UnrealMCP — AI Bridge for Unreal Engine 5

Control the Unreal Engine 5 editor from Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP client. Build materials, wire Blueprint graphs, author Niagara systems, spawn actors, edit data tables and profile performance, all by asking for it. 288 commands across 15 categories, no leaving your terminal.

This is the community edition

It is stable and feature complete for what it covers. It is not abandoned, and it is not in active development either: new subsystem work now goes into CodeFizz Editor Agent, the maintained commercial build. Everything here keeps working, issues still get read, and the MIT licence is permanent.

If you want Control Rig, PCG, Sequencer, Mutable, Procedural Vegetation, audio and MetaSounds, Behavior Trees and EQS, or packaged binaries for UE 5.6 / 5.7 / 5.8, that lives in Pro.

Community edition vs Pro

See the full command list → · Docs · 3 day free trial

Already on UE 5.8? Epic now ships a first-party MCP server in 5.8 (Experimental, localhost only). It is worth trying before you buy anything. This repo and Pro both also cover 5.6 and 5.7, which Epic's does not.

Two ways to use this repo

Both talk to the same C++ plugin inside the editor. Use whichever fits your workflow, or both.

Quick Start

Option A: CLI (Recommended for Claude Code)

# 1. Install
npm install -g unrealcli

# 2. Go to any UE5 project and install the plugin
cd YourProject/
ue-cli init

# 3. Open the editor, then verify
ue-cli health_check

That's it. No Python, no config files, no MCP setup.

Option B: MCP Server (For Cursor, Windsurf, etc.)

# 1. Clone the plugin into your project
git clone https://github.com/aadeshrao123/Unreal-MCP.git Plugins/UnrealMCP

# 2. Install the Python MCP server
pip install unrealmcp

# 3. Add to your AI tool's config (see MCP Setup section below)

How It Works

                    ┌──────────────────────────────────────────┐
                    │         Unreal Engine 5 Editor            │
                    │                                          │
                    │   C++ Plugin (UnrealMCPBridge)           │
                    │   TCP server on localhost:55557           │
                    │   288 commands: materials, blueprints,   │
                    │   niagara, statetree, actors, data       │
                    │   tables, profiling, and more            │
                    └──────────────┬───────────────────────────┘
                                   │ TCP/JSON
                    ┌──────────────┴───────────────────────────┐
                    │                                          │
          ┌─────────┴─────────┐              ┌─────────┴──────────┐
          │   CLI (ue-cli)    │              │  MCP Server        │
          │   Go binary       │              │  Python (unrealmcp)│
          │   Direct TCP      │              │  stdio → TCP       │
          │                   │              │                    │
          │  Claude Code      │              │  Cursor, Windsurf, │
          │  (via Bash tool)  │              │  VS Code, Rider... │
          └───────────────────┘              └────────────────────┘

The C++ plugin runs inside the editor and exposes 288 commands over TCP. The CLI and MCP server are two different front doors to the same plugin.

CLI Reference

Installation

# From npm (recommended)
npm install -g unrealcli

# Or download binary directly from GitHub Releases
# https://github.com/aadeshrao123/Unreal-MCP/releases

Platforms: Windows (x64), macOS (Intel + Apple Silicon), Linux (x64 + ARM64)

Setup

# Navigate to your UE5 project
cd MyProject/

# Install the C++ plugin (one-time)
ue-cli init
# → Creates Plugins/UnrealMCP/ with C++ source
# → Patches .uproject to enable the plugin
# → Open editor to compile, then you're ready

# Verify everything works
ue-cli doctor

Usage

# Every command follows this pattern:
ue-cli <command> [--flag value]

# Examples:
ue-cli health_check
ue-cli find_assets --class-type material --path /Game
ue-cli spawn_actor --name MyCube --type StaticMeshActor --location "[0,0,100]"
ue-cli get_data_table_rows --data-table-path /Game/Data/DT_Items
ue-cli save_all

# For complex params, use --json:
ue-cli build_material_graph --json '{"material_path":"/Game/M_Test","nodes":[...],"connections":[...]}'

