edgeimpulse · ferjm · Nov 25, 2025 · Nov 25, 2025 · Nov 25, 2025
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
@@ -259,6 +259,111 @@ cargo build --release --no-default-features --features eim
   cargo cache -a
   ```
 
+#### Building Multiple Plugin Variants
+
+The plugin supports building multiple variants that can coexist in the same GStreamer installation. This is useful when you need to run different models or configurations in the same pipeline.
+
+**Why PLUGIN_VARIANT?**
+
+GStreamer identifies plugins by three key attributes:
+1. **Library filename**: The shared library file that contains the plugin
+2. **Plugin name**: The internal plugin identifier registered with GStreamer
+3. **Element names**: The names of individual elements (e.g., `edgeimpulsevideoinfer`)
+
+To allow multiple plugin builds to coexist, each variant must have unique values for all three. The `PLUGIN_VARIANT` environment variable automatically handles this by:
+
+- **Library naming**: After building, use the `rename-library.sh` script to rename the output library from `libgstedgeimpulse.{dylib,so,dll}` to `libgstedgeimpulse_{variant}.{dylib,so,dll}`
+- **Plugin naming**: The plugin name becomes `gst-plugins-edgeimpulse_{variant}` instead of just `gst-plugins-edgeimpulse`
+- **Element naming**: All elements are automatically suffixed with `_{variant}` (e.g., `edgeimpulsevideoinfer_variantX`, `edgeimpulseaudioinfer_variantX`, etc.)
+
+**Usage:**
+
+1. **Build with a variant:**
+   ```bash
+   # Build variant "variantX"
+   PLUGIN_VARIANT=variantX cargo build --release
+
+   # After build completes, rename the library
+   PLUGIN_VARIANT=variantX ./rename-library.sh
+   ```
+
+2. **Build multiple variants:**
+   ```bash
+   # Build first variant
+   PLUGIN_VARIANT=variantX \
+     EI_MODEL=~/Downloads/model-a \
+     EI_ENGINE=tflite \
+     USE_FULL_TFLITE=1 \
+     cargo build --release
+   PLUGIN_VARIANT=variantX ./rename-library.sh
+
+   # Build second variant (with different model or configuration)
+   PLUGIN_VARIANT=variantY \
+     EI_MODEL=~/Downloads/model-b \
+     EI_ENGINE=tflite \
+     USE_FULL_TFLITE=1 \
+     cargo build --release
+   PLUGIN_VARIANT=variantY ./rename-library.sh
+   ```
+
+3. **Use both variants in the same pipeline:**
+   ```bash
+   # Make sure both libraries are in GST_PLUGIN_PATH
+   export GST_PLUGIN_PATH="$(pwd)/target/release"
+
+   # Use elements from both variants
+   gst-launch-1.0 \
+     videotestsrc ! \
+     edgeimpulsevideoinfer_variantX ! \
+     edgeimpulseoverlay_variantX ! \
+     queue ! \
+     edgeimpulsevideoinfer_variantY ! \
+     edgeimpulseoverlay_variantY ! \
+     autovideosink
+   ```
+
+**Technical Details:**
+
+- The `PLUGIN_VARIANT` environment variable must be set during both the build and rename steps
+- The `rename-library.sh` script renames the output library from `libgstedgeimpulse.{dylib,so,dll}` to `libgstedgeimpulse_{variant}.{dylib,so,dll}`
+- Each variant produces a uniquely named library file, allowing GStreamer to load multiple variants simultaneously
+- Element names include the variant suffix, preventing naming conflicts when multiple variants are loaded
+
+**Example Workflow:**
+
+```bash
+# Build variant for model A
+PLUGIN_VARIANT=person-detection \
+  EI_MODEL=~/Downloads/person-detection-v140 \
+  EI_ENGINE=tflite \
+  USE_FULL_TFLITE=1 \
+  cargo build --release
+PLUGIN_VARIANT=person-detection ./rename-library.sh
+
+# Build variant for model B
+PLUGIN_VARIANT=anomaly-detection \
+  EI_MODEL=~/Downloads/anomaly-detection-v50 \
+  EI_ENGINE=tflite \
+  USE_FULL_TFLITE=1 \
+  cargo build --release
+PLUGIN_VARIANT=anomaly-detection ./rename-library.sh
+
+# Both libraries will be in target/release:
+# - libgstedgeimpulse_person-detection.dylib
+# - libgstedgeimpulse_anomaly-detection.dylib
+
+# Use both in a pipeline
+export GST_PLUGIN_PATH="$(pwd)/target/release"
+gst-launch-1.0 \
+  videotestsrc ! \
+  edgeimpulsevideoinfer_person-detection ! \
+  edgeimpulseoverlay_person-detection ! \
+  queue ! \
+  edgeimpulsevideoinfer_anomaly-detection ! \
+  edgeimpulseoverlay_anomaly-detection ! \
+  autovideosink
+```
+
 #### Environment Variables
 
 **Required for FFI Mode:**
@@ -272,11 +377,11 @@ cargo build --release --no-default-features --features eim
 
 **Platform-Specific Variables:**
 - `TARGET`: Standard Rust target triple (e.g., `aarch64-unknown-linux-gnu`, `x86_64-apple-darwin`)
-- `TARGET_MAC_ARM64=1`: Build for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) - legacy
-- `TARGET_MAC_X86_64=1`: Build for Intel Mac - legacy
-- `TARGET_LINUX_X86=1`: Build for Linux x86_64 - legacy
-- `TARGET_LINUX_AARCH64=1`: Build for Linux ARM64 - legacy
-- `TARGET_LINUX_ARMV7=1`: Build for Linux ARMv7 - legacy
+- `TARGET_MAC_ARM64=1`: Build for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)
+- `TARGET_MAC_X86_64=1`: Build for Intel Mac
+- `TARGET_LINUX_X86=1`: Build for Linux x86_64
+- `TARGET_LINUX_AARCH64=1`: Build for Linux ARM64
+- `TARGET_LINUX_ARMV7=1`: Build for Linux ARMv7
 
 **Example:**
 ```bash

