roblox-studio-workflow

---
name: roblox-studio-workflow
description: >
  Modify living Roblox Studio projects safely: inspect Explorer and execution locations, preserve
  existing structure, reuse modules/remotes, create meaningful Instances, apply Attributes and
  CollectionService tags, test server/client and multiple devices, inspect Output, and remove
  experiments/debug objects. Use when an agent edits a place or rbxl/rbxlx/Rojo project, operates
  in Studio, adds Scripts/LocalScripts/ModuleScripts, or must verify a Roblox change in context.
---

# Roblox Studio workflow

Work as a collaborator inside an existing place, not as if it were a blank text repository. Targets
current Roblox Studio and rolling platform APIs.

## When to use

- Use before invasive edits to a Roblox place, Studio DataModel, or Rojo-backed project.
- Use to plan execution location, find/reuse systems, create editable Instances, and gather honest
  Studio verification evidence.

**When not to use:** this skill owns project operation, not the domain implementation. Compose it
with `roblox-ui`, `roblox-networking`, `roblox-characters`, `roblox-physics`, `roblox-luau`, or
`roblox-datastores` as appropriate.

## Workflow

1. **Establish source of truth.** Determine whether Studio, Rojo files, a package manager, or a
   generated build owns each subtree. Do not hand-edit generated output or create Studio-only
   changes that the next sync overwrites.
2. **Inventory before proposing structure.** Inspect Explorer, search scripts/modules/remotes/tags,
   read project mapping and naming conventions, and run once to observe existing warnings. Locate
   the feature's current owner and dependencies.
3. **Plan the smallest compatible edit.** Name the Instances and execution locations you will
   change. Reuse existing remotes, component modules, cleanup utilities, tags, Attributes, folders,
   and configuration patterns. State any unresolved ownership boundary.
4. **Create real, meaningful objects.** Normal authored UI, folders, attachments, constraints,
   remotes, and configuration remain inspectable in Explorer. Use scripts for behavior and truly
   dynamic repetition—not to hide the entire feature in runtime construction.
5. **Respect execution and replication.** Put authoritative logic in server containers, persistent
   client logic in `StarterPlayerScripts`, per-character client logic in
   `StarterCharacterScripts`, UI templates in `StarterGui`, shared assets/modules/remotes in
   `ReplicatedStorage`, and secrets/server assets in server-only containers.
6. **Test the actual risk.** Choose Play, Play Here, Run, Server & Clients, Device Emulator,
   Controller Emulator, or scripted Studio testing based on the behavior. Inspect server and client
   Output, not only the viewport.
7. **Clean the experiment.** Remove temporary parts, test remotes, command-bar scripts, debug UI,
   prints, disabled duplicate scripts, placeholder assets, and tags/Attributes created only for
   diagnosis. Stop the session and confirm edit-mode hierarchy is clean.
8. **Report evidence precisely.** List changed Instances/files, modes and client counts, cases
   executed, observed Output, failures and fixes, and anything not run. Never translate “looks
   plausible” or static inspection into “tested in Studio.”

## Execution-location map

| Location | Typical role | Key constraint |
|---|---|---|
| `ServerScriptService` | authoritative server Scripts/modules | not replicated to clients |
| `ServerStorage` | server-only assets/data | clients cannot access it |
| `ReplicatedStorage` | shared modules/assets/remotes | visible to clients; do not store secrets |
| `StarterPlayerScripts` | client systems across respawns | clone into `PlayerScripts` |
| `StarterCharacterScripts` | per-character client behavior | recreated each character |
| `StarterGui` | authored UI templates | clones into `PlayerGui`; lifecycle depends on GUI policy |
| `Workspace` | replicated world and live characters | streaming/ownership may affect client view |

Verify actual Script `RunContext` and project conventions; class/location shorthand does not excuse
inspection of an existing custom setup.

## Reuse before adding

Before creating a RemoteEvent, search by purpose and inspect both endpoints. Before adding a
“manager” or service module, identify the current feature owner. Before introducing folders/tags,
inspect naming and retrieval patterns. Duplicate systems are especially dangerous when both run:
they double-bind input, save twice, create two UI clones, or apply gameplay twice.

Use Attributes for small typed designer-editable metadata that belongs on an Instance. Use
`CollectionService` tags for discovering sets of Instances across hierarchy. Use folders for
ownership/navigation, not as a substitute for semantic tags. Preserve established schemas and
validate missing/malformed Attributes at system boundaries.

```lua
local CollectionService = game:GetService("CollectionService")

local function setupDoor(instance: Instance)
    if not instance:IsA("Model") then return end
    local accessLevel = instance:GetAttribute("AccessLevel")
    if type(accessLevel) ~= "number" then
        warn(`Door {instance:GetFullName()} needs numeric AccessLevel`)
        return
    end
    attachDoorBehavior(instance, accessLevel)
end

for _, door in CollectionService:GetTagged("Door") do setupDoor(door) end
CollectionService:GetInstanceAddedSignal("Door"):Connect(setupDoor)
```

The owning system must also clean behavior when a tagged Instance is removed/destroyed.

