Troubleshooting & FAQ

Common setup problems, and the questions people ask before they try PinWright.

My assistant can’t connect

This is the most common issue. Work through these:

• The Unreal Editor must be open and the plugin enabled: PinWright runs inside the editor, so your assistant has nothing to connect to while it is closed. Confirm the green Server listening line in the PinWright Setup window.
• Launch order no longer matters. Clicking Install sets the connection up to recover on its own, so you can start your assistant before or after the editor.
• Restart or reload your assistant after connecting it. Most assistants read their MCP config only when they start.
• Check that your assistant's config points at the right address. The setup window shows the resolved address; with the default per-project auto-derived port it is usually not http://127.0.0.1:19880/mcp. Configs written by Install follow the live port through Saved/PinWright/gateway-port on their own.
• An Unauthorized error means the request carried no valid bearer token: a hand-written direct HTTP config is missing its Authorization header, or the token in Saved/PinWright/gateway-token was rotated. Click Install again to rewrite the config.
• Some assistants, such as Cursor, add servers from project files disabled by default. Enable PinWright in the assistant's MCP settings.
• Re-run Tools → PinWright Setup and click Install again to rewrite the config.

“Port already in use” / two editors collide

By default Auto-derive Port From Project Path is on, so each project already binds its own port in 19880–30119 and different projects do not collide. A collision means two editors of the same project (they share a port), a rare cross-folder hash collision, or you turned auto-derive off and pinned every project to the fixed HttpPort. Only the first editor accepts your assistant. To force a specific port, set an explicit HttpPort and turn off auto-derive under Edit → Editor Preferences → Plugins → PinWright (the HTTP group), re-run onboarding, then restart. Also confirm no other local process holds the port.

It connects, but a request fails on my engine version

Some features need a newer Unreal version than the one you're running. In that case your assistant gets a clear UNSUPPORTED_ENGINE_VERSION message and can tell you so. The plugin supports UE 5.3 to 5.8: Windows packages, Linux through a source build, no macOS. Confirm you installed it for the engine version you're using.

FAQ

Is any of my project data sent anywhere?

Not by the plugin. PinWright runs inside your editor, only accepts connections from your own machine, makes no network calls of its own and sends nothing to PinWright. Your AI assistant sends what it reads to the model provider you chose, as it already does with your code. Which provider that is, and whether the model runs locally, is up to you. See How it works.

Is there a full list of what it can do?

Yes, in two places. What it covers lists every area with example requests. Your assistant also has a detailed reference of all 1,300+ editor actions built in, and looks things up there as it works. You don't need to read it.

Will it work in a packaged game build?

No. PinWright is editor-only by design. It helps you build the game and is not part of it.

Can it break my project?

Your assistant can create, edit and delete assets. Work on a branch, commit before large changes, and review the diff. For Blueprints and other graphs, ask for the readable text before and after a change to see exactly what changed.

How do I get the plugin, and what is the GitHub repo for?

It's the same plugin either way. PinWright is open source under the MIT License at PinWright/pinwright-ue: clone it into your project's Plugins folder and build it, free, or download a free prebuilt Windows zip from GitHub Releases. Or get it on Fab, which supports the project and installs through the Epic Games Launcher. The GitHub repository is also where the source and issues live. See Install & connect.

Where do I report bugs or request features?

All support is public, no access request needed. Bug reports, critical gaps in existing features, and feature requests all go to GitHub Issues in the public repository PinWright/pinwright-ue.

What does it cost?

Nothing from GitHub: the code is MIT licensed, so you can clone, build, modify, and ship it, and the prebuilt Windows zips on GitHub Releases are free too. The Fab listing shows the current price. It has the same features and adds installing and updating from the Epic Games Launcher, and it is the simplest way to support the project.