Claude-Code-Game-Studios

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Why This Exists

Building a game solo with AI is powerful — but a single chat session has no structure. No one stops you from hardcoding magic numbers, skipping design docs, or writing spaghetti code. There's no QA pass, no design review, no one asking "does this actually fit the game's vision?"

Claude Code Game Studios solves this by giving your AI session the structure of a real studio. Instead of one general-purpose assistant, you get 49 specialized agents organized into a studio hierarchy — directors who guard the vision, department leads who own their domains, and specialists who do the hands-on work. Each agent has defined responsibilities, escalation paths, and quality gates.

The result: you still make every decision, but now you have a team that asks the right questions, catches mistakes early, and keeps your project organized from first brainstorm to launch.

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Table of Contents

• What's Included
• Studio Hierarchy
• Slash Commands
• Does it produce games, or documents?
• Getting Started
• Configuration
• Upgrading
• Project Structure
• How It Works
• Design Philosophy
• Customization
• Platform Support
• Community
• Supporting This Project
• License

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What's Included

Category	Count	Description
Agents	49	Specialized subagents across design, programming, art, audio, narrative, QA, and production
Skills	74	Slash commands for every workflow phase (/start, /design-system, /create-epics, /create-stories, /dev-story, /story-done, etc.)
Hooks	15	Automated validation on commits, pushes, asset changes, design-doc reads, writes and registries, session lifecycle, agent audit trail, and gap detection
Rules	14	Path-scoped coding standards enforced when editing gameplay, engine, AI, UI, network code, scene and asset files, and more
Templates	62	Document templates for GDDs, UX specs, ADRs, sprint plans, HUD design, accessibility, and more

Studio Hierarchy

Agents are organized into three tiers, matching how real studios operate:

Tier 1 — Directors
  creative-director    technical-director    producer

Tier 2 — Department Leads
  game-designer        lead-programmer       art-director
  audio-director       narrative-director    qa-lead
  release-manager      localization-lead

Tier 3 — Specialists
  gameplay-programmer  engine-programmer     ai-programmer
  network-programmer   tools-programmer      ui-programmer
  systems-designer     level-designer        economy-designer
  technical-artist     sound-designer        writer
  world-builder        ux-designer           prototyper
  performance-analyst  devops-engineer       analytics-engineer
  security-engineer    qa-tester             accessibility-specialist
  live-ops-designer    community-manager

Each agent declares a model in its frontmatter: the three directors ask for Opus, lead-programmer and fifteen specialists name Sonnet, and the remaining thirty inherit your session's model. Treat the tiers as seniority of role, not as a billing plan — most of the studio runs on whatever model you are already using.

Engine Specialists

The template includes agent sets for all three major engines. Use the set that matches your project:

Engine	Lead Agent	Sub-Specialists
Godot 4	godot-specialist	GDScript, Shaders, GDExtension
Unity	unity-specialist	DOTS/ECS, Shaders/VFX, Addressables, UI Toolkit
Unreal Engine 5	unreal-specialist	GAS, Blueprints, Replication, UMG/CommonUI

Slash Commands

Type / in Claude Code to access all 74 skills:

Onboarding & Navigation /start /help /project-stage-detect /setup-engine /adopt /settings

Game Design /brainstorm /map-systems /design-system /quick-design /review-all-gdds /propagate-design-change

Art & Assets /art-bible /asset-spec /asset-audit

UX & Interface Design /ux-design /ux-review

Architecture /create-architecture /architecture-decision /architecture-review /create-control-manifest

Stories & Sprints /create-epics /create-stories /dev-story /sprint-plan /sprint-status /story-readiness /story-done /estimate

Reviews & Analysis /design-review /code-review /balance-check /content-audit /scope-check /perf-profile /tech-debt /gate-check /consistency-check /security-audit

QA & Testing /qa-plan /smoke-check /soak-test /regression-suite /test-setup /test-helpers /test-evidence-review /test-flakiness /skill-test /skill-improve

Production /milestone-review /retrospective /bug-report /bug-triage /reverse-document /playtest-report

Release /release-checklist /launch-checklist /changelog /patch-notes /hotfix /day-one-patch

Creative & Content /prototype /vertical-slice /onboard /localize

Team Orchestration (coordinate multiple agents on a single feature) /team-combat /team-narrative /team-ui /team-release /team-polish /team-audio /team-level /team-live-ops /team-qa

Does it produce games, or documents?

