name: interact-ipc description: Interact with and control the Love2D game via IPC. Use this skill when you need to see what's on screen, navigate menus, send input commands, take screenshots, or get game state. Start the game first, then use the IPC commands to control it.

Love2D Game IPC Control

This skill allows you to interact with the running Love2D game through an IPC (Inter-Process Communication) system.

Starting the Game

Start the game using the console version to capture the IPC instance ID:

cd "<project-root>" && "C:\Program Files\LOVE\lovec.exe" . 2>&1 &

Look for IPC_ID=<timestamp> in the output. This is the instance ID you'll use for all commands.

IPC Directory Structure

Commands are sent via files in the temp directory:

• Command file: $TEMP/love2d_ipc_<id>/command.txt
• Response file: $TEMP/love2d_ipc_<id>/response.json

On Windows with Git Bash, use /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/.

Sending Commands

To send a command:

echo "<command>" > /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/command.txt && sleep 0.5 && cat /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/response.json

Available Commands

Get Game State

echo "state" > /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/command.txt && sleep 0.5 && cat /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/response.json

Returns JSON with current game state including:

• game.state - Current state (menu, playing, paused, etc.)
• game.menu_selection - Currently selected menu item (1-indexed)
• game.menu_items - List of menu options
• game.paused - Whether game is paused
• window.width/height - Window dimensions

Simulate Key Press

echo "input <key>" > /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/command.txt

Keys: up, down, left, right, return, escape, space, w, a, s, d, etc.

Simulate Gamepad Button

echo "gamepad <button>" > /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/command.txt

Buttons: a, b, x, y, start, back, dpup, dpdown, dpleft, dpright

Take Screenshot

echo "screenshot" > /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/command.txt && sleep 1 && cat /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/response.json

Returns path to saved screenshot. Use the Read tool to view the screenshot image.

Pause/Resume

echo "pause" > /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/command.txt
echo "resume" > /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/command.txt

Quit Game

echo "quit" > /tmp/love2d_ipc_<id>/command.txt

Workflow Example

1. Start the game and capture IPC_ID from output
2. Get state to see current menu/screen
3. Navigate using input up/down/return commands
4. Take screenshot to see what's on screen
5. Read screenshot using the Read tool to view it

Menu Navigation

The main menu has these items (1-indexed):

1. New Campaign
2. Skirmish
3. Multiplayer
4. Map Editor
5. Options
6. Exit

Use input down to move selection down, input up to move up, input return to select.

Tips

• Always check state first to understand current game context
• Wait ~0.5s after sending commands before reading response
• Screenshots are saved to Love2D's save directory (shown in response)
• Use the Read tool to view screenshot PNG files
• If game crashes, check the background task output for error messages