When you use, for example rdmd build swtsnippets[Snippet195], it needs to pass arguments with auxillary imports and libs to the application you are building. But if you do rdmd -Ipath/to/imports -Lyour-lib-name build swtsnippets[Snippet195] then your arguments are passed to compiler when it builds build.d only and when just-built build in its turn compiles your application the arguments are absent and building failed.