# Claude Code skills for Unreal Engine · Dola AI Blog # Claude Code skills for Unreal Engine What Epic's Claude Code skills plugin for Unreal Engine contains, how to install it, how it works with Unreal MCP, its limits, and where Dola fits. Last updated 11 November 2026 Blog title card reading Claude Code skills for Unreal Engine, with the Dola mascot Published 11 November 2026 Checked on 11 November 2026 against these sources, and against the plugin files in the Unreal Engine 5.8.0 source release. Unreal MCP is marked Experimental, so details can change: [Epic: skills plugin for Claude Code](https://github.com/EpicGames/unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code-plugin), [Anthropic: Claude Code skills](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/skills), [Epic: Unreal MCP](https://dev.epicgames.com/documentation/unreal-engine/unreal-mcp-in-unreal-editor) ## [How Claude Code skills work](#skills) A Claude Code skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file: YAML frontmatter (a description is recommended, plus optional fields such as allowed-tools) followed by Markdown instructions. Claude Code loads a skill when your request matches its description, or when you type /skill-name. - **Project skills** live in .claude/skills//SKILL.md. Commit them and your team gets them too. - **Personal skills** live in ~/.claude/skills//SKILL.md. - **Plugin skills** come with a plugin you install through /plugin, and you call them as /plugin-name:skill-name. Anthropic's documentation suggests keeping a SKILL.md under 500 lines. A skill's description is cut at 1,536 characters in the skill list, and after the conversation is compacted each skill keeps only its first 5,000 tokens. Edits to a skill are picked up while Claude Code runs. ## [What Epic's skills plugin contains](#epic) Epic publishes **unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code-plugin** on GitHub under the MIT licence. Its README describes it as a way to control Unreal Editor from Claude Code over MCP, with 30+ toolsets behind it: actors, Blueprints, materials, Niagara, Sequencer and automation testing among them. - **The unreal-mcp skill:** how to use Unreal MCP from Claude Code, with reference pages for setup and day-to-day operations. - **A SessionStart hook** (unreal-context.sh) that tells Claude Code the repository is an Unreal project. - **Two companion skills:** create-toolset, and unreal-skill for creating and reviewing skills. ## [Install it](#install) The README gives these commands. Run them inside Claude Code: ``` /plugin install unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code@claude-plugins-official # if the marketplace is missing: /plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-plugins-official ``` To turn it on for a whole team, the README adds "unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code@claude-plugins-official": true under enabledPlugins in the project's .claude/settings.json. Before it does anything useful you need: - Unreal Editor with the **Unreal MCP** (ModelContextProtocol) and **All Toolsets** plugins enabled. - The editor running with the MCP server started (it auto-starts by default, or run ModelContextProtocol.StartServer). - bash on your PATH for the SessionStart hook. On Windows, use Git Bash or WSL. Connecting Claude Code to the editor is covered step by step in [how to set up Unreal Engine 5.8 MCP with Claude Code or Cursor](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-mcp-setup). ## [How the skill works with Unreal MCP](#unreal-mcp) The unreal-mcp skill triggers when you ask for an action in a live project (spawn actors, edit Blueprints, compile with Live Coding) and stays out of the way for conceptual questions. With tool search on, Claude Code discovers tools with list_toolsets and describe_toolset, then runs them with call_tool. - Save before and after bulk changes: MCP edits are not always undoable. - Wait for compiles to finish, and compile C++ through Live Coding. - Run dependent calls one after another, not in parallel. - Stop on any result that is not an explicit success. - Check whether Play in Editor is running when results look odd. ### Engine-side skills are a different thing Unreal has its own idea of a skill. In the 5.8.0 source