# Or pipe from stdin:
echo '{"material_path":"/Game/M_Test","nodes":[...]}' | ue-cli build_material_graph --json -

Help & Discovery

# See all commands grouped by category
ue-cli --help

# See flags for a specific command
ue-cli find_assets --help

# Dump all commands with descriptions, flags, and examples (for AI assistants)
ue-cli list_commands

Global Flags

Key Commands

Assets

ue-cli find_assets --class-type material --path /Game/Materials
ue-cli list_assets --path /Game --class-filter blueprint
ue-cli get_asset_properties --asset-path /Game/Materials/M_Base
ue-cli import_asset --source-file "C:/Art/texture.png" --destination-path /Game/Textures
ue-cli save_asset --asset-path /Game/Materials/M_Base
ue-cli save_all

Blueprints

ue-cli create_blueprint --name BP_MyActor --parent-class Actor
ue-cli add_component_to_blueprint --blueprint-path /Game/BP_MyActor --component-class StaticMeshComponent
ue-cli add_event_node --blueprint-name BP_MyActor --event-name BeginPlay
ue-cli compile_blueprint --blueprint-name BP_MyActor
ue-cli read_blueprint_content --blueprint-path /Game/BP_MyActor

Materials

ue-cli create_material --name M_Red --path /Game/Materials
ue-cli build_material_graph --material-path /Game/Materials/M_Red \
  --nodes '[{"type":"Constant3Vector","pos_x":-400,"properties":{"Constant":"(R=1,G=0,B=0)"}}]' \
  --connections '[{"from_node":0,"to_node":"material","to_pin":"BaseColor"}]'
ue-cli create_material_instance --parent-path /Game/Materials/M_Base --name MI_Red

Data Tables

ue-cli get_data_table_schema --data-table-path /Game/Data/DT_Items
ue-cli get_data_table_rows --data-table-path /Game/Data/DT_Items
ue-cli add_data_table_row --data-table-path /Game/Data/DT_Items --row-name CopperOre \
  --data '{"DisplayName":"Copper Ore","StackSize":100}'
ue-cli update_data_table_row --data-table-path /Game/Data/DT_Items --row-name CopperOre \
  --data '{"StackSize":200}'

Actors & Level

ue-cli get_actors_in_level
ue-cli spawn_actor --name MyCube --type StaticMeshActor --location "[0,0,100]"
ue-cli spawn_blueprint_actor --blueprint-path /Game/BP_MyActor --location "[500,0,0]"
ue-cli find_actors_by_name --pattern "Light"
ue-cli get_world_info
ue-cli take_screenshot

Performance Profiling

# Record → Stop → Analyze
ue-cli performance_start_trace --channels "cpu,gpu,frame"
# ... play the game ...
ue-cli performance_stop_trace
ue-cli performance_analyze_insight --query diagnose
ue-cli performance_analyze_insight --query flame --count 20
ue-cli performance_analyze_insight --query search --filter "ConveyorProcessor"

Enhanced Input

ue-cli create_input_action --asset-path /Game/Input/IA_Jump --value-type Boolean
ue-cli create_input_mapping_context --asset-path /Game/Input/IMC_Default
ue-cli add_key_mapping --context-path /Game/Input/IMC_Default --action-path /Game/Input/IA_Jump --key SpaceBar

Niagara VFX

# Create a system from an emitter template, then tweak it
ue-cli create_niagara_system --asset-path /Game/VFX/NS_Sparks \
  --template "/Niagara/DefaultAssets/FX_Sparks.FX_Sparks"
ue-cli get_niagara_system_info --asset-path /Game/VFX/NS_Sparks
ue-cli set_niagara_module_input --asset-path /Game/VFX/NS_Sparks \
  --emitter-name Sparks --stack SpawnStack \
  --module-name "Spawn Rate" --input-name SpawnRate --value 250
ue-cli compile_niagara_system --asset-path /Game/VFX/NS_Sparks

