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/love2dipc<id>/command.txt
• Response file: $TEMP/love2dipc<id>/response.json

On Windows with Git Bash, use /tmp/love2dipc<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