Unity Prefab Parser MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that parses Unity text-serialized .prefab, .unity, and .asset files and outputs only Inspector-visible data in a clean, hierarchical YAML format — reducing token usage by up to 96%.

Supports regular prefabs, prefab variants (shows overridden values grouped by GameObject and component), and scene files.

Works with any MCP-compatible AI client: Claude Desktop, OpenCode, VS Code Copilot, Cursor, Windsurf, Codex, and more.

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Quick Start

git clone https://github.com/luckynee/unity-prefab-parser-mcp.git
cd unity-prefab-parser-mcp
npm install && npm run build

Then add to your AI client config (see Client Setup below).

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Recommended Workflow

First time on a project

1. init_unity_project   — scan .meta files, build GUID cache (once per project)
2. browse_unity_project — navigate folder tree to find the right subfolder
3. list_unity_assets    — list assets in that folder (filter by type or name)
4. parse_unity_file     — parse with preset: "compact" for token-efficient output

Subsequent sessions

Skip init_unity_project if .unity-mcp-cache.json exists and is less than 24h old. Go straight to browse_unity_project or list_unity_assets.

Example prompt

Initialize my Unity project at /path/to/MyGame, then show me all enemy prefabs.

The AI will call init_unity_project → browse_unity_project → list_unity_assets → parse_unity_file automatically.

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Tools

init_unity_project

Scans all .meta files in a Unity project and saves a GUID→asset name cache to .unity-mcp-cache.json. Run once per project. Subsequent parse calls load from cache automatically — zero rescan cost.

{
  "projectPath": "/path/to/MyUnityProject",
  "force": false
}

• projectPath — path to the Unity project root (the folder containing Assets/, ProjectSettings/)
• force — force rescan even if cache is fresh (default: false)

Returns: asset count, time taken, cache file location.

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browse_unity_project

Navigate the Unity project folder tree with asset counts per folder. Use this to find the subfolder you want before calling list_unity_assets.

{
  "projectPath": "/path/to/MyUnityProject",
  "subPath": "Assets/Enemies",
  "depth": 2
}

Example output:

Assets/
├── Enemies/          (12 prefabs)
├── UI/               (8 prefabs, 3 assets)
│   ├── HUD/          (4 prefabs)
│   └── Menus/        (4 prefabs)
├── Levels/           (5 scenes)
└── ScriptableObjects/ (23 assets)

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list_unity_assets

List .prefab, .unity, and .asset files in a directory with absolute paths ready to paste into parse_unity_file.

{
  "directory": "/path/to/MyUnityProject/Assets/Enemies",
  "type": "prefab",
  "search": "bat",
  "recursive": true,
  "limit": 50
}

• type — "prefab", "unity", "asset", or "all" (default: "all")
• search — case-insensitive name filter (e.g. "enemy" returns EnemyBat.prefab, EnemyWolf.prefab)
• recursive — search subfolders (default: true)
• limit — max results (default: 50)

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parse_unity_file

Parse a Unity text-serialized file and extract Inspector-visible component data as clean YAML.

{
  "filePath": "/path/to/MyUnityProject/Assets/Enemies/BatPF.prefab",
  "config": {
    "preset": "compact"
  }
}

Presets:

Preset	Token reduction	Best for
compact	~93–96%	LLM analysis, comparisons
standard	~84%	When you need GUID comments
minimal	~95%	Quick structural overview

You can mix preset with overrides:

{ "preset": "compact", "includeDefaultValues": true }

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parse_unity_prefab (deprecated)

Alias for parse_unity_file. Still works for backward compatibility.

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Client Setup

All clients use the same MCP server binary. Replace /path/to/unity-prefab-parser-mcp with your actual clone path.

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) or %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json (Windows):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unity-prefab-parser": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/unity-prefab-parser-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

OpenCode

Add to your opencode.json:

{
  "$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
  "mcp": {
    "unity-parser": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["node", "/path/to/unity-prefab-parser-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

OpenCode users: copy the bundled skills and commands to your OpenCode config directory:

# Copy all three Unity skills
cp -r /path/to/unity-prefab-parser-mcp/skills/unity-asset-workflow ~/.config/opencode/skills/
cp -r /path/to/unity-prefab-parser-mcp/skills/unity-diff-workflow ~/.config/opencode/skills/
cp -r /path/to/unity-prefab-parser-mcp/skills/unity-scene-workflow ~/.config/opencode/skills/

# Copy all Unity slash commands
cp /path/to/unity-prefab-parser-mcp/commands/*.md ~/.config/opencode/commands/

Then restart OpenCode. Skills appear in /skills, commands appear in /commands.

