Quick Start

Get up and running with EngineForge in under 5 minutes. Download the IDE, open a game project, and start building with AI.

1. Download and install

Download EngineForge for your platform from the download page. The IDE is a standalone application. No separate VS Code installation required.

  • macOS: Open the .dmg, drag to Applications
  • Windows: Run the .exe installer
  • Linux: Install the .deb or .rpm package

2. Open a game project

Open a folder containing a Unity or Godot project. The IDE auto-detects the engine:

  • Unity: Detected via ProjectSettings/ProjectVersion.txt
  • Godot 4: Detected via project.godot

Once detected, the chat header shows two status indicators: the engine bridge connection (Unity or Godot) and the code indexer status with file count.

3. Connect the engine bridge

The IDE auto-deploys a plugin into your project that enables live communication with the running editor.

Unity

The plugin (Assets/Plugins/Editor/EngineForgeBridge.dll) is deployed automatically. Open your project in Unity Editor, wait for scripts to compile, and the bridge connects within seconds. Look for the green dot next to the Unity label in the chat header. Note: the bridge cannot operate while Unity is in Play mode.

Godot

The plugin is auto-deployed to addons/engineforge_bridge/. You need to enable it once:

  1. Open your project in Godot Editor
  2. Go to Project → Project Settings → Plugins
  3. Find “EngineForge Bridge” and check Enable

After enabling, the plugin loads automatically on every subsequent editor launch. The bridge cannot operate while a scene is running.

4. Start the AI chat

The AI Chat panel is in the right sidebar (auxiliary bar). It has three modes:

  • Ask mode: The AI responds with explanations and code blocks. It doesn't modify your project.
  • Plan mode: The AI analyzes your project and writes a structured plan before making any changes.
  • Code mode: The AI writes files directly to your project and executes bridge commands to create scenes, objects, and components in real-time.

5. Build something

Try these example prompts in Code mode:

“Create a player character with movement using CharacterBody2D”

“Add a main menu scene with Play and Quit buttons”

“Create a health bar UI that decreases when the player takes damage”

“Set up a simple platformer level with ground, platforms, and a player”

How the AI understands your project

EngineForge does not just send your prompt to the AI. Before the first message, the Code Graph indexes your entire project and builds a compact architectural overview. This overview, along with your engine type, version, scenes, scripts, and bridge connection state, is automatically injected into the AI context.

This means the AI already knows your class hierarchy, script relationships, and project structure before you ask it anything. It can reference files it has never read and understand how your systems connect.

Connection status

The chat header shows the bridge connection state with a colored dot:

  • • Green — Connected. Bridge commands execute in real-time.
  • • Yellow — Connecting, reconnecting, or compiling.
  • • Red — Disconnected. Click to retry.