lecodes-cli

Build, run and ship LeCodes projects from your machine: local projects with hot reload on a device, the desktop and the browser; headless render / flow tests; the design and scene editors; native iOS / Android / desktop shells; and the clone / push loop against the platform, with full TypeScript IntelliSense for the SDK in your editor.

The package is lecodes-cli; the command it installs is lecodes.

lecodes --help              # every command, grouped
lecodes <command> --help    # that command's options, subcommands and examples

The full reference is the command reference — generated from the command definitions, so it always matches --help.

Install

npm install -g lecodes-cli      # then run: lecodes <command>
# or without installing:
npx lecodes-cli <command>

Optional peers

Some commands live in separate packages the CLI installs on first use into ~/.lecodes/peers (after a prompt; --yes / LECODES_YES=1 skips it):

| Package | Needed by | |---|---| | lecodes-renderer (pinned to the CLI's own version) + @napi-rs/canvas for PNG | render, test, design snapshot | | lecodes-design | design | | lecodes-3d-editor | scene, thumbs | | lecodes-assets | assets |

A copy you installed yourself (npm install -g lecodes-renderer, or in a project's devDependencies next to a local lecodes-cli) wins over the prefix. lecodes --version shows each peer's version and where it came from.

Standalone build (the release archive, no Node/Bun needed): unpack it and run ./lecodes install to copy the bundle to a library folder and put lecodes on your PATH — per-user by default, or --system for all users on Linux/macOS. The archive ships the lecodes binary alongside the chisel bundler and a runtime/ folder; keep them together, or let install place them for you. The standalone build resolves no npm packages, so the peer-backed commands need the npm install.

Quick start

Start a project locally — no account, no login:

lecodes init myapp                  # scaffold a local project (starter + types + tsconfig)
cd myapp
#   …edit main.ts in VS Code (IntelliSense works out of the box)…
lecodes dev                         # run it on a device with hot reload (scan the QR)
lecodes dev --web                   # …and in the browser (Web Lite host)
lecodes dev --desktop               # …and in the native desktop host
lecodes render --png shot.png       # a headless screenshot; `lecodes test` runs tests/*.flow.json
lecodes compile -o app.js           # one self-contained bundle for LeCodes Desktop

Or work against a project on the platform:

lecodes login                       # opens the browser to authorize this machine
lecodes clone <project-uuid> myapp  # download files + types into ./myapp
cd myapp
#   …edit files in VS Code…
lecodes status                      # see what changed
lecodes push -m "Tweak the menu"    # push as a new checkpoint
lecodes publish                     # release it: https://<handle>.le.codes, the viewers, the store
lecodes releases                    # the releases; `releases use <version>` rolls back

A local project joins the platform later with lecodes link (create) or lecodes link --project <uuid> (adopt an existing one — it shows what your next push would change there before connecting anything).

Commands at a glance

| Group | Commands | |---|---| | Project | init create clone link status diff pull push publish releases login | | Run & test | dev compile render test desktop | | Editors | design scene thumbs | | Content | assets shaders lightmap navmesh | | Native apps | app (ios / android / desktop shells) pn (push notifications) | | Maintenance | update install |

How it works

• Project metadata and the path → asset map live in .lecodes/ (per-checkout state, like .git; keep it out of the project's own git — init / clone write the .gitignore line).
• A push sends your whole working tree to the server, which atomically rebuilds the project's file tree (adds, edits, deletes, renames and moves all at once) and freezes a single checkpoint. Renames / moves keep their history; unchanged binaries are never re-uploaded. push refuses to overwrite a server that moved on; diff shows the conflict, pull takes the server's version, push --force yours.
• Types are fetched from the server on clone / pull / link, so they match the deployed runtime. A local init project starts with the copy bundled in the CLI; lecodes update refreshes either kind (and the desktop host, matc, the shader compiles, the native shell pins and the optional peers).
• Config lives in ~/.lecodes/config.json; LECODES_API / LECODES_TOKEN override it (CI). A .env next to app.json is read at startup for LECODES_* / CREATOR_* keys — the shell's own environment wins, ./ paths resolve against the project, and the file is never pushed.