Godot Rapid Prototype Kit

Turn game ideas into playable prototypes in minutes using Claude Code + Godot.

Setup (One-Time)

1. Prerequisites

• Godot 4.3+ — Download from https://godotengine.org/download
  • Make sure godot is on your PATH (or alias it)
  • Test: godot --version should print the version number
• Claude Code — Install with npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
  • Test: claude should start a session

2. Clone / Copy This Kit

# Copy this folder to wherever you keep projects
cp -r godot-prototype-kit ~/projects/godot-prototype-kit
cd ~/projects/godot-prototype-kit

3. First Run — Validate Godot Can See the Project

# This should open and immediately close the editor, importing the project
godot --headless --editor --quit

If this works without errors, you're ready.

Workflow

The Rapid Prototype Loop

 ┌──────────────────────────────────────────────┐
 │  1. Describe game idea to Claude Code        │
 │     (see prompt_guide.md for tips)           │
 ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
 │  2. Claude writes .tscn + .gd files          │
 │     and validates with godot --headless       │
 ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
 │  3. You playtest:  godot --path . [scene]     │
 │     or just open Godot and hit Play           │
 ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
 │  4. Tell Claude what felt good / bad          │
 │     "movement is too floaty"                  │
 │     "the scoring isn't satisfying"            │
 │     "the enemy AI is too predictable"         │
 ├──────────────────────────────────────────────┤
 │  5. Claude iterates → go to step 3           │
 └──────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Starting a Session

cd ~/projects/godot-prototype-kit
claude

# Then in the Claude Code session:
> Make a prototype: [describe your game idea here]

Claude Code will read the CLAUDE.md file automatically and know the conventions.

Playing a Prototype

# Run the current main scene
godot --path .

# Or run a specific prototype scene directly
godot --path . prototypes/my_game/main.tscn

Switching Between Prototypes

Tell Claude Code:

Switch the main scene to the gravity_flip prototype

It will update project.godot to point to that prototype's main.tscn.

File Structure

godot-prototype-kit/
├── CLAUDE.md              ← Instructions Claude Code reads automatically
├── README.md              ← You are here
├── project.godot          ← Godot project config
├── prompt_guide.md        ← How to describe game ideas effectively
├── shared/                ← Reusable code for all prototypes
│   ├── colors.gd          ← ProtoColors.PLAYER, .ENEMY, .GOAL, etc.
│   ├── debug_overlay.gd   ← FPS counter + custom debug values
│   └── proto_utils.gd     ← Screen shake, popup text, flash, etc.
└── prototypes/            ← Each prototype in its own folder
    ├── idea_one/
    │   ├── main.tscn
    │   └── main.gd
    └── idea_two/
        └── ...

Tips

• Don't delete prototypes — keep them around to revisit. They're small.
• Name prototypes by the mechanic, not the theme: magnet_collect, gravity_flip, dual_control — not cool_game_3
• Playtest for 30 seconds, then iterate. You'll know within half a minute whether the core mechanic has potential.
• When something feels fun, say so. Tell Claude what worked so it preserves that quality in the next iteration.
• Export variables are your best friend. After generating a prototype, open Godot and tweak @export values in the Inspector while the game runs.