CSharp Console

Interactive C# REPL for Unity — powered by Roslyn

Execute C# code on the fly in Unity Editor & Runtime — no compilation wait, no boilerplate,
full access to your project's live state. Editor zero-config, Runtime just works with HybridCLR.

Features · Installation · Quick Start · REPL Usage · Extending Commands

English | 中文

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✦ Features

Core Capabilities

	Feature	Description
>_	Interactive REPL	Roslyn-based script submissions with persistent session state — variables, using directives, and types survive across executions
#	Top-level Syntax	Write statements directly. No class, no Main, no boilerplate
@	Command Framework	Extensible [CommandAction] commands with automatic JSON-to-parameter binding (positional & named args), /batch endpoint for multi-command workflows
Tab	Semantic Completion	Real-time member, namespace, and type completions directly from Roslyn
🔓	Private Member Access	Bypass private / protected / internal access modifiers at compile time for deep inspection
⏸	Debug While Paused	Submit code while the Editor is paused in Play Mode — inspect transient state captured at the exact frame, without losing the snapshot
📡	Remote Execution	Compile in the Editor, execute on a connected Player build (IL2CPP via HybridCLR)

How It Looks

Live theme preview — browse candidates with ↑ / ↓

/theme

Fuzzy semantic completion — type only the significant characters

GameObject.fnd  →  GameObject.Find

Private member access — inspect accessibility before accepting

cam.mid  →  cam.m_InstanceID

Stateful submissions — reuse live Unity values in later expressions

var m = cam.transform.localToWorldMatrix
m.mp34  →  m.MultiplyPoint3x4

Command expressions — inspect Editor state directly

@editor.status()

⚙ Installation

Add via Packages/manifest.json:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "com.zh1zh1.csharpconsole": "https://github.com/niqibiao/unity-csharpconsole.git"
  }
}

Or reference as a local package:

{
  "dependencies": {
    "com.zh1zh1.csharpconsole": "file:../com.zh1zh1.csharpconsole"
  }
}

Note: Both assembly definitions have autoReferenced: false. If your code needs to reference this package, add Zh1Zh1.CSharpConsole.Runtime (or .Editor) to your asmdef's references explicitly.

▶ Quick Start

Editor — Zero Configuration

Import the package and it just works. The Editor-side HTTP service starts automatically via [InitializeOnLoadMethod] — no initialization code, no settings to tweak, no manual setup. Open the REPL from the Unity menu:

Menu Item	Target
Console > C#Console	Local Editor
Console > RemoteC#Console	Remote Editor / Player

Runtime — One Line, No Extra Setup

Enable the remote console on a Player build with a single call:

#if DEVELOPMENT_BUILD
Zh1Zh1.CSharpConsole.RuntimeInitializer.ConsoleInitialize();
#endif

Runtime execution only depends on HybridCLR's Assembly.Load capability for IL2CPP (no additional configuration needed).

The runtime assembly is gated by DEVELOPMENT_BUILD || UNITY_EDITOR.

	Port
Editor	14500 (default)
Runtime	15500 (default)

If a port is occupied, the service automatically advances to the next available one.

Warning

The service binds all network interfaces and has no authentication, by design: it targets trusted LANs where reaching a teammate's Editor or a device build is a feature. Anyone who can reach the port can execute C# in your Editor — do not expose it to untrusted networks.

⌨ REPL Usage

Starting the REPL

The recommended way is through the Unity menu. You can also launch directly:

# Auto-discover running Unity Editors
python "Editor/ExternalTool~/console-client/csharp_repl.py"

# Connect to a specific Editor
python "Editor/ExternalTool~/console-client/csharp_repl.py" --editor --ip 127.0.0.1 --port 14500

# Connect to a Runtime Player (with Editor as compile server)
python "Editor/ExternalTool~/console-client/csharp_repl.py" \
  --mode runtime --ip 127.0.0.1 --port 15500 \
  --compile-ip 127.0.0.1 --compile-port 14500

Python 3.7+ is required. Python dependencies (requests, prompt_toolkit, Pygments) are installed automatically on first launch.

Compile Set Alignment

Runtime code is compiled in the Editor and runs in the Player. A compile set uses the Player build's assemblies and defines for compilation, reducing mismatches caused by stripping or different #if branches.

Player builds export to Library/CSharpConsoleCompileSet.zip under the Unity project root by default. Disable export or enable Override to change its path in Edit > Project Settings > C# Console. Custom paths must be relative to the project root, such as Builds/Console.zip or ../Exports/Console.zip; absolute paths are not supported. Browse converts the selected location to a relative path, so it must be on the same drive or network share as the project. Missing folders are created automatically. Existing absolute-path overrides must be changed to relative paths or have Override turned off before exporting.

Each export replaces the ZIP at the selected path. Copy the ZIP elsewhere if you need to keep it for a particular build; the default export is also removed when you delete the project's Library directory. Disabling export leaves existing ZIPs in place.

When the REPL shows [REPL ALIGNMENT REQUIRED], register the ZIP from that Player build:

/compileset <ZIP path or http(s) URL>

Use /compileset skip to compile against the Editor's references instead; the code may then fail in the Player. The Editor remembers your choice for each build. Register again after rebuilding, or to update the compile set.

Key Bindings

Key	Action
Enter	Submit input
Ctrl+Enter	Insert newline without submitting
Tab	Accept completion candidate
Ctrl+R	Reverse history search
Ctrl+C	Copy selection; otherwise clear input (confirm quit if empty)

Completion activates automatically as you type. The toolbar shows semantic completion status: on ● / off ○.

