Getting Started

Get Aura AI running on your machine and make your first AI-assisted prompt in under five minutes.

Installation

Download the Aura AI installer for your platform from the links below. The Hub is a background application — it runs silently and powers all editor plugins through a local API.

1. Run the installer and follow the prompts.
2. Launch Aura AI — it will appear in your system tray.
3. Sign in when prompted (Google, GitHub, or email) to activate your account.
4. Open any supported editor or engine (Unity, Godot 4, Unreal Engine, VS Code, Visual Studio 2022, or JetBrains Rider) — the plugin will load automatically.

System Requirements

Before installing, verify that your development environment meets the minimum version requirements for each component you plan to use.

Operating System

Game Engines

IDE Extensions (optional)

Your First Prompt

Once the Hub is running and your editor plugin is loaded, look for the Aura panel or sidebar in your editor. Type a question about your code — for example:

Aura will cross-reference any indexed GDD files and your current open file to give you a grounded, context-aware answer.

Unity Integration

Installing the Plugin

The Unity plugin is distributed via the Unity Package Manager (UPM) and is installed automatically by Aura AI on first launch. If you need to install it manually:

1. In Unity, open Window → Package Manager.
2. Click the + button → Add package from git URL…
3. Paste the following URL and click Add:

Unity will fetch and install the package. An Aura AI menu item will appear in the Unity menu bar once complete.

The Aura Panel

Open the Aura panel via Window → Aura AI in the Unity menu bar. The panel docks like any native Unity window. It is also accessible from the ✦ Aura AI button in the Scene View overlay toolbar.

The panel is the single interface for all Aura features — chat, scene automation, code search, design documents, and settings.

Ask & Agent Modes

The two primary modes control what Aura is allowed to do in response to your message.

• Agent Mode (default) — Aura can write and modify scripts, create GameObjects, add components, and execute any supported scene action. Use this for building and refactoring.
• Ask Mode — Aura provides explanations, analysis, and advice only. No scene actions are taken. Ask mode activates automatically when you enter Play Mode, keeping your running scene safe.

Switch modes with the Ask / Agent buttons in the panel header.

Plan Mode

Plan Mode is designed for multi-step feature builds. Instead of sending a single message, you describe a goal and Aura breaks it into ordered steps, executes each one, verifies the result in the scene, and moves to the next step — all automatically.

1. Type your goal in the input field (e.g. "Build an enemy with patrol and chase AI").
2. Click Plan instead of Send.
3. Aura executes step by step. Each completed step appears in the chat with the action(s) it took.
4. Between steps, Aura captures your Scene View to verify what was built before continuing.
5. The plan completes when Aura marks it done, or you click ⏹ Stop at any time.

Scene Actions

In Agent and Plan modes, Aura can execute the following actions directly in your scene. All actions are registered with Unity's Undo system — Ctrl+Z works on everything Aura does.

Vision Tool

The Vision Tool lets Aura see your Scene View. This is used automatically in Plan Mode between steps, and can also be triggered manually.

• Click the 👁 button in the input bar to capture the current Scene View and attach it to your next message.
• Click 📷 to attach any image from disk — useful for reference screenshots or mockups.
• After Aura executes scene actions, the panel automatically captures and attaches the result so Aura can verify its own work.

@ File Mentions

Attach any script or asset as direct context for a single message. This gives Aura the full file content — not just the architecture summary — which is useful when asking about a specific implementation.

1. Click @ in the input bar, or type @ in the text field.
2. A fuzzy-search dropdown appears. Type any part of the filename.
3. Select the file — it is attached to your next message only.

You can also pin files to the top of the panel using the 📌 button in the Pages list, keeping frequently-referenced documents permanently in context.

Project Rules

Project Rules are permanent instructions injected into every prompt Aura receives for this project. Use them to enforce architecture decisions, coding conventions, or patterns to avoid.

Examples:

To set Project Rules: click Rules in the panel header, type your instructions, and save. Rules persist across sessions and apply to every message from that point forward.

