Setup

Requirements

To use ScaffScript, you’ll need the following:

Game Engines

Name	Version	Supported	Notes
GameMaker	2.3+	✅
GameMaker	1.x	❌	May work, but not tested

Text Editor

You can use any text editor you want. But it’s heavily recommended to use text editor that supports integrated terminal for better development experience.

Tip

If you’re using:

• Visual Studio Code,
• Visual Studio Code forks (such as VSCodium and Antigravity), or
• other text editor that allow you to install extensions from Visual Studio Marketplace or Open VSX Registry,

you can install the ScaffScript extension in the Visual Studio Marketplace or Open VSX Registry for the best experience.

JavaScript Runtime

Name	Version	Supported	Notes
Bun	1.x	✅	Recommended
Node.js	20+	✅
Other JS runtimes	-	❌	May work, but not tested

Installation

Tip

Using source control (such as Git) is heavily recommended to avoid unexpected issues.

To create a new ScaffScript project, you can use bun (recommended), npm, or pnpm:

# make sure you're in your project root directory
cd path/to/your/project         # path/to/your/project>

bun

bun create @scaffscript/project@latest

npm

npm create @scaffscript/project@latest

pnpm

pnpm create @scaffscript/project@latest

You’ll be prompted to answer a few questions to set up your ScaffScript project:

1. Project Name, this is the name of your ScaffScript project, not your GameMaker project. Required.
2. Package Manager, you can choose between bun, npm, and pnpm. Default is npm.
3. Create GameMaker Project, if you want to create a new GameMaker project for your ScaffScript project. Default is n. If you choose y, you’ll be prompted to enter:
   • GameMaker Project Name, your GameMaker project name. Default is the same as your ScaffScript project name.
   • GameMaker IDE Version, your used GameMaker IDE version. Required.
4. Initialize a Git repository, if you want to initialize a Git repository for your ScaffScript project. Default is n.

Note

• If you create a new GameMaker project, you can skip the Project Structure section. The created project will have the inline structure.
• If you choose n for Create GameMaker Project, you can still use any existing GameMaker project with ScaffScript.
• The package manager will install ScaffScript and its dependencies automatically. It won’t affect your existing GameMaker project.
• If you’re not sure what to do, just go with the defaults. You can always change things later.

Testing Your Setup

Before moving on, let’s make sure everything is set up correctly. Run the following command to test your setup:

bun

bun run help

npm

npm run help

pnpm

pnpm help

If you see the help message, congratulations! You’ve successfully set up ScaffScript.

Tip

Detailed information about the available commands can be found in the Command Line Interface section.