Dora CLI Game Development

Dora CLI Game Development

Use this skill for ordinary Dora game/workspace projects driven by the Dora CLI. Dora runtime code runs inside the Dora engine, not a browser or Node.js. Prefer TypeScript/TSX sources when present; generated Lua is the runtime artifact.

First Checks

1. Locate the project root and entry file, usually init.ts or init.lua.
2. Check whether the project is TS, TSX/DoraX, Lua, YueScript, Teal, XML, Wa, Yarn, or Rust WASM.
3. Use Dora engine APIs and project module paths. Do not write DOM, Canvas, Node.js, npm-only, or browser timer code for runtime scripts.
4. For unfamiliar Dora APIs, read the local declarations or use the repo's Dora API search before inventing signatures.

Valid runtime imports use Dora module names such as:

import { Director, Node } from "Dora";
import { React, toNode, createRoot, signal } from "DoraX";

Do not import React from npm for DoraX runtime code.

Dora Command Name

In this skill, Dora means the Dora engine executable. In local development it is often a shell alias or wrapper, not a separate CLI binary.

Example alias with a fake explanatory path:

alias Dora="/path/to/Dora.app/Contents/MacOS/Dora"

On Windows or Linux, use the corresponding Dora executable path for that platform. If Dora is not on PATH and no alias exists, replace Dora in examples with the local engine executable path.

Service Health

Most CLI commands call the local Dora/Web IDE HTTP service. Start with:

Dora cli status
Dora cli doctor

If the local service or Web IDE is missing, use:

Dora cli doctor --fix

Use status for a short read-only snapshot and doctor for diagnostics. If localhost calls fail with JSON parse errors or empty output, check service health before changing game code:

env -u http_proxy -u https_proxy -u HTTP_PROXY -u HTTPS_PROXY -u ALL_PROXY -u all_proxy -u NO_PROXY -u no_proxy \
  Dora cli status --timeout 3

The local Web IDE service normally uses HTTP 8866. A bad response from that service is often an engine/WebServer health issue, not a compiler bug.

Keep the recovery commands distinct:

• status is terse, read-only, and script-friendly.
• doctor prints broader CLI/project/service/tooling diagnostics.
• doctor --fix is the mutating local recovery path.

Do not treat status and doctor as synonyms. A status check should not open the Web IDE or trigger connection side effects.

Project Setup

Install or refresh TypeScript definitions:

Dora cli ts install -p /path/to/project -l en

Install or refresh Wa support:

Dora cli wa install -p /path/to/project

Use --asset when the CLI should use a different Dora asset root:

Dora --asset /path/to/Assets cli status
Dora cli status --asset /path/to/Assets
Dora cli status --asset=/path/to/Assets

--asset is a lightweight CLI option. It should be accepted before or after cli; CLI-only handling should not require starting full engine content singletons.

Build And Run

Build everything supported in a project:

Dora cli build -p /path/to/project

Build a single file:

Dora cli build -f src/main.ts -p /path/to/project

Build one language family:

Dora cli build --lang ts -p /path/to/project
Dora cli build --lang yarn -p /path/to/project

Supported build languages are all, ts, yue, tl, xml, wa, and yarn. Yarn syntax checking is part of the build command.

When build results contain per-file diagnostics, inspect those messages rather than trusting only a top-level success flag. A project build can complete the request but still report a failing file that must be fixed.

Run the project:

Dora cli run -p /path/to/project
Dora cli run --entry Script/main.lua -p /path/to/project

Build and run in one step:

Dora cli buildrun -p /path/to/project
Dora cli buildrun -f src/main.ts -p /path/to/project

Stop the currently running project:

Dora cli stop

Dora cli stop stops the project running in Dora. It does not necessarily quit the Dora engine process.

TSX And DoraX

Use TSX for declarative Dora node trees.

• toNode(element) is for one-shot scene construction.
• createRoot(parent) plus signal(value) is for dynamic UI or scene fragments.
• Use stable key values for sibling lists that can reorder, insert, delete, or filter.
• Call root.unmount() when a dynamic root is no longer needed.
• Keep authored tests and demos in .tsx when validating TSX behavior; generated .lua is only the runnable output.

When changing dynamic behavior, validate with an in-engine test, not only a host-side compile.

In-Engine Validation Pattern

For gameplay/runtime behavior, prefer a deterministic marker file over visual inspection or log tailing alone:

import { Content } from "Dora";

const resultPath = "test-name.result";
Content.save(resultPath, "running");

// Run the scenario. On success:
Content.save(resultPath, "passed");

// On failure:
Content.save(resultPath, "failed: expected X, got Y");

A useful runner should:

• Build the changed .ts or .tsx source with Dora CLI.
• Run the generated Lua in Dora.
• Poll the marker file in Dora's writable path.
• Fail on timeout or any marker value other than passed.

This is especially important for scheduling, lifecycle, signal/diff rendering, physics, input, and action behavior.

Do not switch a TSX test to Lua just because the TSX build/run path is temporarily unhealthy. Restore the Dora/Web IDE service, build the TSX source, and run the generated Lua artifact.

CLI Feature And Docs Work

Before adding a new CLI feature, inspect the existing command dispatch and service routes:

• Assets/Script/Dev/cli.lua
• Assets/Script/Dev/WebServer.yue

Fold new checks into existing flows when that keeps the CLI smaller. For example, Yarn syntax validation belongs in build through the existing service endpoint, not in a redundant top-level filesystem wrapper.

When editing CLI docs or tutorials, run the current help command first and copy the command shape from it:

Dora cli --help

Keep docs at the feature/command level. Avoid engine internals unless the user explicitly asks for them.

Rust WASM

Build Rust WASM projects with the CLI:

Dora cli rust build -p /path/to/rust-project

Build and run a target in the Dora resource tree:

Dora cli rust run Hello -p /path/to/rust-project

Upload an existing WASM file, optionally running it:

Dora cli rust upload Hello -p /path/to/rust-project
Dora cli rust upload Hello --run -p /path/to/rust-project

Debugging Failures

• If build output is malformed or empty, verify Dora/Web IDE service health first.
• If a CLI request to localhost fails, clear proxy environment variables and rerun the same command.
• If a CLI command reports a JSON parse error such as Expecting value, check raw HTTP responses and nearby endpoints such as /assets and /stop; empty 502 responses point to service health.
• If a TS/TSX build succeeds but behavior is wrong, run the generated artifact in Dora and assert behavior with marker files.
• If runtime code uses browser APIs, rewrite it to Dora APIs instead of trying to polyfill browser behavior.
• If CLI docs or commands seem stale, run Dora cli --help and use that as the source of truth.

Before Finishing

Check:

• The project entry actually starts the game or test.
• Runtime code uses Dora APIs, not browser or Node.js APIs.
• TS/TSX source was edited instead of generated Lua when source exists.
• Dora cli build, run, or buildrun was used with the narrowest useful scope.
• In-engine behavior was verified for runtime semantics.
• Service/proxy problems were separated from source problems.