# Live editing & the running game

> Edit the open scene and inspect the game while it runs.

Source: https://www.godotmcpstudio.com/docs/live-editing

This is what sets Godot MCP Studio apart: your AI doesn't just edit files on
disk, it can work with the live editor and even the game while it's playing.

## Live editor tools

With Godot open and the addon enabled, live tools connect to the editor over a
local, token-secured WebSocket. Your AI can read the real scene tree, inspect
node properties as they actually are, and make edits to the currently open scene
that show up instantly in the editor. Edits go through Godot's own undo system,
so `Ctrl+Z` works exactly as you'd expect.

## The running game

When you play your scene, Godot MCP Studio injects a small runtime service into
the game. Through it, your AI can, while the game runs (running-game tools are
part of Pro):

- Read the live scene tree and node properties.
- Change properties and call methods on live nodes.
- Simulate input: key presses, actions, mouse.
- Test hover effects: see which button or menu item is under the cursor, and
  move your real mouse pointer there when a hover needs it.
- Find UI that is pushed off screen or out of its panel with
  `game_find_layout_overflow`, along with what caused it and how to fix it.
- Capture in-game screenshots.
- Read performance (FPS, frame time) and control time scale or pause.

This makes "play the game, see what's wrong, fix it" an actual loop the AI can
run. Scripts your AI just created, renamed or deleted are picked up before the
game starts, so a new class is ready when the game runs.

## How the handoff is secured

Each play session gets its own short-lived token. The editor addon acts as a
multiplexer: it relays `game_*` requests to the running game and relays results
back, and it drops relays that go stale. Nothing listens on a public port;
everything is loopback only, and every message is authenticated.

## Requirements

Live tools need the editor open with the addon enabled, and for running-game
tools, the game actually playing. If Godot isn't connected, your AI checks why
and tells you how to fix it. See [Troubleshooting](https://www.godotmcpstudio.com/docs/troubleshooting).