Unity Editor Operations

Unity Editor Operations Skill

Overview

This skill enables Unity Editor operations through JSON commands. Commands are sent via send_message.py to Unity Command Server and executed immediately with results returned.

Architecture:

Claude Code (this side - Agent)
  ↓ JSON command
send_message.py (WebSocket client)
  ↓ ws://127.0.0.1:8766
Unity Command Server (simple executor)
  ↓
CommandExecutor
  ↓
Unity Editor Operations
  ↓ JSON result
send_message.py
  ↓
Claude Code (receives result)

Quick Start

1. Open Unity Command Server

In Unity Editor: Tools > ClaudeAgent > Unity Command Server

2. Send Command

python .claude/skills/unity-editor-operations/send_message.py '{"operation":"create_primitive","params":{"type":"sphere","name":"MySphere","color":"red"}}'

3. Check Result

✓ Connected to ws://127.0.0.1:8766/
📤 Sending: {"operation":"create_primitive",...}
⏳ Waiting for response (timeout: 10s)...

✓ Command executed successfully
   Time: 2025-11-25 18:00:00

send_message.py Usage

Located at: .claude/skills/unity-editor-operations/send_message.py

python send_message.py '<json_command>'

Features:

• WebSocket connection to Unity Command Server
• 10 second timeout
• JSON result parsing and display
• Exit code: 0 (success) / 1 (failure)

Response Format:

{
  "success": true,
  "result": { ... },
  "timestamp": "2025-11-25 12:00:00"
}

JSON Command Format

{
  "operation": "operation_name",
  "params": {
    "param1": "value1",
    "param2": "value2"
  }
}

Common Parameters

Space Parameters

Several operations support position_space, rotation_space, and scale_space parameters:

Applies to: create_primitive, create_empty, create_line, instantiate_prefab, create_terrain

Result messages show which space was used: Created sphere: MySphere (position: world, scale: local)

Supported Operations (60 total)

Looking up operation details: Use Grep "### operation_name" File.md -A 25 to retrieve only the specific operation section instead of reading the entire file. This reduces token consumption.

GameObject Operations

Transform Operations

Component Operations

Material Operations

Scene Operations

Asset Operations

Prefab Operations

Debugging Operations

Light Operations

Camera Operations

Screenshot Operations

UI Operations

Editor Operations

Animator Operations

Terrain Operations

ProBuilder Operations

Visual Guide Modeling Operations

Batch Operations (Meta-Operation)

Execute multiple commands in a single request for better performance. This is not a new Unity operation, but a wrapper to execute existing 59 operations in batch.

Batch Format

{
  "operation": "batch",
  "params": {
    "commands": [
      {"operation": "create_primitive", "params": {"type": "sphere", "name": "Ball", "color": "red"}},
      {"operation": "transform", "params": {"path": "Ball", "position": [0, 2, 0]}},
      {"operation": "create_light", "params": {"type": "point", "color": "yellow"}}
    ]
  }
}

Batch Features

Batch Response

{
  "success": true,
  "results": [
    {"index": 0, "success": true, "result": "Created sphere: Ball"},
    {"index": 1, "success": true, "result": "Set Ball position to (0,2,0)"},
    {"index": 2, "success": true, "result": "Created point light"}
  ],
  "summary": {
    "total": 3,
    "succeeded": 3,
    "failed": 0,
    "cancelled": 0
  }
}

Batch Error Response

When a command fails, remaining commands are cancelled:

{
  "success": false,
  "results": [
    {"index": 0, "success": true, "result": "Created sphere: Ball"},
    {"index": 1, "success": false, "error": "GameObject not found: MissingObj"},
    {"index": 2, "success": false, "error": "Cancelled: previous command failed"}
  ],
  "summary": {
    "total": 3,
    "succeeded": 1,
    "failed": 1,
    "cancelled": 1
  }
}

When to Use Batch

• Creating multiple related objects
• Setting up a scene with multiple elements
• Any operation requiring 3+ sequential commands
• Performance-critical operations (reduces window activation overhead)

Best Practices

Script Generation: Local File Creation

For C# scripts, create files locally using Claude Code's Write tool instead of WebSocket commands.

