Use Claude Code Inside Unreal Engine

Epic Games published an official Claude Code plugin for Unreal Engine. Once it's connected, Claude can see your level and change it while you watch in the editor. This guide covers the full setup, including the part inside Unreal that has to be running for it to connect.

What this helps you do

Unreal Engine is Epic Games' engine. Epic says it powers many of the world's leading games, and Epic has been building its next game pipeline live in Fortnite. Studios also use it for film sets, product renders, and architecture walkthroughs.

Describe a change in plain words, such as "add a warm light by the shop door," and watch it happen in the Unreal Editor. You keep editing the scene by hand or by prompt, whichever is faster.

The connection has two halves:

• Inside Unreal: two editor plugins start a small local server on your computer that exposes Unreal's editor tools.
• Inside Claude Code: Epic's plugin teaches Claude how to use those tools well.

If the Unreal side isn't running, Claude Code has nothing to connect to. That is the step most people miss.

The plugin covers actors, materials, Blueprints, Sequencer, Niagara effects, UI widgets, meshes, animation, testing, and more. See Epic's repository for the full list.

Before you start

• Unreal Engine with the Unreal MCP plugin. Epic documents this in its Unreal MCP setup page for Unreal Engine 5.8. If Unreal MCP doesn't appear in your Plugins window, update the engine.
• An Unreal project you can experiment in. A copy or a test project is best for your first session.
• Claude Code installed and signed in.
• macOS, Linux, or Windows. On Windows, install Git for Windows (for Git Bash) or use WSL. Without one of them, the tools still work, but a small startup note that tells Claude it's in an Unreal project won't run.
• Save your work and commit it to source control (or back up the project) before you start. Claude edits the live project.

Terms to know

• Actor: anything placed in your level, such as a light, a camera, a mesh, or a character.
• Level: the scene or map you are editing.
• Material: the look of a surface, such as its color, shine, and texture.
• Sequencer: Unreal's tool for animated shots and cinematics on a timeline.
• MCP (Model Context Protocol): a standard way for an AI assistant to use another app's tools. Here, Unreal offers its editor tools and Claude Code calls them.
• MCP server: the part running inside the Unreal Editor that answers Claude's requests. It runs only on your computer, at http://127.0.0.1:8000/mcp by default.
• .mcp.json: a small settings file that tells Claude Code where the MCP server is.
• Console: the command box in the Unreal Editor where you type editor commands.

Step-by-step

Part 1: Turn on Unreal's local tools

1. Open your project in the Unreal Editor.
2. Go to Edit > Plugins. Search for Unreal MCP and check Enabled. Then search for All Toolsets and check Enabled. The Toolset Registry plugin turns on by itself.
3. Restart the editor when it asks. You need both plugins. Unreal MCP is the server, and All Toolsets provides the tools. With only the first one on, the server starts but offers no tools.
4. Start the server. Open the console and type ModelContextProtocol.StartServer, then press Enter. To have it start every time, go to Edit > Editor Preferences, open General > Model Context Protocol, and turn on Auto Start Server.
5. Check the Output Log. You should see MCP server startup messages.
6. In the console, type ModelContextProtocol.GenerateClientConfig ClaudeCode and press Enter. This writes the .mcp.json file. For a launcher install of Unreal, it goes next to your .uproject file. For a source build, it goes in the workspace root next to the Engine folder.

Part 2: Install the plugin in Claude Code

1. Open a terminal in the folder that now holds .mcp.json, and type claude to start Claude Code.
2. Install Epic's plugin from Anthropic's official marketplace: /plugin install unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code@claude-plugins-official
3. If Claude Code says the marketplace isn't found, add it, then run the install line again: /plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official
4. If Claude Code asks whether to use the unreal-mcp server from this project, approve it.
5. Run /plugin. The Installed tab should list unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code as enabled.
6. Run /mcp. You should see unreal-mcp listed as connected.

Part 3: Make your first change

1. Keep the Unreal Editor open with your level loaded.
2. Start with a read-only request: "List all actors in the current level." You should get back the names of things in your scene.
3. Then paste the prompt from the next section and watch the viewport as Claude works.
4. Claude Code asks before each tool call. Read what it is about to do, then approve it.

Copy this

Paste this into Claude Code while the Unreal Editor is open and connected. Replace the [BRACKETED] parts to match your level.

List the actors in this level and tell me which one is [THE MAIN OBJECT, e.g. the shop front]. Then move the editor camera so it faces the front of [THE MAIN OBJECT]. Add a warm point light by [THE SPOT, e.g. the door], about [HEIGHT] above the ground, with a soft orange color. Tell me the name of every actor you add or change so I can find them in the Outliner. Don't delete anything, and ask me before you change any material or Blueprint.

Things to know

• Unreal MCP is experimental. Epic marks it as experimental, so tools and commands may change between engine versions.
• The editor has to be running. Claude can only work in Unreal while the editor is open with the MCP server started. Close the editor and the connection drops.
• Claude gets real access to your project. It can move, change, and delete assets, and one of its tools runs Python inside the editor. Keep each request narrow and approve tool calls one at a time while you learn.
• Avoid skipping permissions. Epic recommends not running Claude Code with --dangerously-skip-permissions while this plugin is loaded. Without the approval step, one bad prompt can change a lot of your project before you notice.
• Keep it on your own machine. The server only listens locally, but any program running as you on the same computer can reach it. Don't run it on a shared or untrusted computer, and don't open the port to your network.
• Commit before long sessions. Save and commit (or back up) first, then review what changed afterward.
• Running two editors at once? Each needs its own port. Start the second with ModelContextProtocol.StartServer [PORT], then run the config command again so .mcp.json points at the new port.
• License. Epic's plugin repository is MIT licensed.

If something goes wrong

• /mcp shows unreal-mcp as failed or missing: make sure the editor is open and you ran ModelContextProtocol.StartServer. Then confirm you started Claude Code from the folder that holds .mcp.json.
• There's no .mcp.json file: run ModelContextProtocol.GenerateClientConfig ClaudeCode in the editor console. Check next to the .uproject file, or the workspace root for a source build.
• The server starts but Claude finds no tools: turn on the All Toolsets plugin and restart the editor.
• Port 8000 is already in use: run ModelContextProtocol.StartServer 8100 (or another free port), then run the config command again.
• Claude seems unsure it's in an Unreal project on Windows: install Git for Windows or use WSL so the startup note can run.

Final check

With the editor open, /mcp shows unreal-mcp connected, "List all actors in the current level" returns your scene's actors, and the warm light from the prompt appears in your viewport. If all three happen, the setup is complete.