hardhat‑preprocessor is a Hardhat plugin that lets developers transform Solidity source files on‑the‑fly before compilation—e.g., stripping `console.log` calls or adding custom line‑level modifications. It works entirely in memory (so the repo stays clean) and also provides a `hardhat preprocess` task to write the transformed files to disk when needed, targeting any contracts or globs. Ideal for Solidity developers who want automated, configurable preprocessing of their contracts without altering the original files.