diff --git a/build.rs b/build.rs
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+use std::env;
+
 fn main() {
     // Set PKG_CONFIG_PATH to include all necessary directories for macOS
     if cfg!(target_os = "macos") {
@@ -8,17 +10,125 @@ fn main() {
             format!("{}/share/pkgconfig", homebrew_prefix),
         ];
 
-        let existing_path = std::env::var("PKG_CONFIG_PATH").unwrap_or_default();
+        let existing_path = env::var("PKG_CONFIG_PATH").unwrap_or_default();
         let new_path = if existing_path.is_empty() {
             pkg_config_paths.join(":")
         } else {
             format!("{}:{}", pkg_config_paths.join(":"), existing_path)
         };
 
         println!("cargo:warning=Setting PKG_CONFIG_PATH to: {}", new_path);
-        std::env::set_var("PKG_CONFIG_PATH", &new_path);
+        env::set_var("PKG_CONFIG_PATH", &new_path);
         println!("cargo:rerun-if-env-changed=PKG_CONFIG_PATH");
     }
 
+    // Set PLUGIN_VARIANT for plugin/element name suffixing
+    let plugin_variant = env::var("PLUGIN_VARIANT").unwrap_or_else(|_| "".to_string());
+    println!("cargo:rustc-env=PLUGIN_VARIANT={}", plugin_variant);
+
+    // Generate the full plugin name
+    // GStreamer plugin names should use hyphens, not underscores
+    let pkg_name = env::var("CARGO_PKG_NAME").expect("CARGO_PKG_NAME should be set by Cargo");
+    let plugin_name = if plugin_variant.is_empty() {
+        pkg_name
+    } else {
+        format!("{}-{}", pkg_name, plugin_variant)
+    };
+    println!("cargo:rustc-env=PLUGIN_NAME={}", plugin_name);
+
+    // Generate the plugin identifier for gst::plugin_define!
+    // GStreamer derives the registration function name from the library filename, not the plugin name
+    // For libgstedgeimpulse_banana.dylib, it expects gst_plugin_edgeimpulse_banana_register
+    // So we strip "libgst" and ".dylib" from the library name to get the identifier
+    let lib_name = if plugin_variant.is_empty() {
+        "edgeimpulse".to_string()
+    } else {
+        // Convert variant to a valid identifier (replace any non-alphanumeric with underscore)
+        let variant_ident = plugin_variant
+            .chars()
+            .map(|c| {
+                if c.is_alphanumeric() || c == '_' {
+                    c
+                } else {
+                    '_'
+                }
+            })
+            .collect::<String>();
+        format!("edgeimpulse_{}", variant_ident)
+    };
+    let plugin_identifier = lib_name;
+
+    // Generate type names for GObject types to make them unique per variant
+    // This prevents type registration conflicts when multiple variants are loaded
+    let type_suffix = if plugin_variant.is_empty() {
+        "".to_string()
+    } else {
+        // Convert variant to a valid identifier for type names (capitalize first letter)
+        let variant_capitalized = plugin_variant
+            .chars()
+            .enumerate()
+            .map(|(i, c)| {
+                if i == 0 {
+                    c.to_uppercase().collect::<String>()
+                } else if c.is_alphanumeric() || c == '_' {
+                    c.to_string()
+                } else {
+                    "_".to_string()
+                }
+            })
+            .collect::<String>();
+        variant_capitalized
+    };
+
+    // Generate the plugin definition code with the correct identifier
+    // This allows the registration function name to match what GStreamer expects
+    let out_dir = env::var("OUT_DIR").unwrap();
+    let plugin_def_path = std::path::Path::new(&out_dir).join("plugin_define.rs");
+    let plugin_def_code = format!(
+        r#"gst::plugin_define!(
+    {},
+    env!("CARGO_PKG_DESCRIPTION"),
+    plugin_init,
