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Getting started with Lore for Unreal Editor

Note

The Lore plugin for Unreal Editor is available as experimental beginning with the first preview release of Unreal Engine 5.9. Its source is part of the Unreal Engine repository on GitHub. If the link returns 404, link your Epic Games and GitHub accounts first.

This tutorial helps you (or your agent) get Lore up and running alongside an Unreal Engine project. It walks you through:

  • Starting a local Lore Server
  • Creating a repository for your project and choosing which files to track
  • Connecting Unreal Editor to Lore
  • Editing an asset, submitting your first revision, and checking its history
  • Using Lore through the Unreal MCP

Prerequisites

Before getting started, you'll need:

  • Unreal Engine 5.9 Preview 1 or later
  • An Unreal Engine project that you want to version control with Lore
  • For step 6, an agent with MCP support, connected to the Unreal MCP server

Steps

1. Install Lore and start a local server

Follow Install the Lore CLI, then the Run from the binary section of Deploy a local Lore Server.

Keep the server's configuration file, certificate files, and store outside your Unreal Engine project. Add these settings to config/local.toml:

[server]
trust_unsigned_identity = true

[server.quic]
host = "127.0.0.1"

[server.grpc]
host = "127.0.0.1"

[server.http]
host = "127.0.0.1"

Warning

With trust_unsigned_identity = true, any caller can claim any identity. Binding every listener to 127.0.0.1 keeps other machines out, but any process on your computer can still connect. Use this setting only on a single-user development computer, never on a shared server. See Unsigned identity.

These settings accept the identity names supplied by clients and keep the server accessible only on your computer. Start the server with that configuration and keep it running while you use the editor.

Check the server's health endpoint with an HTTP client of your choice:

http://127.0.0.1:41339/health_check

Expect HTTP/1.1 200 OK with an empty body.

2. Create a repository

Use the Lore CLI to create the repository from the project folder containing the .uproject file:

lore --identity alice repository create lore://127.0.0.1:41337/MyProject

Replace alice with your name and MyProject with your project name. Lore creates a .lore directory beside the .uproject file.

Check that .lore/config.toml contains your identity. Keep the remote URL generated by Lore:

identity = "alice"

This tutorial uses a server on your own computer. To clone an existing remote repository, use lore clone instead of creating a new one.

3. Choose the files to track

Create an ignore file named .loreignore in the project folder, beside .uproject and .lore. Make sure the filename doesn't end in .txt.

Use this starting point for Unreal Engine project files:

# Ignore everything, then include project files.
*
!*/
!/Content/**/*.uasset
!/Content/**/*.umap
!/Config/**/*.ini
!/Source/**
!*.verse
!*.uproject
!.loreignore

# Exclude generated folders.
/Binaries/
/DerivedDataCache/
/Intermediate/
/Saved/

Add rules for any project plugins or other files your project needs. When you review the submission in the editor, check that required files are included and generated files are excluded.

From the project folder, record the initial project files with the Lore CLI:

lore stage --scan .
lore status

Review the staged files. Include .loreignore, .uproject, and any required Source/ or plugin files, then commit and push:

lore commit "Initial project revision"
lore push

The editor's submission flow covers assets, configuration, and the project file. Use the Lore CLI for project files outside those locations.

4. Connect the editor

Open the project in Unreal Editor:

  1. Open Revision Control in the bottom-right corner.
  2. Select Connect to Revision Control….
  3. Set Provider to Lore.
  4. Review the settings and click Accept Settings.

The editor connects to the repository containing your initial project revision.

5. Test Lore's core workflow

Create your first revisions with a test asset:

  1. Create a Material named M_LoreTest in the Content Browser.
  2. Save the material.
  3. Click Check In Changes. Review the files and submit with the description Add test material.
  4. Check out the material from its Revision Control menu and open it.
  5. Enable Two Sided in the Details panel and save the material.
  6. Click Check In Changes. Review the files and submit with the description Update test material.
  7. Open Branch History and find both revisions.

Now that you've created your first Lore revisions in Unreal Editor, you're ready to keep building your project while leveraging all of the Lore plugin's features.

This tutorial doesn't cover every feature, but be sure to explore:

  • Optional settings in Editor Preferences to check out assets automatically when you modify them and to back up work automatically on save
  • Creating and managing branches with the Branch Explorer
  • Comparing changes, resolving conflicts, restoring earlier revisions, and more

6. Test Lore through the Unreal MCP

In addition to its in-editor UI, the Lore plugin also exposes commands through the Unreal MCP, enabling you to:

  • Check the connection and repository status
  • Inspect file states and pending assets
  • Check out files and mark files for addition or deletion
  • Validate and submit pending changes
  • Browse revision history and submission details
  • Load historical asset versions or download file revisions
  • Sync revisions and revert local changes
  • List, create, switch, push, merge, delete, and restore branches
  • Resolve conflicts and restore an earlier revision as the latest revision

Now try it out. With your agent connected to Unreal Editor's Model Context Protocol (MCP) server, ask:

Check that Lore is connected, then show the status and revision history of my test asset. Use the asset's full file path.

Check out M_LoreTest and make another edit, such as disabling Two Sided. Save the material in the editor before asking your agent to validate and submit it.

MCP submission includes all files eligible for check-in through the editor. Review all pending changes before submitting. After submitting, ask your agent to check the asset's status and history again.

After submitting, the editor reports All Saved and At Latest.

Troubleshooting

Symptom What to check
Lore is missing from the provider list Enable the Lore plugin in Edit > Plugins and restart the editor.
The editor can't find a repository Create or clone the repository in the folder containing the .uproject file.
The server is unavailable Check that it's running and that the health check returns 200 OK.
The wrong CLI version runs Check which Lore installation your tools use.
Generated files appear in the submission Check .loreignore. Ignore rules don't remove files already tracked.

See also