A fair question, and the answer is a measurement rather than a sample project. Four games were built from one brief at different modes.rigor levels and the documents each wrote before its first line of game code were counted:

modes.rigor	Docs before first line of game code	Time
minimal	1 (the one-page brief)	0 min
standard	30	58 min

All of them produced a running, tested game. Two blind reviewers and a human playtest then ranked the standard build last — the extra 29 documents bought traceability, not a better game.

It runs the game and looks at it

The measurement above is about cost. The other half is whether the thing works, and for a game that means someone has to look at it — a passing test says nothing about a menu drawn off-screen. So a story that changes anything the player sees is not closed until the game has been launched, observed, and a screenshot retained in production/qa/evidence/. A parse check is not a run. This holds at every rigor level, including minimal, where automated tests are waived but the look is not.

The games themselves are deliberately not shipped here: this is a template you clone to start your own project, and somebody else's game in your repo is clutter, not evidence.

Getting Started

Prerequisites

• Git
• Claude Code — the native installer is recommended (npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code also works, on Node.js 22+)
• Python 3 — reads project.yaml for every skill and hook; without it every setting silently falls back to its default
• Bash — runs every hook; built into macOS and Linux, and on Windows it comes with Git for Windows
• Recommended: jq (for hook validation)

Hooks fail gracefully if optional tools are missing — you just lose validation — with one deliberate exception: a commit that stages data JSON is blocked when there is no Python to validate it.

Setup

1. Clone or use as template:

   git clone https://github.com/Donchitos/Claude-Code-Game-Studios.git my-game
   cd my-game
   

2. Open Claude Code in the project's root folder (the one holding CLAUDE.md and project.yaml) and start a session:

   claude
   

   Starting it in a subfolder such as src/ skips the project's hooks, deny rules and ask-first permission mode.

3. Run /start — the system asks where you are (no idea, vague concept, clear design, existing work) and guides you to the right workflow. No assumptions.

   Or jump directly to a specific skill if you already know what you need:

   • /brainstorm — explore game ideas from scratch
   • /setup-engine godot 4.7 — configure your engine if you already know
   • /project-stage-detect — analyze an existing project

Configuration

project.yaml at the repo root is the single source of truth for how the studio behaves on your project — engine, naming conventions, and a modes block that controls how much process every skill enforces. /start writes it for you; you rarely need to hand-edit it.

The one question that matters most is modes.rigor — minimal, standard, or full. It's a single front door over six separate knobs (workflow — which GDD sections are required, docs.density, qa.level, story_granularity, review_mode — how many director agents review your work, and team.size), so /start asks it once instead of six times:

• minimal (default) — jam-game speed. No GDDs required, terse docs, minimal QA evidence, solo review. /start → /setup-engine → /brainstorm (a one-page brief) → /create-stories → /dev-story ↔ /story-done.
• standard — 5 required GDD sections, balanced doc depth, standard QA evidence, lean review.
• full — all 8 GDD sections, thorough docs, full QA evidence on every story type, full director review.

minimal is the default because the heavier tier costs more to reach working code without producing a better result, and gives nothing back when someone new picks the project up. Raise it in one /settings call when your project grows — /help and /gate-check will suggest it when they see the signs.

Two escape hatches keep one setting from being a blunt instrument. system_overrides holds a single system to a higher standard than the rest of the project — your combat system gets the full treatment while everything else stays light. testing.strict sets, per test type (logic, integration, visual, UI, config), whether missing evidence blocks a story or merely warns.

Any of the six underlying knobs can still be set individually if you want a mix (e.g. workflow: full with docs.density: terse — comprehensive but compact). Two of them — review_mode (full / lean / solo) and team.size — are also personal: rigor sets the team-wide default, but you can override them per-developer in a gitignored project.local.yaml without touching the shared config. modes.automation (how often the AI pauses to ask before it acts) sits outside rigor and is likewise personally overridable.

View or change any setting with the /settings skill:

/settings                              # view effective config
/settings modes.review_mode            # view one setting
/settings modes.rigor=full             # write to project.yaml (team-wide)
/settings --local modes.review_mode=solo   # write to project.local.yaml (just you)

Full schema and per-setting behavior: .claude/docs/effects-map.md.

Upgrading

Already using an older version of this template? See UPGRADING.md for step-by-step migration instructions, a breakdown of what changed between versions, and which files are safe to overwrite vs. which need a manual merge.

