name	unitycli
description	Unity Editor CLI Bridge for calling registered Unity tools over Named Pipe from external processes
license	MIT
compatibility	opencode
metadata	{"audience":"developers","workflow":"unity-integration, external-tooling, automation","aliases":"unity cli, unitycli, unity bridge, unity tool bridge","tags":"unity, cli, bridge, named-pipe, json, editor, automation, external-tools","concepts":"UnityCliBridge, endpoint.json, NamedPipe, BridgePipeProtocol, com.fujisheng.unitycli","related":"unity-mcp-orchestrator, verify","tools":"unitycli.exe"}

What I do

unitycli is the external CLI client for the Unity Editor Bridge in this package. It lets external processes call registered Unity tools while the Editor is running.

Use this skill with low context

Do not load the whole doc set unless you need it. Jump straight to the relevant file:

How to invoke commands correctly → @docs/call-patterns.md
CLI syntax and flags → @docs/command-reference.md
Connection or invocation failures → @docs/troubleshooting.md
Bridge architecture and runtime files → @docs/overview.md
Creating new UnityCli tools → @docs/extending-tools.md

High-value rules

On Windows PowerShell 5.1, prefer --stdin for JSON payloads because quoting is more reliable than --json.
editor play/stop actions are state transition requests. Always confirm the final state with editor.status.
After changing code, the safe loop is: editor stop -> edit code -> editor refresh -> wait for compile to finish -> editor play -> verify isPlaying.
If you get bridge_unavailable, run ping before retrying business calls. Do not assume Unity has exited.
After runtime-facing tool calls, inspect console. invoke ok=true only means the bridge call succeeded.
--project is usually optional. The CLI auto-discovers the Unity project root from the current working directory or the CLI location.

Minimal examples

# 1. Check the bridge (no --project needed when called inside the Unity project)
Library/UnityCliBridge/unitycli.exe ping

# 2. Read Editor status
'{"args":{}}' | Library/UnityCliBridge/unitycli.exe invoke --tool editor.status --stdin

# 3. Call a tool
'{"args":{"action":"get","count":20}}' | Library/UnityCliBridge/unitycli.exe invoke --tool console --stdin

If the command is executed outside the Unity project, and unitycli.exe is also not under that project's Library/UnityCliBridge/, add:

--project "<UnityProjectRoot>"

Document index

1. Overview

@docs/overview.md
- Architecture
- endpoint.json
- Exit codes and error codes
- Important file locations

2. Call patterns

@docs/call-patterns.md
- PowerShell-safe invocation patterns
- Play Mode and compile-state gates
- Recommended execution sequences
- Post-call console verification

3. Command reference

@docs/command-reference.md
- ping
- tools list
- tools describe
- invoke
- job-status

4. Troubleshooting

@docs/troubleshooting.md
- bridge_unavailable
- tool_not_found
- timeouts and wait_timeout
- temporary disconnects during domain reload

5. Extending tools

@docs/extending-tools.md
- Creating a tool class
- Declaring parameters
- Enabling tools in the allowlist
- Built-in and restricted tools

# 1. Check the bridge (no --project needed when called inside the Unity project) Library/UnityCliBridge/unitycli.exe ping # 2. Read Editor status '{"args":{}}' | Library/UnityCliBridge/unitycli.exe invoke --tool editor.status --stdin # 3. Call a tool '{"args":{"action":"get","count":20}}' | Library/UnityCliBridge/unitycli.exe invoke --tool console --stdin