## Studio MCP server (optional agent path)

Roblox Studio has a built-in MCP server. When it is connected to your AI client, drive the
same inspect -> edit -> run/verify -> playtest ladder through its tools instead of manual
clicking. This is OPTIONAL: when it is not connected, the manual Studio + Rojo workflow
above and below is the full default path, and nothing in this skill requires MCP, Assistant,
or any other tool. Enable it in Studio under Assistant, then Manage MCP Servers, then
"Enable Studio as MCP server" (it speaks MCP over stdio to the client).

Map the workflow onto the documented tools. Every call also takes a `studio_id`; use
`list_roblox_studios` to pick the target when several Studio windows are open.

| Ladder step | MCP tools |
|---|---|
| inspect / inventory | `search_game_tree`, `inspect_instance`, `script_search`, `script_grep` |
| edit | `script_read`, `multi_edit` (creates the script when the path is new) |
| run / verify | `execute_luau` (needs a `datamodel_type`: Edit, Client, or Server), `get_studio_state`, `start_stop_play`, `get_console_output`, `screen_capture` |
| playtest | `subagent` (types `explore`, `playtest`), `character_navigation`, `user_keyboard_input`, `user_mouse_input` |
| Roblox's own docs/skills | `http_get` (allowed Roblox doc URLs), `skill` (Roblox-authored reference) |

The discipline does not change with MCP: `multi_edit` still writes normal, inspectable Scripts
(not a feature hidden in runtime construction), the server stays authoritative, you still edit
source-of-truth files rather than generated output, and you still clean up experiments. Treat
`get_console_output` and `screen_capture` as the agent-native evidence for the verification
ladder, and still inspect BOTH server and client output. MCP is a transport for the same
workflow, not a licence to skip it.

Roblox also ships agent-readable docs independent of MCP: an index at
`https://create.roblox.com/docs/llms.txt` and a `.md` twin of every docs page (append `.md`
to its URL). A connected client can reach these through `http_get`/`skill`; an offline agent
reads the `.md` pages directly.

## Verification ladder

1. **Static:** project mapping/JSON/XML parses; links resolve; Luau diagnostics/lint if available.
2. **Single session:** correct execution context, hierarchy, no new Output errors/warnings, basic
   happy path and cleanup.
3. **Lifecycle:** respawn, reset, reopen/rejoin, streaming or character replacement as relevant.
4. **Server & Clients:** at least two clients for remotes, replication, ownership, player
   interaction, joins/leaves, and targeted state.
5. **Device/input:** representative device profiles, orientation, touch, controller navigation.
6. **Stress/failure:** malformed input, spam, empty/full content, rapid transitions, simultaneous
   actions, disconnects, and cleanup.

Use the smallest rungs that cover the change, but never substitute a lower rung for a claimed
higher-rung result.

## Common failures

| Symptom | Likely cause | Remedy |
|---|---|---|
| Studio edit disappears after sync | generated/mapped subtree edited | change source-of-truth files and resync |
| feature runs twice | duplicate Script/remote/controller | inspect first; consolidate under existing owner |
| client cannot access module/object | wrong execution/storage location | move shared content deliberately; keep secrets server-only |
| authored screen unreadable in Explorer | everything created by one LocalScript | create named Instance shell and small behavior modules |
| test passes only in Play | replication/lifecycle untested | use Server & Clients and relevant emulators |
| “clean” Output hides client errors | only server Output inspected | inspect each client and server context |
| shipped place has DebugFolder/prints | experiment cleanup skipped | maintain cleanup list and inspect hierarchy after session |
| Attribute/tag behavior silently fails | schema/class not validated | validate at setup boundary; warn with full Instance path |

## Resources

- Read `references/studio-verification.md` before reporting Studio validation or when choosing test
  modes, constructing a temporary harness, or documenting an automation gap.

## Related skills

- `roblox-luau` — services, Instances, events, and basic execution model.
- `roblox-ui`, `roblox-networking`, `roblox-characters`, `roblox-physics` — focused production
  workflows that use this inspection and verification discipline.

## Primary references

- `https://create.roblox.com/docs/studio/testing-modes`
- `https://create.roblox.com/docs/projects/data-model`
- `https://create.roblox.com/docs/scripting/services`
- `https://create.roblox.com/docs/studio/mcp`