Workspaces

Workspaces let you group multiple Unity projects (or any folder on disk) under a single named context. When a workspace is active, Aura's architecture awareness spans every project inside it.

This is useful for:

• Studios with shared utility packages across multiple games
• Multi-repo projects where Aura needs context from a tools repository
• Keeping a separate assets folder in scope alongside your main project

To create a workspace: click WS in the panel header → enter a name → click New. Then add projects or folders with + Project and + Folder.

Code Intelligence

Code Intelligence runs automatically in the background every 30 seconds. It scans your C# scripts and surfaces common Unity anti-patterns in the Aura panel without you having to ask.

Patterns currently detected:

• GameObject.Find() or GetComponent<>() called inside Update — should be cached in Awake or Start
• Transform position set in Update without Time.deltaTime — frame-rate dependent movement
• Resources.Load() — prevents asset bundle optimisation; prefer direct references
• Array allocations in hot paths — GC spike risk
• Debug.Log() left in production code
• Public fields without comments

Issues appear in the panel below the chat. Click Ask Aura on any issue to get a targeted explanation and fix suggestion.

Pages

Pages is a built-in document editor inside the Aura panel. Use it to write design notes, mechanic specs, quest outlines, or any reference material you want Aura to know about.

• Click Pages in the header to open the panel.
• Create a new page with a title and write freely in the editor.
• Pin any page with 📌 — its full content is injected into every subsequent prompt automatically.
• Use ⊟ (split view) to edit a page and chat simultaneously, side-by-side.
• Every save is versioned — browse and restore any previous version from the Versions button.

GDD Indexing

To give Aura awareness of your game design document:

1. In Aura AI → Settings, click Add GDD.
2. Select your GDD file (PDF, DOCX, or plain text supported).
3. Aura AI indexes the document. This takes a few seconds.
4. Future prompts will automatically reference your GDD context.

Free plans support 1 GDD. Pro, Power, and Studio plans support unlimited GDDs.

Godot Integration

Installing the Plugin

The Aura Godot plugin is installed automatically by the Hub installer. On first launch, Aura AI reads your Godot project registry and copies the plugin into each project's addons/ folder.

To install it manually:

1. In Godot 4, open AssetLib or use the file system panel to navigate to res://addons/.
2. Copy the aura-ai/ folder from the Aura AI installation directory (Program Files\AuraAI\godot_plugin\addons\aura_ai\) into your project's addons/ directory.
3. In Godot: open Project → Project Settings → Plugins.
4. Find Aura AI and toggle it Enabled.
5. The Aura dock panel will appear on the right side of the editor.

The Aura Dock

Once enabled, the Aura AI dock appears in the editor. From here you can:

• Type prompts and get responses in the chat area
• Use Attach current script to automatically include the active GDScript or C# file
• Toggle High-Reasoning mode for complex system questions
• View your remaining credit balance

Unreal Engine Integration

Installing the Plugin

The Aura Unreal plugin is installed automatically by the Hub installer. On first launch, Aura AI reads your Epic Games Launcher project history and copies the plugin into each project's Plugins/ folder.

To install it manually:

1. Close Unreal Engine if it is open.
2. Copy the AuraAI/ folder from the Aura AI installation directory (Program Files\AuraAI\unreal_plugin\) into your project's Plugins/AuraAI/ directory. Create the Plugins/ folder if it does not exist.
3. Open your .uproject file. Unreal will detect the new plugin and prompt you to compile it — click Yes.
4. Once compiled, go to Edit → Plugins, search for Aura AI, and ensure it is enabled.
5. The Aura panel will appear in the editor toolbar.

The Aura Panel

After enabling the plugin, the Aura toolbar button appears in the Unreal editor. Click it to open the Aura panel. From here you can:

• Type prompts and get context-aware responses referencing your project's C++ and Blueprint code
• Attach the active file for inline refactoring suggestions
• Toggle High-Reasoning mode for complex Gameplay Ability System or animation questions
• View your remaining credit balance

IDE Extensions

Aura AI auto-installs IDE plugins when it detects a supported editor. All plugins communicate with the local Hub API. You will be prompted to sign in on first launch (Google, GitHub, or email) — authentication is required before any features are available.

