A developer has detailed how Bambu Studio, the popular 3D printing slicer, violates its own AGPL v3 license. The analysis, published on Hacker News, argues that the closed-source bambu_networking component is not an independent plugin but a deeply integrated part of the program.

The public code shows Bambu Studio knows the exact library name, version, and loads the plugin dynamically. It resolves 108 functions and defines callbacks like QueueOnMainFn, allowing the closed binary to execute code on the main UI thread. This goes far beyond a typical plugin interface.

Such intimate data communication and control flow mean bambu_networking falls under the AGPL's definition of "Corresponding Source". By distributing a closed binary that is essential to the program's operation, Bambu Lab appears to be violating the license's requirement to provide full source code for the entire work.