# Spawn it in the level
ue-cli spawn_niagara_effect --asset-path /Game/VFX/NS_Sparks --location "[0,0,200]"

StateTree

# Create a StateTree, add a state with a task, compile
ue-cli create_statetree --asset-path /Game/AI/ST_Enemy
ue-cli add_statetree_state --asset-path /Game/AI/ST_Enemy --state-name Patrol
ue-cli add_statetree_task --asset-path /Game/AI/ST_Enemy \
  --state-name Patrol --task-type "MassEnemyNestPatrolTask"
ue-cli add_statetree_transition --asset-path /Game/AI/ST_Enemy \
  --from-state Patrol --trigger OnEvent --event-tag "Enemy.SeePlayer"
ue-cli compile_statetree --asset-path /Game/AI/ST_Enemy

Mass Config Traits (Surgical Editing)

# Modify a single trait property without touching the rest of the trait array
ue-cli get_mass_config_traits --asset-path /Game/Mass/Enemy_Config
ue-cli set_mass_config_trait_property --asset-path /Game/Mass/Enemy_Config \
  --trait-class MassMovementTrait --property-name MaxSpeed --property-value 600

Widgets (UMG)

ue-cli get_widget_tree --widget-blueprint-path /Game/UI/WBP_HUD
ue-cli add_widget --widget-blueprint-path /Game/UI/WBP_HUD --widget-class TextBlock \
  --parent-widget-name RootCanvas --widget-name TitleText \
  --widget-properties '{"Text":"Hello World"}'

Diagnostics

# Check entire setup
ue-cli doctor

# Output:
#   [ok] Project            MyProject/MyProject.uproject
#   [ok] Plugin directory   Plugins/UnrealMCP/ exists
#   [ok] Plugin source      Source/UnrealMCPBridge/ exists
#   [ok] UProject entry     UnrealMCP plugin listed and enabled
#   [ok] Port file          port 55557
#   [ok] TCP connection     Connected to 127.0.0.1:55557
#   [ok] Health check       Bridge is responsive
#   All checks passed. ue-cli is ready to use.

MCP Server Setup

For AI tools that use the Model Context Protocol (Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, etc.).

Requirements

• Unreal Engine 5.7 (tested on 5.7, may work on earlier 5.x versions)
• Python 3.10+
• UE5 Plugins (enabled automatically by the .uplugin):
  • PythonScriptPlugin
  • EditorScriptingUtilities
  • EnhancedInput

Install

pip install unrealmcp

Setup Script (Alternative to Manual Config)

The setup script installs the unrealmcp pip package and creates the MCP config for your AI tool automatically.

Windows:

cd Plugins\UnrealMCP
install.bat

macOS / Linux:

cd Plugins/UnrealMCP
bash install.sh

The script asks where to create the MCP config:

Configure Your AI Tool

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unreal": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "unrealmcp"
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unreal": {
      "command": "unrealmcp"
    }
  }
}

{
  "servers": {
    "unreal": {
      "command": "unrealmcp"
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unreal": {
      "command": "unrealmcp"
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unreal": {
      "command": "unrealmcp"
    }
  }
}

{
  "servers": [
    {
      "name": "unreal",
      "command": "unrealmcp"
    }
  ]
}

{
  "context_servers": {
    "unreal": {
      "source": "custom",
      "command": { "path": "unrealmcp" }
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unreal": {
      "command": "unrealmcp"
    }
  }
}

All 288 Commands

Core (2)

Asset Management (16)

Blueprints (22)

Materials (35)

Data Tables (8)

Data Assets (12)

Actors & Level (19)

Enhanced Input (21)

Widgets — UMG (11)

Niagara VFX (96)

End-to-end Niagara authoring — read the full stack, mutate any binding (top-level or nested), author scratch-pad dynamic inputs from scratch, spawn arbitrary graph nodes including data-interface member functions, and discover every valid option the editor's dropdowns expose. Built on Niagara's exported ViewModel / Stack Graph APIs with safe replication of non-exported helpers.

Systems

Emitters