Setup

The /setup command is the first thing you run after copying AI ForgeKit into your project. It auto-discovers your project's configuration and generates two machine-local files that the rest of the environment depends on.

Run it from inside Claude Code:

/setup

What /setup does#

1. Project discovery#

Locates your .uproject file and reads it to extract:

• Project name and description
• Module list
• Enabled plugins
• Engine association

2. Engine path discovery#

Searches for your Unreal Engine installation in this order:

1. UE_ROOT or UE5_ROOT environment variables (if set)
2. Common installation paths on Windows, macOS, and Linux
3. Interactive prompt if not found automatically

Once found, it validates the engine by checking for the UnrealBuildTool binary, then extracts the exact engine version.

3. VCS detection#

Checks for .git/ in the project root (Git) and runs p4 info (Perforce). If both are present it asks which is primary. Captures the default branch name for Git or workspace name for Perforce.

4. GAS detection#

Searches your *.Build.cs files and headers for GameplayAbilities module references and UAbilitySystemComponent usage. Records whether GAS is active in your project.

5. Plugin inventory#

Reads the .uproject plugins array and scans the Plugins/ directory for project-local plugins with source code. Checks for common UE5 plugins: Enhanced Input, CommonUI, Online subsystem plugins, and any plugin exposing a commandlet (used by Blueprint AI Assistant integration).

6. Build configuration#

Constructs the full UBT command for your project:

<UBT> <ProjectName>Editor <Platform> Development "-Project=<uproject>" -NoHotReloadFromIDE -progress

7. Generated files#

/setup writes two files:

Docs/_working/state/project-config.json: project-specific paths and detected features:

{
  "project": {
    "name": "MyGame",
    "uproject_path": "/path/to/MyGame.uproject",
    "engine_root": "/path/to/UE_5.5",
    "engine_version": "5.5"
  },
  "vcs": {
    "type": "git",
    "default_branch": "main"
  },
  "build": {
    "target": "MyGameEditor",
    "platform": "Win64",
    "configuration": "Development",
    "full_command": "..."
  },
  "features": {
    "gas_enabled": true,
    "enhanced_input": true,
    "common_ui": false
  },
  "plugins": {
    "project_plugins": ["BlueprintAIAssistant"],
    "commandlets": ["BlueprintAIAssistant"]
  }
}

.claude/settings.local.json: grants Claude Code permission to run the specific build command for your project. This file is machine-local and should not be committed to VCS.

8. Plugin installation#

ForgeKit installs three official Claude Code plugins from Anthropic's marketplaces:

• clangd-lsp: C++ code intelligence with diagnostics, navigation, and completions, tuned for UE projects
• skill-creator: create and benchmark custom skills with an eval framework
• pr-review-toolkit: structured PR review agents

These are not bundled in ForgeKit. They are pulled from official Anthropic sources at install time. If installation fails, setup completes anyway and outputs the install commands for you to run manually.

Three bundled skills are also available out of the box with no installation required: /simplify (code cleanup), /batch (bulk operations), and /debug (diagnostic workflows).

9. CLAUDE.md update#

Replaces template placeholders in CLAUDE.md with your actual project name, engine version, and description.

Re-running /setup#

/setup is idempotent. Run it again if you:

• Move your engine installation
• Switch from Git to Perforce (or vice versa)
• Add or remove GAS from your project
• Get a new machine (generates fresh machine-local paths)

It overwrites project-config.json and settings.local.json without corrupting any other state.

After /setup#

The wizard will ask if you want to run /map-codebase immediately. This is recommended for first setup: it populates the Dev wiki with your actual C++ classes so subsequent AI requests are grounded in your real codebase.

If you declined during setup, run it manually:

/map-codebase