+    env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION"),
+    "MIT/X11",
+    env!("PLUGIN_NAME"),
+    env!("PLUGIN_NAME"),
+    "https://github.com/edgeimpulse/gst-plugins-edgeimpulse",
+    env!("BUILD_REL_DATE")
+);
+"#,
+        plugin_identifier
+    );
+    std::fs::write(&plugin_def_path, plugin_def_code)
+        .expect("Failed to write plugin definition file");
+
+    // Generate type name constants for each element type
+    // This prevents type registration conflicts when multiple variants are loaded
+    let type_names_path = std::path::Path::new(&out_dir).join("type_names.rs");
+    let type_names_code = format!(
+        r#"// Auto-generated type names for variant: {}
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+pub const VIDEO_INFER_TYPE_NAME: &str = "EdgeImpulseVideoInfer{}";
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+pub const AUDIO_INFER_TYPE_NAME: &str = "EdgeImpulseAudioInfer{}";
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+pub const OVERLAY_TYPE_NAME: &str = "EdgeImpulseOverlay{}";
+#[allow(dead_code)]
+pub const SINK_TYPE_NAME: &str = "GstEdgeImpulseSink{}";
+"#,
+        plugin_variant, type_suffix, type_suffix, type_suffix, type_suffix
+    );
+    std::fs::write(&type_names_path, type_names_code).expect("Failed to write type names file");
+
+    if !plugin_variant.is_empty() {
+        println!("cargo:warning=PLUGIN_VARIANT is set to: {}", plugin_variant);
+        println!("cargo:warning=Plugin name: {}", plugin_name);
+        println!("cargo:warning=Plugin identifier: {}", plugin_identifier);
+        println!(
+            "cargo:warning=After build completes, run: PLUGIN_VARIANT={} ./rename-library.sh",
+            plugin_variant
+        );
+    }
+
     gst_plugin_version_helper::info()
 }
diff --git a/rename-library.sh b/rename-library.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,51 @@
+#!/bin/bash
+# Rename the output library to include PLUGIN_VARIANT suffix
+# This allows multiple plugin variants to coexist in the same GStreamer installation
+#
+# Usage:
+#   PLUGIN_VARIANT=variantX ./rename-library.sh
+#   Or after building: cargo build --release && PLUGIN_VARIANT=variantX ./rename-library.sh
+
+set -e
+
+if [ -z "$PLUGIN_VARIANT" ]; then
+    echo "Error: PLUGIN_VARIANT environment variable is not set"
+    echo "Usage: PLUGIN_VARIANT=variantX ./rename-library.sh"
+    exit 1
+fi
+
+# Determine the library extension based on the platform
+if [[ "$OSTYPE" == "darwin"* ]]; then
+    LIB_EXT="dylib"
+elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "linux-gnu"* ]]; then
+    LIB_EXT="so"
+elif [[ "$OSTYPE" == "msys" ]] || [[ "$OSTYPE" == "cygwin" ]]; then
+    LIB_EXT="dll"
+else
+    LIB_EXT="so" # Default fallback
+fi
+
+# Try both debug and release directories
+for PROFILE in debug release; do
+    BUILD_DIR="target/$PROFILE"
+    ORIGINAL_LIB="libgstedgeimpulse.${LIB_EXT}"
+    NEW_LIB="libgstedgeimpulse_${PLUGIN_VARIANT}.${LIB_EXT}"
+    ORIGINAL_D="libgstedgeimpulse.d"
+    NEW_D="libgstedgeimpulse_${PLUGIN_VARIANT}.d"
+
+    if [ -f "$BUILD_DIR/$ORIGINAL_LIB" ]; then
+        echo "Renaming $ORIGINAL_LIB to $NEW_LIB in $BUILD_DIR"
+        mv "$BUILD_DIR/$ORIGINAL_LIB" "$BUILD_DIR/$NEW_LIB"
+
+        if [ -f "$BUILD_DIR/$ORIGINAL_D" ]; then
+            mv "$BUILD_DIR/$ORIGINAL_D" "$BUILD_DIR/$NEW_D"
+        fi
+        echo "Successfully renamed library to $NEW_LIB"
+        exit 0
+    fi
+done
+
+echo "Error: Library libgstedgeimpulse.${LIB_EXT} not found in target/debug or target/release"
+echo "Please run 'cargo build' or 'cargo build --release' first"
+exit 1
+
diff --git a/src/audio/imp.rs b/src/audio/imp.rs
@@ -100,9 +100,18 @@ use once_cell::sync::Lazy;
 use std::collections::VecDeque;
 use std::sync::Mutex;
 
