# RenForge

<!-- mcp-name: io.github.alex-jordan547/renforge -->

[![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/renforge)](https://pypi.org/project/renforge/)
[![Python](https://img.shields.io/pypi/pyversions/renforge)](https://pypi.org/project/renforge/)
[![License: MIT](https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-green.svg)](LICENSE)
[![CI](https://github.com/alex-jordan547/renforge-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml/badge.svg)](https://github.com/alex-jordan547/renforge-mcp/actions/workflows/ci.yml)

RenForge is an **MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, CLI, and web dashboard**
for working with [Ren'Py](https://www.renpy.org/) visual-novel projects.

It lets an AI agent — or a human via the dashboard — inspect a project, launch
a game with the **Live Editor enabled by default**, select and inspect on-screen
controls, preview layout changes before writing guarded `.rpy` source, drive
runtime state, capture screenshots, generate translations, find orphaned
assets, run builds, and search Ren'Py's docs.

> Status: **alpha**, actively developed. The core surfaces (MCP tools, in-game
> bridge, Live Editor, CLI, dashboard) are functional; APIs may still change.

<img src=".github/screenshots/live-editor-editable-selection.png" alt="RenForge Live Editor — selected editable control with scene tree, handles, inspector, and style panel" />

<p align="center"><em>Live Editor — select an editable control, inspect it, preview moves, then Save to source</em></p>

<table>
  <tr>
    <td width="50%">
      <picture>
        <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset=".github/screenshots/live-dark.png" />
        <img src=".github/screenshots/live.png" alt="RenForge dashboard — live control of a running game" />
      </picture>
    </td>
    <td width="50%">
      <img src=".github/screenshots/live-editor-locked-reason.png" alt="Live Editor — locked selection with a clear human-readable reason" />
    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td align="center"><em>Dashboard — live control of a running game</em></td>
    <td align="center"><em>Live Editor — locked targets stay inspectable with a clear reason</em></td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td width="50%">
      <picture>
        <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset=".github/screenshots/storymap-dark.png" />
        <img src=".github/screenshots/storymap.png" alt="Story map — interactive graph of labels and transitions" />
      </picture>
    </td>
    <td width="50%">
      <picture>
        <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset=".github/screenshots/assets-dark.png" />
        <img src=".github/screenshots/assets.png" alt="Assets — orphaned, missing and undefined asset audit" />
      </picture>
    </td>
  </tr>
  <tr>
    <td align="center"><em>Story map — click a node to warp the running game</em></td>
    <td align="center"><em>Asset audit — orphans, missing files, undefined images</em></td>
  </tr>
</table>

## Quick start — dashboard

Requires Python 3.11+ and [uv](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) — nothing else.
You don't even need Ren'Py installed: RenForge reuses an SDK it finds on your
machine, or downloads one automatically on first launch.

```bash
uvx --from "renforge[ui]@latest" renforge ui
```

Then choose your game in the dashboard's project picker — no path to type. (Or
skip the picker with `--project /path/to/your/game`.) Launch the game and click
the floating **RF** control to open the Live Editor.

## Live Editor

The Live Editor is the headline 0.7 feature: edit eligible on-screen controls
**inside the running game**, preview layout changes at runtime, and **Save**
only when a target is source-safe. Locked or unsupported targets stay
inspectable with a clear reason — they are not silently forced.

| Audience | Start here |
| --- | --- |
| **Human** | Dashboard or game window → launch → click **RF** → select from canvas or scene tree → inspect / move where editable → **Save** → stop cleanly. |
| **AI agent** | `renforge_info` (read `live_editor`) → `renforge_launch` → poll `renforge_launch_status` → `renforge_screenshot` / `renforge_scene_tree` → guarded `renforge_click_at` or `renforge_click_element` → verify → `renforge_stop`. |

Full human and agent workflows, source-safety rules, and screenshots:
**[docs/LIVE_EDITOR.md](docs/LIVE_EDITOR.md)**.

## Install

`uvx` needs no install at all. For a persistent `renforge` command on your
PATH, use [pipx](https://pipx.pypa.io/):

```bash
# Full install — MCP + CLI + web dashboard
pipx install "renforge[ui]"
renforge ui

# Slim install — MCP server + CLI only (no dashboard deps)
pipx install renforge
renforge serve
```

`[ui]` pulls in the optional dashboard stack (Starlette, uvicorn, watchfiles).
Skip it if you only need the MCP server or CLI.

On managed systems (Debian/Ubuntu), plain `pip install` is blocked by
[PEP 668](https://peps.python.org/pep-0668/) — use `uvx` or `pipx` instead.