release, a skill is an engine object with a description and instructions, served through two Unreal MCP tools, ListSkills and GetSkills. Epic's unreal-mcp skill tells Claude Code to call ListSkills at the start of unfamiliar work and to follow a project's skills over generic defaults. The source release ships engine skills for Blueprint basics, material basics, default outdoor lighting, Niagara (fundamentals, renderers, optimization and more) and PCG graph generation. Unreal MCP also has an **Instructions** setting (Editor Preferences > Agentic Workflows > Model Context Protocol; the project version is shared through DefaultGame.ini) that sends a hint to every client. ## [Limits and safety](#limits) - The README warns: "Localhost is not a trust boundary." Unreal MCP has no authentication of its own. - execute_tool_script runs arbitrary Python with full editor access. The README advises against --dangerously-skip-permissions. - Commit or shelve your work before a long session; some edits cannot be undone in the editor. - Unreal MCP is Experimental, and the README does not name a supported engine version. - The skill tells Claude Code how to act carefully, but checking that the result works in play is still on you. ### Claude Code without the plugin Without Unreal MCP, Claude Code still handles C++, config files and builds from the terminal, but it cannot see inside Blueprint assets or the running editor. More on that split: [Claude Code for Unreal Engine vs UE-native AI](https://dolaai.pro/blog/claude-code-unreal-engine). ## [Where Dola fits](#dola) Dola is not part of this stack. It is a desktop app plus its own Unreal Editor plugin, built for **Unreal Engine 5.7** on Windows and Linux. Its agents run Claude through Dola's backend, so you do not install Claude Code, a plugin marketplace entry or an MCP config. - **Review before you keep:** each edit waits in a Changes panel. Open the diff in Unreal, then accept it, or reject it to restore the old asset. - **QA by playing:** a QA agent reads the graph and plays the change in Play in Editor before the run is called done. - **Pick by setup:** on a 5.8 project where you already use Claude Code, Epic's plugin is the direct route. On 5.7, Dola is packaged and checks its own work. A real Dola run on 9 November 2026: one prompt, "make BP_Lamp blink", checked in PIE, then held for review. Dola desktop app: a Blueprint run that made BP_Lamp blink, with the QA agent's PIE check and the pending change in the Changes panel The run: Director (Sonnet) planned, Blueprint (Haiku) edited, QA (Sonnet) read the graph, played it in PIE, and found 0 compile errors. $2.34 on Auto. Dola's Changes panel listing BP_Lamp.uasset as edited, with Accept all, Reject all and a button that opens the diff in Unreal The Changes panel holds the edit for review before you keep it. The whole run, step by step: [see Dola work](https://dolaai.pro/see-it-work). ## [FAQ](#faq) ### Yes. Epic's GitHub organisation has an MIT-licensed Claude Code plugin, unreal-engine-skills-for-claude-code-plugin. Its main skill, unreal-mcp, teaches Claude Code how to drive Unreal Editor through Epic's Unreal MCP plugin. ### The README does not name an engine version. It needs the Unreal MCP (ModelContextProtocol) and All Toolsets plugins, which we found in the Unreal Engine 5.8.0 source release, and the editor must be running with the MCP server started. ### Yes, with one catch: the plugin's SessionStart hook is a bash script, so bash must be on your PATH. On Windows that means Git Bash or WSL; the hook does not run in native PowerShell. ### No. Dola is a separate product with its own Unreal Editor plugin for Unreal Engine 5.7 on Windows and Linux. Its agents run Claude through Dola's backend, not through your Claude Code install. ## [Related posts](#related) - [Set up Unreal 5.8 MCP with Claude Code or Cursor](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-mcp-setup) Enable Epic's experimental Unreal MCP in Unreal Engine 5.8, connect Claude Code or Cursor, fix common errors, and see what it can and cannot do. - [Claude Code for Unreal Engine vs UE-native AI](https://dolaai.pro/blog/claude-code-unreal-engine) What Claude Code does well in an Unreal Engine project, what it cannot reach without an MCP bridge, and how it