ZUKU CLI#

The ZUKU CLI is a local tool for making HTML5 games for ZUKU. It creates projects, previews them on your machine, checks them against the same rules the service uses, packages them into reproducible .zwf or .zip files, and uploads or publishes them to your ZUKU account. It also includes a local game-development agent that can build and verify a game for you.

The current version is 0.3.0.

One tool, two names#

The CLI installs two commands: zuku and zukujs. They are the same program. Both run the same runtime and share the same configuration, sign-in state, providers and session history under ~/.config/zukujs/ (Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\ZukuJS\). You can use either name; this documentation uses zuku.

zuku --version
zukujs --version   # same CLI, same output

Installation#

Install the CLI with the official installer at https://zuzunza.com/install.sh (Linux and macOS) or https://zuzunza.com/install.ps1 (Windows PowerShell). The installer sets up a managed Node.js runtime, so you don't need to install Node yourself. See Installation for the exact commands and options.

The CLI is not published to npm. npm install @zukujs/cli does not work; use the official installer.

Mental model#

Every game is a plain folder on your computer. The CLI moves that folder through five steps:

Create: zuku create <name> scaffolds a new project folder.
Run: zuku run, inside the folder, serves a local preview on 127.0.0.1.
Validate: zuku validate <path> checks the project or package without running its code.
Package: zuku package <path> builds a deterministic .zwf (default) or .zip.
Publish: zuku upload creates a draft on ZUKU, and zuku deploy --yolo publishes to production in one explicit step.

The first four steps work offline. Only the last step talks to the ZUKU service and needs a ZUKU account. See Publishing for details.

Quickstart#

zuku create my-game            # scaffold a playable Canvas JUMP runner
cd my-game
zuku run                       # preview locally; press Ctrl+C to stop
zuku validate .                # check the project against package rules
zuku package . --format zwf    # write dist/my-game-0.1.0.zwf

zuku run doesn't take a path. It always previews the game in the current folder.

The scaffold is a small Canvas obstacle runner: press Space or tap to jump. It includes zukujs.json, src/index.html, src/game.js, a README and a .gitignore. create takes only a project name. There is no template flag. For other starting points, see Starters.

Command overview#

Command	What it does
`zuku create <name>`	Create a new project folder
`zuku run`	Preview the game in the current folder locally
`zuku validate <path>`	Check a project folder, `.zwf` or `.zip`
`zuku package <path>`	Build a reproducible `.zwf` or `.zip`
`zuku agent "<request>"`	Build and browser-verify a game with the local agent
`zuku login zuku`	Connect your ZUKU account
`zuku upload <path>`	Upload a package and create a draft
`zuku deploy <path> --yolo`	Publish to production in one step
`zuku provider`, `zuku model`, `zuku auth`	Configure AI providers, models and credentials
`zuku status`, `zuku doctor`	Diagnose your local setup

See the command reference for every command and flag.

Next steps#

Getting started: build your first game from start to finish.
Command reference: full synopsis, flags and examples.
Game agent: let the local agent build and verify a game.
Authentication, Providers and Models: set up accounts and AI.
ZUKU Studio: the desktop app that uses the same runtime.
Errors: error codes and how to fix them.