This approach is recommended because:

• Faster execution: No WebSocket round-trip required
• Easier debugging: Scripts can be read/modified directly
• No JSON escaping: Avoid complex string escaping issues
• Full IDE support: Syntax highlighting and IntelliSense during creation

Workflow:

1. Create the .cs file locally using Write tool at Assets/YourFolder/YourScript.cs
2. Call refresh_assets to make Unity detect the new file:

   python send_message.py '{"operation":"refresh_assets","params":{}}'
   

3. Unity will automatically compile the script
4. Use logs with filter: "errors" to check for compilation errors if needed

Example script structure:

using UnityEngine;

public class MyBehavior : MonoBehaviour
{
    void Update()
    {
        // Your code here
    }
}

Always Verify Scene State

Before and after operations, use get_scene_hierarchy to confirm the current state:

# Check scene before operations
python send_message.py '{"operation":"get_scene_hierarchy","params":{"max_depth":2}}'

# Perform operations...

# Verify changes after operations
python send_message.py '{"operation":"get_scene_hierarchy","params":{}}'

Why this matters:

• Same-named objects may exist at different hierarchy levels
• Batch delete may miss objects (e.g., root Cube0 vs Cubes/Cube0)
• Confirms all intended changes were applied

Recommended Workflow

1. Get scene state - Understand current hierarchy before changes
2. Plan operations - Identify exact paths for objects to modify
3. Execute commands - Use batch for multiple related operations
4. Verify results - Check scene hierarchy to confirm changes
5. Clean up - Delete any unintended objects

Examples

# Create object
python send_message.py '{"operation":"create_primitive","params":{"type":"sphere","name":"Ball","color":"red","position":[0,1,0]}}'

# Query scene
python send_message.py '{"operation":"get_scene_hierarchy","params":{"max_depth":3}}'

# Modify object
python send_message.py '{"operation":"transform","params":{"path":"Ball","position":[5,0,0],"rotation":[0,45,0]}}'

# Batch operations (max 20 commands)
python send_message.py '{"operation":"batch","params":{"commands":[
  {"operation":"create_primitive","params":{"type":"cube","name":"Floor","scale":[10,0.1,10]}},
  {"operation":"create_primitive","params":{"type":"sphere","name":"Ball","color":"red","position":[0,1,0]}}
]}}'

Server Information

Troubleshooting

Connection Refused

1. Open Unity Editor
2. Open: Tools > ClaudeAgent > Unity Command Server
3. Verify status is "Running" (green)

Timeout (10s)

• Check Unity Console for errors
• Command may be taking too long
• Restart Command Server

Command Failed

• Check operation name (case-sensitive)
• Verify parameter names
• See category-specific .md files for details
• Errors are returned as-is (no fallback)

Unknown Parameter Warning

If you use an invalid or misspelled parameter name, the command will still execute but include a warning:

Created sphere: MySphere
[WARNING] Unknown parameters ignored: positon, colr

This helps identify typos (e.g., positon instead of position) without failing the command. The warning appears after the result message.

Connection Lost After refresh_assets

The refresh_assets operation may cause a temporary WebSocket disconnection:

Symptoms:

• Commands immediately after refresh_assets fail with connection errors
• Server status shows "Reconnecting..."

Cause: AssetDatabase.Refresh() can trigger a domain reload when new scripts are detected, which restarts the Unity Command Server.

Solution:

1. Wait a moment (1-2 seconds) after refresh_assets before sending the next command
2. If connection fails, retry the command once
3. The server automatically restarts after domain reload - no manual restart needed

Note: This behavior only occurs when refresh_assets detects new or modified scripts that require recompilation. Asset-only changes (textures, prefabs, etc.) do not trigger domain reload.