Project Structure

CLAUDE.md                           # Master configuration
.claude/
  settings.json                     # Hooks, permissions, safety rules
  agents/                           # 49 agent definitions (markdown + YAML frontmatter)
  skills/                           # 74 slash commands (subdirectory per skill)
  hooks/                            # 18 scripts (bash) — 15 event hooks, two helpers they
                                    #   source (yaml-helper.sh, update-check.sh), and one
                                    #   opt-in diagnostic you wire yourself
  rules/                            # 14 path-scoped coding standards
  statusline.sh                     # Status line script (context%, model, stage, epic breadcrumb)
  docs/
    workflow-catalog.yaml           # 7-phase pipeline definition (read by /help)
    templates/                      # 62 document templates (+ per-section guidance)
src/                                # Game source code (Godot). The code root is
                                    #   ENGINE-SPECIFIC: Unity compiles only
                                    #   Assets/, Unreal builds from Source/<Module>/
assets/                             # Art, audio, VFX, shaders, data files
design/                             # GDDs, narrative docs, level designs
docs/                               # Technical documentation and ADRs
tests/                              # Test suites (unit, integration, performance, playtest)
tools/                              # Build and pipeline tools
prototypes/                         # Throwaway prototypes (isolated from src/)
production/                         # Sprint plans, milestones, release tracking
studio-tests/                       # QA for the skills and agents themselves — see below

Testing your customizations

CCGS is a template you are meant to edit. studio-tests/ is how you check that an edited or newly written skill still holds up — a catalog of all 74 skills and 49 agents, per-category quality rubrics, behavioral specs, and templates for writing specs of your own.

/skill-test static [name]     # structural linter — 7 compliance checks
/skill-test category [name]   # category-specific quality rubric
/skill-test spec [name]       # behavioral spec assertions
/skill-test audit             # coverage report across skills and agents
/skill-improve [name]         # test-fix-retest loop; keeps or reverts on score change

It tests the framework, never your game — game tests live in tests/.

How It Works

Agent Coordination

Agents follow a structured delegation model:

1. Vertical delegation — directors delegate to leads, leads delegate to specialists
2. Horizontal consultation — same-tier agents can consult each other but can't make binding cross-domain decisions
3. Conflict resolution — disagreements escalate up to the shared parent (creative-director for design, technical-director for technical)
4. Change propagation — cross-department changes are coordinated by producer
5. Domain boundaries — agents don't modify files outside their domain without explicit delegation

Collaborative, Not Autonomous

This is not an auto-pilot system. Every agent follows a strict collaboration protocol:

1. Ask — agents ask questions before proposing solutions
2. Present options — agents show 2-4 options with pros/cons
3. You decide — the user always makes the call
4. Draft — agents show work before finalizing
5. Approve — nothing gets written without your sign-off

You stay in control. The agents provide structure and expertise, not autonomy.

That is how a terminal session started at the project root behaves out of the box. The guided and autonomous automation settings, and Claude Code's own auto mode, trade some of these prompts for speed; see setup-requirements.md for the routes into auto mode.

Automated Safety

Hooks run automatically on every session:

Hook	Trigger	What It Does
validate-commit.sh	PreToolUse (Bash, PowerShell)	Checks for hardcoded values, TODO format, JSON validity, design doc sections — exits early if the command is not git commit
validate-push.sh	PreToolUse (Bash, PowerShell)	Warns on pushes to protected branches, and on git tag, git merge, gh release, butler push and steamcmd +run_app_build — exits early for any other command
validate-read.sh	PreToolUse (Read)	Refuses a whole-file read of a design doc over 40 KB and answers with its headings, so the retry reads one section (features.read_guard)
validate-write.sh	PreToolUse (Write/Edit)	Warns, never blocks, when a write would break a rule the skills state: a file they never overwrite, the config guard, the prototype boundary, a localization freeze
validate-registry.sh	PreToolUse (Write/Edit)	Warns when a write to the entity or TR-ID registry would delete or renumber an entry, or set a status its header does not list
validate-assets.sh	PostToolUse (Write/Edit)	Checks data-file JSON under assets/, Assets/ or Content/, and asset naming in Godot's assets/ only — exits early if the file is under none of them
session-start.sh	Session open	Shows current branch and recent commits for orientation
detect-gaps.sh	Session open	Detects fresh projects (suggests /start) and missing design docs when code or prototypes exist
pre-compact.sh	Before compaction	Logs the compaction (its output does not reach Claude — session-start.sh restores context afterwards)
notify.sh	Permission prompt, or idle about a minute	Shows Windows toast notification via PowerShell
session-stop.sh	Every response end, in the background	Archives active.md to session log and records git activity
log-agent.sh	Agent spawned	Audit trail start — logs subagent invocation
log-agent-stop.sh	Agent stops	Audit trail stop — completes subagent record
validate-agent-artifact.sh	Agent stops	Warns when a subagent stops without writing the file its brief named
validate-skill-change.sh	PostToolUse (Write/Edit)	Advises running /skill-test after any .claude/skills/ change

