Manage scenes in the editor: open a scene, save the open scene, or reload an open scene from disk after you edit its .tscn directly (so the editor picks up the change without a full restart). To create a new scene, write the .tscn file directly — header [gd_scene format=3] without a uid (the editor assigns one when it imports the file), then one [node name="X" type="Node2D"] block per node — and open it with this tool.
Inspect scene nodes in the editor: read a node's effective properties (including class defaults a .tscn read cannot show), view the full scene tree as the editor sees it (including children inside instanced sub-scenes), and find nodes by name or type. Use it to discover node paths and verify the live state of the open scene before or after making changes. It cannot modify anything; to update properties or reparent a node, use godot_node_edit.
Modify scene nodes in the editor: update a node's properties, or reparent it (the editor rewrites child paths and signal connections correctly; hand-editing .tscn for a reparent does not). Use it to change existing nodes in the open scene. To inspect properties, the scene tree, or search for nodes, use godot_node_read; to add or remove nodes, or attach scripts and connect signals, edit the .tscn file directly, then verify with godot_node_read's get_scene_tree.
Observe the editor and running game: get editor state (open scene, play state, camera, viewport), read the current node selection, pull editor log messages (with an incremental cursor) and stack traces, and capture lossless PNG screenshots of the running game or an editor viewport. Reach for it to check what the editor sees before and after a change; screenshot_game needs a running game, while every other action works in the bare editor. It changes nothing - to select nodes, run/stop/restart, or move the 2D viewport use godot_editor_edit; errors from the running game (not the editor process) come via minimal-godot-mcp's get_console_output when that companion server is installed.
Drive the editor: select a node, run or stop the project, restart the editor, rescan the filesystem to import assets written outside the editor, and center/zoom the 2D viewport. Use run with frozen=true as the deterministic-playtest entry point (game time holds at frame 0 until godot_game_time steps or thaws it). To test edited gameplay scripts just stop then run — the launched game loads .gd/.tscn fresh from disk; reserve restart for EDITOR-side staleness (edited @tool/addon code, a stale project.godot, or a cached .gdshader). For observation only (state, selection, logs, screenshots) use godot_editor_read instead; restart does not start a cold editor, so one must already be running.
Read project-level data from the editor: name, path, Godot version, and main scene (get_info), plus project settings including input mappings (get_settings). After editing project.godot as a file, use check_stale to detect whether the editor is still running stale autoloads or input map from before the edit; restart via godot_editor_edit to reload. Use addon_status to diagnose addon/server version skew when commands misbehave or the connection drops; it also reports whether the running server build is stale relative to its source checkout. For scene contents or node properties, use godot_node_read instead.
Inspect animation data on AnimationPlayer nodes in the editor: list players in the scene, read a player's state and libraries, get an animation's tracks and properties, and read a track's keyframes. Reach for it to verify what the editor actually loaded, including after editing animation resources by hand. It changes and previews nothing; use godot_animation_edit to create, modify, or play animations.
Create and modify animations on an AnimationPlayer and preview them in the editor: create, delete, or update animations, add and remove tracks and keyframes, backfill RESET keys for existing tracks (create_reset_keys), and play, stop, or seek the editor's preview (playback controls the editor, not the running game). Pair each change with an immediate play or seek to check the result; this is the only way to verify animation feel without running the whole game. To inspect animation data without changing it, use godot_animation_read.
Inspect TileMapLayer data in the open scene: list layers, get layer and TileSet info, read used cells, a single cell, or a rectangular region, and convert between local positions and map coordinates. Use it whenever you need to know what tiles are placed where; cell data is stored base64-encoded in the .tscn, so reading the file is not an alternative. To place, erase, or clear tiles, use godot_tilemap_edit instead.
Modify TileMapLayer cells in the open scene: set a single cell, erase a cell, clear a whole layer, or set many cells in one batch. Use it to paint or remove tiles; cell data is stored base64-encoded in the .tscn, so editing the file is not an alternative, and set_cells_batch beats repeated set_cell calls for anything beyond a few tiles. To inspect layers, TileSets, or existing cells without changing anything, use godot_tilemap_read.
Inspect GridMap data in the open scene: list GridMap nodes, get map and MeshLibrary info, and read used cells, a single cell, or every cell using a given item. Use it whenever you need to know which mesh items occupy which 3D grid cells; cell data is stored base64-encoded in the .tscn, so reading the file is not an alternative. To place or clear cells, use godot_gridmap_edit instead.
Modify GridMap cells in the open scene: set a single cell to a MeshLibrary item with an orientation, clear a cell, clear the whole map, or set many cells in one batch. Use it to build or remove 3D grid content; cell data is stored base64-encoded in the .tscn, so editing the file is not an alternative, and set_cells_batch beats repeated set_cell calls for anything beyond a few cells. To inspect the map, its MeshLibrary, or existing cells without changing anything, use godot_gridmap_read.
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