compares with Dola, a UE-native assistant. - [AI for Unreal Engine Blueprints: tools compared](https://dolaai.pro/blog/best-ai-for-unreal-engine-blueprints) What each AI tool for Unreal Engine Blueprints does: Epic's AI Assistant and Unreal MCP, Aura, Ludus AI, VibeUE, UnrealGenAISupport and Dola. No ranking. - [Unreal Engine's built-in AI Assistant, explained](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-5-7-ai-assistant) What Epic's AI Assistant in Unreal Engine 5.7 does, how to open it, what is not documented, and when you need an agent that edits and tests your project. - [Unreal Engine AI for free: what you get](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-free) How to start with the Dola Unreal Engine AI assistant for free, what uses AI credits, keeping credit use low, and when a plan makes sense. - [Unreal Engine AI generator: what it makes](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-generator) What an Unreal Engine AI generator can make today: Blueprints, levels, materials, UI, C++ and 3D models, and how to get good results from one. - [Unreal Engine AI chat that edits your project](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-chat) Chat with an AI that makes changes in your open Unreal Engine project: how it works, what to ask, and how it differs from a general chatbot. - [Unreal Engine AI agent: what it does in the editor](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-agent) What an Unreal Engine AI agent is, how it reads, plans, acts and checks inside Unreal Editor, and how Dola's specialist agents keep you in control. - [Unreal Engine AI plugin: what to look for](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-plugin) Why an AI assistant for Unreal Engine needs an Editor plugin, how the Dola plugin and its local bridge work, and a checklist for choosing an Unreal AI plugin. - [Unreal Engine AI tools: which one fits the job](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-tools) The four kinds of Unreal Engine AI tools (editor assistants, AI coding tools, asset generators and in-game AI), what each is good at, and how to pick. - [Unreal Engine AI game maker: what works today](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-game-maker) Can AI make a game in Unreal Engine? What an AI game maker can really build today, feature by feature in your own project, and what stays your job. - [What is Dola AI? The Unreal Engine AI assistant](https://dolaai.pro/blog/what-is-dola-ai) Dola AI is an AI assistant for Unreal Engine: the Dola desktop app plus an Editor plugin for Blueprints and C++. Not related to other apps named Dola. - [Dola app download for Windows and Linux](https://dolaai.pro/blog/dola-app-download) How to download the Dola AI desktop app for Windows or Linux, install it, sign in, and connect the Unreal Engine 5.7 plugin to your project. - [Dola login: sign in, reset password, fix errors](https://dolaai.pro/blog/dola-login) How to sign in to Dola AI on dolaai.pro and in the desktop app, create an account, reset your password, and fix common Dola login problems. - [Dola AI assistant: chat and agents for Unreal](https://dolaai.pro/blog/dola-ai-assistant-unreal-engine) How Dola’s chat and specialist agents work in Unreal Engine: one chat, with Blueprint, C++, and material specialists that edit your open project. - [Unreal Engine AI: NPC AI vs developer assistants](https://dolaai.pro/blog/unreal-engine-ai-npc-vs-assistant) “Unreal Engine AI” means gameplay NPC AI, Epic Developer Assistant, or third-party editor plugins. Dola is the last one: not Behavior Trees, not Epic’s panel. - [Modeling mode is a Babylon studio, not Unreal](https://dolaai.pro/blog/modeling-mode-babylon-studio) How Dola Modeling mode turns chat into a live Babylon mesh, inspects named parts, and exports GLB — separate from the Unreal Blueprint and C++ path. - [What Dola is for Unreal Engine developers](https://dolaai.pro/blog/what-dola-is-for-unreal-developers) Dola AI (dolaai.pro) is a local-first Unreal Engine assistant for Blueprints and C++: the Dola desktop app and an Unreal Editor plugin. [More on the Dola blog](https://dolaai.pro/blog) [Try me on your project!](https://dolaai.pro/signup) [See it work](https://dolaai.pro/see-it-work)[Sign up free](https://dolaai.pro/signup)