Built-in Commands

Command	Description
/completion <0|1>	Toggle semantic completion
/theme [name]	List or switch code-highlighting themes
/using	Show default using file path
/define	Show preprocessor defines file path
/reload	Reload using / define files
/reset	Reset the REPL session
/clear	Clear the terminal
/dofile <path>	Execute a local .cs file
/compileset <zip|URL|skip>	Register the Player build's compile set, or skip alignment (runtime mode)

Command Expressions

The REPL supports @-prefixed command expressions that invoke the server-side command framework directly — bypassing Roslyn compilation:

@project.scene.open(scenePath: "Assets/Scenes/SampleScene.unity", mode: "single")
@editor.status()
@session.inspect(sessionId: "session-1")

Tab completion works for both command names and argument names.

📋 Built-in Actions

62 built-in commands across 15 namespaces, covering editor control, scene manipulation, asset management, and more.

Namespace	Action	Description
gameobject	find	Find GameObjects by name, tag, or component type
	create	Create a new GameObject (empty or primitive)
	destroy	Destroy a GameObject
	get	Get detailed GameObject, transform, component, and static-state info
	modify	Change name, tag, layer, active state, or static flag
	set_parent	Reparent a GameObject
	duplicate	Duplicate a GameObject
component	add	Add a component to a GameObject
	remove	Remove a component from a GameObject
	get	Get serialized field data of a component
	modify	Modify serialized fields of a component
transform	set	Set position, rotation, and/or scale (local or world)
scene	hierarchy	Inspect the scene hierarchy tree, optionally with component info
prefab	create	Create a prefab asset from a scene GameObject
	instantiate	Instantiate a prefab into the active scene
	unpack	Unpack a prefab instance
	asset_hierarchy	Get the hierarchy tree of a prefab asset
	asset_get	Get detailed info about a GameObject in a prefab asset
	asset_get_component	Get serialized properties of a component in a prefab asset
	asset_modify_component	Modify serialized fields of a component in a prefab asset
	asset_add_component	Add a component to a GameObject in a prefab asset
	asset_remove_component	Remove a component from a GameObject in a prefab asset
	asset_modify_gameobject	Modify a GameObject's properties in a prefab asset
	asset_add_gameobject	Add a child GameObject to a prefab asset
	asset_remove_gameobject	Remove a child GameObject from a prefab asset
material	create	Create a new material asset with a specified shader
	get	Get material properties from an asset or a Renderer
	assign	Assign a material to a Renderer component
scriptableobject	create	Create a ScriptableObject asset of a given type
	get	Get serialized field data of a ScriptableObject asset
	modify	Modify serialized fields of a ScriptableObject asset
screenshot	scene_view	Capture the Scene View to an image file
	game_view	Capture the Game View to an image file
profiler	start	Start Profiler recording (optional deep profiling)
	stop	Stop Profiler recording
	status	Get current Profiler state
	save	Save recorded profiler data to a .raw file
editor	status	Get editor, play-mode, and transition state
	playmode.enter	Enter play mode
	playmode.exit	Exit play mode
	console.clear	Clear the editor console
	console.mark	Write a searchable marker into the editor log and return the log file path
	test.run	Start a Unity Test Framework run (EditMode or PlayMode)
	test.status	Get the state and results of the latest test run
project	scene.list	List all scenes in the project
	scene.open	Open a scene by path
	scene.save	Save the current scene
	selection.get	Get the current editor selection
	selection.set	Set the editor selection
	asset.list	List assets by type filter
	asset.import	Import an asset by path
	asset.reimport	Reimport an asset by path
asset	move	Move or rename an asset
	copy	Copy an asset to a new path
	delete	Delete one or more assets
	create_folder	Create a folder in the Asset Database
session	list	List active REPL sessions
	inspect	Inspect a session's state
	reset	Reset a session's compiler and executor
command	list	List all registered commands (built-in + custom)
	registry.snapshot	Get the command registry snapshot
runtime	info	Report the responding process's device facts and well-known file paths

39 actions need the editor and say so when a player receives them. The other 23 also answer in a player: runtime/info, scene/hierarchy, gameobject/*, transform/set, component/*, screenshot/game_view, profiler/start|stop|status, session/* and command/*. A player has no undo stack, so mutations made there cannot be reversed, and component/get|modify only covers components the project declares — built-in components keep their state in native properties rather than serialized fields.

prefab/asset_* edit the asset on disk without opening a scene. They address children by the identity selector returned from asset_hierarchy (gid:<guid>:<localFileId>), not by name path.

In 2.4.0, scene and prefab hierarchy results report nodeCount, truncated, and truncationReasons: requested_depth, node_limit (5000 nodes), or depth_limit (depth 128, with the root at 0). depth=-1 retains the safety limits. Component inspection and hierarchy results return namespace-qualified type names that can be passed directly as typeName, such as Game.GameEntry.

editor/test.* require com.unity.test-framework in the consuming project; without it they stay registered but return an explanatory error.

🔌 Extending Commands

The command framework lets any project add custom commands without modifying the package source — declare a [CommandAction] method and the framework handles discovery, parameter binding, and routing automatically.

See the full guide: Extending Commands

📦 Requirements

Dependency	Version
Unity	2022.3+
Python	3.7+ (on system PATH)
Windows Terminal	Optional (falls back to Python directly)

🔗 Related Projects

• unity-cli-plugin — Non-interactive CLI for the same HTTP service, designed for scripting and automation workflows.
• python-prompt-toolkit — Terminal UI library powering the REPL's interactive interface.
• HybridCLR — IL2CPP hot-reload solution enabling Assembly.Load in Runtime mode.

📄 Third-Party Notices

This package bundles Roslyn compiler assemblies and dnlib under Editor/Plugins/. See ThirdPartyNotices.md for full attribution and license details.

📜 License

Apache License 2.0