64"])?;
+        let lib = resolve_paths(
+            &dep_path,
+            dep.lib_raw.as_deref(),
+            &["lib", "lib64"],
+            profile,
+        )?;
         let libs_list = dep
             .libs_raw
             .clone()
@@ -200,11 +206,13 @@ fn resolve_paths(
     base: &Path,
     raw: Option<&[String]>,
     defaults: &[&str],
+    profile: &str,
 ) -> Result<Vec<PathBuf>, String> {
     let mut out = Vec::new();
     if let Some(raw) = raw {
         for r in raw {
-            let p = Path::new(r);
+            let expanded = expand_profile(r, profile);
+            let p = Path::new(&expanded);
             let full = if p.is_absolute() {
                 p.to_path_buf()
             } else {
@@ -227,6 +235,10 @@ fn resolve_paths(
     Ok(out)
 }
 
+fn expand_profile(raw: &str, profile: &str) -> String {
+    raw.replace("{profile}", profile)
+}
+
 fn sync_dep_dir(src: &Path, dst: &Path) -> std::io::Result<()> {
     if dst.exists() {
         fs::remove_dir_all(dst)?;