+// Include generated type names for variant-specific builds
+include!(concat!(env!("OUT_DIR"), "/type_names.rs"));
+
 static CAT: Lazy<gst::DebugCategory> = Lazy::new(|| {
+    let variant = env!("PLUGIN_VARIANT");
+    let name = if variant.is_empty() {
+        "edgeimpulseaudioinfer".to_string()
+    } else {
+        format!("edgeimpulseaudioinfer_{}", variant)
+    };
     gst::DebugCategory::new(
-        "edgeimpulseaudioinfer",
+        &name,
         gst::DebugColorFlags::empty(),
         Some("Edge Impulse Audio Inference"),
     )
@@ -170,7 +179,7 @@ pub struct EdgeImpulseAudioInfer {
 
 #[glib::object_subclass]
 impl ObjectSubclass for EdgeImpulseAudioInfer {
-    const NAME: &'static str = "EdgeImpulseAudioInfer";
+    const NAME: &'static str = AUDIO_INFER_TYPE_NAME;
     type Type = super::EdgeImpulseAudioInfer;
     type ParentType = gstreamer_base::BaseTransform;
 }

diff --git a/src/audio/mod.rs b/src/audio/mod.rs
@@ -17,9 +17,15 @@ unsafe impl Sync for EdgeImpulseAudioInfer {}
 
 // Register the type for our element
 pub fn register(plugin: &gst::Plugin) -> Result<(), glib::BoolError> {
+    let variant = env!("PLUGIN_VARIANT");
+    let name = if variant.is_empty() {
+        "edgeimpulseaudioinfer".to_string()
+    } else {
+        format!("edgeimpulseaudioinfer_{}", variant)
+    };
     gst::Element::register(
         Some(plugin),
-        "edgeimpulseaudioinfer",
+        &name,
         gst::Rank::NONE,
         EdgeImpulseAudioInfer::static_type(),
     )

diff --git a/src/lib.rs b/src/lib.rs
@@ -15,14 +15,6 @@ fn plugin_init(plugin: &gst::Plugin) -> Result<(), glib::BoolError> {
     Ok(())
 }
 
-gst::plugin_define!(
-    edgeimpulse,
-    env!("CARGO_PKG_DESCRIPTION"),
-    plugin_init,
-    concat!(env!("CARGO_PKG_VERSION")),
-    "MIT/X11",
-    env!("CARGO_PKG_NAME"),
-    env!("CARGO_PKG_NAME"),
-    "https://github.com/edgeimpulse/gst-plugins-edgeimpulse",
-    env!("BUILD_REL_DATE")
-);
+// Include the dynamically generated plugin definition from build.rs
+// This ensures the registration function name matches what GStreamer expects
+include!(concat!(env!("OUT_DIR"), "/plugin_define.rs"));