## Update

| Installed with | How to update |
| --- | --- |
| `uvx … @latest` | Nothing to do — `@latest` fetches the newest release on each start |
| pipx (full or slim) | `pipx upgrade renforge` |
| pip / venv | `pip install -U "renforge[ui]"` (or `renforge` for slim) |

What's new: [CHANGELOG.md](CHANGELOG.md) ·
[GitHub releases](https://github.com/alex-jordan547/renforge-mcp/releases).

## Set up the MCP server (AI agents)

The server command is the same for every client:

```bash
uvx renforge@latest serve
```

Every RenForge tool takes a `project_path` argument, so the agent passes your
game's path on each call — copy the configs below as-is, no path substitution.

**Claude Code**

```bash
claude mcp add renforge -- uvx renforge@latest serve
```

**Codex CLI**

```bash
codex mcp add renforge -- uvx renforge@latest serve
```

**Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, Gemini CLI** — same `mcpServers`
JSON shape in each client's config file:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "renforge": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["renforge@latest", "serve"]
    }
  }
}
```

| Client | Config file |
| --- | --- |
| Claude Desktop | `claude_desktop_config.json` |
| Cursor | `.cursor/mcp.json` |
| Windsurf | `~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json` |
| Cline | `cline_mcp_settings.json` |
| Gemini CLI | `~/.gemini/settings.json` |

VS Code (Copilot), Zed, Windows PATH issues, and the pipx variant are covered
in the [MCP guide](docs/MCP.md#client-configuration).

**Verify it works** — ask the agent:

> Inspect my Ren'Py project at /path/to/game

The agent should call `renforge_inspect_project` with that path and return a
JSON summary of the project (labels, scripts, assets, and related metadata).

## What it does

- **Live Editor (default on launch)** — in-game selection, inspection, and
  source-safe preview/Save for editable controls; locked targets stay
  inspectable. Guide: [docs/LIVE_EDITOR.md](docs/LIVE_EDITOR.md).
- **Project inspection** — summarize structure, scan scripts/labels/assets,
  parse lint output.
- **Live game control** — launch a project with an injected in-game bridge and
  Live Editor, then advance dialogue, list/select choices, evaluate
  expressions, get/set store variables, send focused text/key/scroll input,
  poll pushed events, and capture frames the model can literally see.
- **Scene perception (pixel-perfect, no vision needed)** — read the whole frame
  as structured logical-coordinate nodes (`renforge_scene_tree`): every sprite,
  control, and text block with bounds, z-order, colour, and style, plus an ASCII
  wireframe and structural scene diffs. Then `renforge_measure` reports alignment,
  spacing, overlap, fit, and WCAG contrast as numbers an agent can act on.
- **Autopilot** — auto-play choices backed by Ren'Py menu `items` across
  fresh replays, including custom-named and one-item menus, while reporting
  label coverage and crashes. Custom `call_screen` interactions that do not
  expose Ren'Py menu `items` are not currently explored automatically.
- **Assets & translations** — find orphaned/missing image+audio assets, list
  languages, compute translation stats, generate/update `game/tl/<lang>/` files,
  export dialogue as text.
- **Builds** — package desktop distributions and web builds.
- **Docs** — search and read Ren'Py's offline documentation.
- **Web dashboard** — live story map, activity log, autopilot coverage, lint
  view, and game-state controls (default `127.0.0.1:8765`).

## CLI

```bash
renforge --version
renforge inspect <project>      # lightweight project summary (JSON)
renforge serve [--project .]    # start the MCP server (stdio transport)
renforge ui [--project <project>] [--port 8765]  # start the web dashboard
```

## Documentation

- **[Live Editor](docs/LIVE_EDITOR.md)** — human and agent workflows, editable
  vs locked targets, source-safety, public screenshots.
- **[MCP guide](docs/MCP.md)** — full tool catalogue, agent workflows
  (Live Editor, hot reload, saves, pixel-perfect placement, scene perception).
- **[Runtime policy](docs/POLICY.md)** — operation-level risk enforcement vs MCP
  `ToolAnnotations`, authorization, and the compatibility plan.
- **[Architecture](docs/ARCHITECTURE.md)** — code layout, live-control flow,
  Ren'Py SDK resolution, packaging.
- **[Contributing](CONTRIBUTING.md)** — dev setup, frontend build, PRs.
- **[Cloud / CI environment](docs/CLOUD_ENVIRONMENT.md)** — Cursor Cloud Agents, Xvfb, Ren'Py SDK bootstrap, and env smoke.
- **[Changelog](CHANGELOG.md)** — release history.
- `examples/demo_game/` — small sample Ren'Py project to try everything on.

## License

MIT

## Contributors

Special thanks to the people who have contributed to RenForge:

- [@AxelBeary](https://github.com/AxelBeary) — complete Simplified Chinese
  dashboard translation and related internationalization fixes.