Note: validate-commit.sh, validate-push.sh, validate-read.sh, validate-write.sh, validate-registry.sh, validate-assets.sh and validate-skill-change.sh fire on every Bash, PowerShell, Read, Write or Edit tool call and exit immediately (exit 0) when the command or file path is not relevant. This is normal hook behavior — not a performance concern.

Permission rules in settings.json auto-allow test runs and block dangerous operations (force push, rm -rf, reading .env files) in both the Bash and PowerShell tools. Read-only commands such as git status, git log and ls need no rule: Claude Code runs them without asking. The git rules match anywhere after git, so a git command whose text only mentions push followed later by + or -f, clean followed by -f, or reset followed by --hard — a commit message such as git commit -m "push + pull" included — is denied too: reword the message.

Path-Scoped Rules

Coding standards are automatically enforced based on file location. The paths below are Godot's. Each rule also matches the Unity and Unreal layouts: the code rules match C# under Assets/**/Gameplay/ and C++ under Source/**/Gameplay/ (and Core, AI, Networking, UI), data matches JSON under Assets/**/Data/ and Content/**/Data/, shaders match by file type, and tests match C# under Assets/Tests/ and C++ under Source/**/Tests/.

Path	Enforces
src/gameplay/**	Data-driven values, delta time usage, no UI references
src/core/**	Zero allocations in hot paths, thread safety, API stability
src/ai/**	Performance budgets, debuggability, data-driven parameters
src/networking/**	Server-authoritative, versioned messages, security
src/ui/**	No game state ownership, localization-ready, accessibility
design/gdd/**	Required sections per modes.workflow, formula format, edge cases
design/narrative/**	Lore consistency, character voice, canon levels
assets/data/**/*.json	JSON validity, naming conventions, schema rules
assets/shaders/**	Naming conventions, performance targets, cross-platform rules
**/*.tscn, **/*.tres	Scene and resource files changed in the editor where possible; safe hand-edit rules
tests/**	Test naming, coverage requirements, fixture patterns
prototypes/**	Relaxed standards, README required, hypothesis documented

Design Philosophy

This template is grounded in professional game development practices:

• MDA Framework — Mechanics, Dynamics, Aesthetics analysis for game design
• Self-Determination Theory — Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness for player motivation
• Flow State Design — Challenge-skill balance for player engagement
• Bartle Player Types — Audience targeting and validation
• Verification-Driven Development — Tests first, then implementation

Customization

This is a template, not a locked framework. Everything is meant to be customized:

• Add/remove agents — delete agent files you don't need, add new ones for your domains
• Edit agent prompts — tune agent behavior, add project-specific knowledge
• Modify skills — adjust workflows to match your team's process
• Add rules — create new path-scoped rules for your project's directory structure
• Tune hooks — adjust validation strictness, add new checks
• Pick your engine — use the Godot, Unity, or Unreal agent set (or none)
• Tune process weight — modes.rigor and its underlying knobs in project.yaml (see Configuration). Override per-run with --review solo on any skill.

Platform Support

Primary development on Windows 10 with Git Bash. The hooks and scripts are also tested on macOS — its stock bash 3.2 and BSD tools, with and without jq — and on Linux. All hooks use POSIX-compatible patterns (grep -E, not grep -P) and include fallbacks for missing tools. The notify.sh hook uses PowerShell for Windows toast notifications and is a no-op elsewhere — desktop notifications on macOS/Linux are not yet wired. Please file issues for any platform-specific breakage.

Community

• Discussions — GitHub Discussions for questions, ideas, and showcasing what you've built
• Issues — Bug reports and feature requests

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Supporting This Project

Claude Code Game Studios is free and open source. If it saves you time or helps you ship your game, consider supporting continued development:

• Buy Me a Coffee — one-time support
• GitHub Sponsors — recurring support through GitHub

Sponsorships help fund time spent maintaining skills, adding new agents, keeping up with Claude Code and engine API changes, and responding to community issues.

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Built for Claude Code. Maintained and extended — contributions welcome via GitHub Discussions.

License

MIT License. See LICENSE for details.