unreal-mcp-overview

name	unreal-mcp-overview
description	Overview of the Flopperam Unreal Engine MCP server -- tool categories, workflows, and cross-tool relationships. Use when first connecting to a running Unreal Editor, when unsure which tool handles a task, or when the user asks about available capabilities.

Flopperam Unreal Engine MCP — Overview

This MCP server controls a live Unreal Editor instance over WebSocket. Every tool operates on the running editor — if a tool returns a connection error, the editor may not be running or the FlopAI plugin is not loaded.

Intent Classification

Before calling any tool, classify what the user needs:

• Question / explanation — Answer from knowledge. Use read-only tools only if specifics are needed. Do NOT make changes.
• Inspection / analysis — Use read-only tools and report findings. Do NOT modify anything.
• Modification / creation — Proceed with the full observe → execute → verify workflow.

When intent is unclear, default to answering rather than modifying.

Tool Categories

Scene & Level

• scene_query — find actors by class/label/tag/folder with spatial filters (near/box/frustum)
• scene_brief — compact level overview
• scene_compose — declaratively spawn/modify/delete actors with prefabs + patterns
• actor_inspect — drill into one actor found via scene_query
• level_inspect — persistent level + streaming + World Partition + data layers
• search_assets — search Content Browser by name/prefix/class
• asset_references — hard-reference graphs (what does X pull in, or what uses X)
• project_context — engine version, enabled plugins, project settings, maps, content stats

Blueprint (Read-Only — All Tiers)

• bp_brief — compact one-call BP overview. Use FIRST for orientation.
• bp_inspect — 21 targeted query operations batched in one call
• bp_export — full GraphSpec JSON dump for cloning/diffing

Blueprint Authoring (Paid Tier)

• bp_create — create Actor/Pawn/Character/Component/Object/Interface/Enum/Struct BPs
• bp_class — reparent, add/remove interfaces, override functions, set CDO properties
• bp_variable — batched variable CRUD with full type vocabulary
• bp_component — batched component CRUD with inline property writes
• bp_graph — function/macro/event graph CRUD
• bp_nodes — batched node add/remove (~40 node types)
• bp_wire — batched exec + data edges + pin defaults + pin ops
• bp_input — Enhanced Input bundle (IA + IMC + key mappings)
• bp_commit — compile + auto-layout + health report
• bp_author — full GraphSpec one-shot (compound escape hatch)
• bp_dry_run — capability probe before non-trivial writes
• repair_blueprint — rescue corrupted BPs

Materials & Shading

• material_inspect — read-only overview, expressions, connections, parameters
• material_edit — create materials/instances/functions, author expression graphs

VFX

• niagara_inspect — read-only Niagara system inspection
• niagara_edit — system/emitter/user-parameter/renderer writes
• niagara_script_edit — reusable NiagaraScript module graphs
• chaos_edit — Geometry Collections (destruction, fracture, clustering)

Animation

• animation_inspect — read-only animation inspection
• animation_edit — sequence/montage/notify/BlendSpace/socket writes
• animation_graph_edit — AnimBlueprint AnimGraph authoring
• ik_rig_edit — IK Rig chains + solvers
• ik_retarget — skeleton chain mapping for batch retargeting

UMG / Widgets

• widget_inspect — read-only UMG widget tree inspection
• widget_edit — tree/property/style/animation/MVVM/event writes

AI & Ability System

• behavior_tree — BTs, Blackboards, AI Controllers, perception, NavMesh, EQS, Smart Objects
• gas_edit — Gameplay Abilities, Effects, Attribute Sets
• tag_registry_edit — project-wide Gameplay Tag hierarchy

Landscape & Foliage

• landscape_inspect — height/slope/normal queries, statistics
• landscape_edit — sculpting, semantic features, paint layers, heightmap import/export
• foliage_inspect — type + count listing
• foliage_edit — scatter, place exact transforms, remove by radius/type

Cinematics & Audio

• sequencer_edit — Level Sequences with actor bindings, tracks, keyframes, camera cuts
• metasound_edit — procedural audio (MetaSound graphs)
• sound_asset_edit — SoundCue graphs, SoundClass, Attenuation

Procedural

• pcg_graph_edit — PCG graphs with generators, samplers, filters, mesh spawners

Data Assets

• asset_factory — enums/structs/DataTables/DataAssets/Enhanced Input

Other

• ramp_authoring — curve assets (UCurveFloat, UCurveVector, UCurveLinearColor)
• collision_profile_edit — collision profiles, physical materials, object type responses

Editor & Diagnostics

• editor_actions — save, undo, redo, select, build lighting, compile, PIE start/stop
• editor_log — Output Log + Message Log with filters
• performance_audit — triangle counts, actor counts, texture memory, optimization warnings
• window_capture — viewport screenshot as PNG
• cpp_source — read/write/search C++ source, Live Coding hot-reload

Runtime Verification

• pie_test_bp — Blueprint-focused PIE harness with 30+ assertion types (paid)
• pie_test_scene — scene-focused PIE harness (free)

Execution (Paid Tier)

• python_execution — arbitrary Python inside the editor process (last resort)
• unreal_api — 15,000+ UE API signature lookups
• skills / bp_skills — load workflow documentation on demand

Core Workflow

1. Orient — bp_brief, scene_brief, search_assets, or project_context
2. Execute — use the appropriate domain tools
3. Verify — re-read with inspect tools, run PIE test for runtime behavior

Efficiency Rules

• Batch everything — every tool that accepts arrays (queries, variables, components, nodes, edges, operations) is designed for one call with many items
• Call independent tools in parallel — don't wait for scene_query before calling search_assets if both are needed
• Use filters — bp_inspect, material_inspect, widget_inspect, animation_inspect all support compact mode + filters
• Defer compile — narrow bp_* writes defer compile; batch many, then bp_commit once

Constraints

• Responses are capped at 512KB — use filters and targeted queries
• search_assets returns Content Browser paths in PackageName.AssetName format — always use the FULL path as returned
• scene_query returns actor labels — these are NOT asset paths
• Guessed /Game/... paths silently resolve to nullptr — always resolve via search_assets first