Skill	Purpose
unity-asset-workflow	General workflow — init, browse, list, parse
unity-diff-workflow	Compare prefabs, variants, scenes across versions
unity-scene-workflow	Navigate large .unity scenes token-efficiently

Slash commands available after installing:

• /unity-init [path] — initialize project cache
• /unity-browse [path] — browse project tree
• /unity-list [path] [type] [search] — list assets
• /unity-parse [path] — parse with compact preset
• /unity-diff [pathA] [pathB] — compare two prefabs or scenes
• /unity-scene [path] — token-efficient scene overview

VS Code (GitHub Copilot / MCP extension)

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace, or to VS Code user settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unity-prefab-parser": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/unity-prefab-parser-mcp/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

The .github/copilot-instructions.md bundled in this repo is auto-read by Copilot when the repo is open — no extra config needed for workflow guidance.

Cursor / Windsurf

Add to your MCP settings (Settings → MCP → Add Server):

{
  "unity-prefab-parser": {
    "command": "node",
    "args": ["/path/to/unity-prefab-parser-mcp/dist/index.js"]
  }
}

Codex / Claude Code (CLI agents)

The AGENTS.md file bundled in this repo is auto-read by Codex and Claude Code when they run in the project directory — no extra config needed. They will follow the init → browse → list → parse workflow automatically.

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Unity Serialization Requirement

This server requires Unity's text serialization format. If a file is binary, the server will reject it with a clear error.

Enable text serialization: Edit → Project Settings → Editor → Asset Serialization → Mode = Force Text

• Unity Editor Manager docs
• UnityYAML docs

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Example Output

Regular Prefab (compact mode)

prefab_name: BatPF

hierarchy: |
  BatPF (t: Player, l: Layer28)
  ├── Geometry
  └── Data

components:
  BatPF:
    Transform:
      lPos: (27.13, -6.38, 0)
    Rigidbody2D:
      mass: 3
      linearDrag: 5
      angularDrag: 6
      gravity: 0
      bodyType: 0
      sleepingMode: 1
    CircleCollider2D: {trigger: true, radius: 0.5}
  Data:
    EntityData:
      _entityName: Bat
      _walkSpeed: 1.5
      _attack: 10
      _defense: 2
      _isAlive: true

Prefab Variant (compact mode)

Variants show variant_of and only the modifications from the base prefab, grouped by GameObject and actual component/script type:

prefab_name: Buck
variant_of: Buck Base

hierarchy: |
  Buck Base  # $
  ├── AI  # $
  ├── Hitable Geometry  # $
  └── Unknown  # $

components:
  Buck Base:
    Transform:  # $
      lPos: (-42.633396, -215.17801, 0)  # $
    GameObject:  # $
      name: Buck  # $
    Seeker:  # $
      tagPenalties.array.data: 10000  # $
  AI:
    AIBrain:  # $
      states.array.size: 7  # $
      states.array.data.stateName: Exit Scene  # $
      states.array.data.transitions.array.array.data.trueState: Flee  # $
  Hitable Geometry:
    GameObject:  # $
      layer: 20  # $
  Unknown:
    AggressiveAnimalData:  # $
      _defense: 3  # $
    Animator:  # $
      ctrl: Buck Anim Controller  # $

Variant markers:

Marker	Meaning
# $	Modified from base
# +	Added (new component or GameObject)
# -	Removed from base

Note: Unknown GameObjects are modification targets that live 2+ levels deep in nested prefab chains — their names can't be resolved without recursive loading.

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Token Cost Reference

Real measurements on production prefabs:

File	Raw YAML	Parsed compact	Reduction
Buck.prefab (variant, 38KB)	~9,600 tokens	~400 tokens	96%
Buck Base.prefab (full, 73KB)	~18,000 tokens	~1,200 tokens	93%

Operation costs:

Operation	Approx tokens
init_unity_project	0 (disk only)
browse_unity_project	~200–500
list_unity_assets (50 files)	~800
parse_unity_file compact	~150–1,200
parse_unity_file standard	~300–2,000
Raw Unity YAML (same file)	~5,000–50,000

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Configuration Reference

Option	Type	Default	Description
preset	"minimal" | "standard" | "compact"	—	Use a preset
resolveAssetNames	boolean	true	Resolve GUIDs to asset names
showAssetTypes	boolean	true	Show asset type as comment
arrayMaxElements	number	20	Max array elements before summarizing
nestedObjectDepth	number	4	Max depth for nested objects
includeTransform	boolean	true	Include Transform components
includeDisabledObjects	boolean	true	Include disabled GameObjects
includeDefaultValues	boolean	false	Include properties with default values
includeNullReferences	boolean	false	Include null/empty references
includeHierarchy	boolean	true	Include hierarchy section
componentWhitelist	string[]	[]	Only include these component types
componentBlacklist	string[]	[]	Exclude these component types
useBooleans	boolean	false	Convert 0/1 to true/false
convertBitmasks	boolean	false	Convert LayerMask to layer arrays
useTreeHierarchy	boolean	false	Use tree format for hierarchy
abbreviateFieldNames	boolean	false	Shorten field names (lPos, lRot)
omitDefaultTransforms	boolean	false	Omit default position/rotation/scale
useShortRefs	boolean	false	Use @Name instead of <Type:Name>
useParenVectors	boolean	false	Use (x, y, z) instead of {x, y, z}
inlineSimpleComponents	boolean	false	Inline components with 1–2 fields
showVariantMarkers	boolean	true	Show # $, # +, # - markers

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Supported Components

Built-in field filters for:

• Transform, RectTransform
• Rigidbody, Rigidbody2D
• All Collider types (Box, Sphere, Capsule, Circle, Polygon, Mesh)
• SpriteRenderer, MeshRenderer, SkinnedMeshRenderer, MeshFilter
• Animator, Animation
• AudioSource, Camera, Light
• Canvas, CanvasScaler, GraphicRaycaster
• UI: Image, Text, TextMeshProUGUI, Button
• ParticleSystem, ParticleSystemRenderer, TrailRenderer, LineRenderer
• MonoBehaviour (custom scripts — all serialized fields shown)

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Project Structure

unity-prefab-parser-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts        # MCP server, all tool definitions
│   ├── parser.ts       # Unity YAML parsing
│   ├── resolver.ts     # Reference and value resolution
│   ├── components.ts   # Component field filters and renames
│   ├── hierarchy.ts    # GameObject tree builder
│   ├── formatter.ts    # YAML output formatter
│   ├── config.ts       # Configuration and presets
│   ├── cache.ts        # Meta file GUID cache
│   └── variant.ts      # Prefab variant detection
├── skills/
│   ├── unity-asset-workflow/
│   │   └── SKILL.md    # General workflow (init, browse, list, parse)
│   ├── unity-diff-workflow/
│   │   └── SKILL.md    # Compare prefabs, variants, scenes
│   └── unity-scene-workflow/
│       └── SKILL.md    # Navigate large scenes token-efficiently
├── commands/
│   ├── unity-init.md   # /unity-init [path]
│   ├── unity-browse.md # /unity-browse [path]
│   ├── unity-list.md   # /unity-list [path] [type] [search]
│   ├── unity-parse.md  # /unity-parse [path]
│   ├── unity-diff.md   # /unity-diff [pathA] [pathB]
│   └── unity-scene.md  # /unity-scene [path]
├── test/
│   └── parser.test.ts  # Test suite (103 tests)
├── AGENTS.md           # Auto-read by Codex and Claude Code
├── .github/
│   └── copilot-instructions.md  # Auto-read by GitHub Copilot
├── package.json
└── tsconfig.json

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Development

npm install       # install dependencies
npm run build     # compile TypeScript
npm test          # run test suite (103 tests)
npm run dev       # run with tsx (no build needed)

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License

MIT