VS Code

The VS Code extension is installed automatically via the code --install-extension CLI. After Hub launch, open VS Code and look for the Aura icon in the Activity Bar (left sidebar).

Features: inline suggestions, sidebar chat, GDD context, credit display.

Visual Studio

The Visual Studio extension (.vsix) is installed automatically using VSIXInstaller.exe, which ships with Visual Studio. Supports Visual Studio 2022 and newer.

Features: toolbar button for inline prompts, output pane responses, completion suggestions.

JetBrains Rider

The Rider plugin is installed by dropping the plugin ZIP into Rider's plugin directory. Aura AI handles this automatically and prompts Rider to reload plugins.

Features: tool window panel, inline prompt action, GDD-aware completions.

Account & Billing

How Credits Work

Credits are deducted per prompt after a successful response. The cost depends on the model selected:

• Standard mode (Gemini 2.5 Flash) — 1 credit
• High-Reasoning mode (Gemini 2.5 Pro) — 2 credits
• Claude Sonnet — 3 credits
• Claude Opus — 5 credits

• Monthly credits reset on your billing date each month.
• Refill Pack credits (500 for $10) never expire and are used after monthly credits run out.
• A low-credit warning email is sent when your monthly balance drops to 10% or below.

Plans & Upgrades

To upgrade your plan, visit the Pricing page and select a new tier. Your existing Refill Pack credits carry over.

Billing Portal

Manage your subscription, update payment methods, or cancel via the Stripe billing portal. Access it from:

• Aura AI → Settings → Manage Subscription
• Your Dashboard → Overview → Manage Billing

Team Features

Team features are available on the Studio plan ($149/mo, up to 5 members).

Studio Setup

After purchasing Studio, a team is created automatically and you are the owner. Your account activates Studio features in Aura AI.

Inviting Members

1. Open Aura AI → Settings → Team Members.
2. Click Invite Member and enter their email address.
3. They receive an invitation email with a link to accept.
4. Once accepted, they can sign in with their Aura account (Google, GitHub, or email) and the Studio features activate.

Usage Reports

In Aura AI → Settings → Team Members, the owner sees a table of all members with:

• Email address
• Role (Owner / Member)
• Lifetime credits consumed

Security & Privacy

Data Handling

When you submit a prompt:

1. Your prompt and any attached code context is sent over TLS to our Vercel API.
2. Our server validates your JWT and credit balance.
3. The prompt is forwarded to our AI provider (Google Gemini or Anthropic Claude depending on model selected) under our API key — your key is never exposed.
4. The response is returned to Hub and displayed in your editor.
5. No prompt data is stored beyond the duration of the request.

Local-First Design

Aura AI runs entirely on your machine. It communicates with our API only when you send a prompt. Your GDD files and project structure are stored locally and only sent as part of prompt context when you explicitly ask a question.

For the full security picture, see our Security page.

Package Compatibility

Aura AI is designed to work alongside the most common third-party packages and plugins for each engine. The table below reflects packages that have been tested and confirmed to work without conflicts. If you encounter an issue with a package not listed here, open a ticket at support@aurainc.co.

Unity Packages

The Aura Unity plugin is distributed via UPM (Unity Package Manager) and operates entirely inside the Editor namespace. It does not modify any runtime assemblies, which means it coexists with runtime packages without interference.

Godot Add-ons

The Aura Godot plugin runs entirely as an @tool script in the editor and has no impact on exported builds.

Unreal Engine Plugins

The Aura Unreal plugin is a standard Editor-only module (Type: "Editor" in .uplugin). It is excluded from shipping builds automatically.

Troubleshooting

Hub Not Connecting

If your editor plugin shows "Cannot connect to Aura AI":

• Ensure Aura AI is running — check your system tray.
• The Hub uses a dynamic local port stored in %APPDATA%\AuraAI\port.txt (Windows) or ~/AuraAI/port.txt (macOS). The plugin reads this file automatically — no manual configuration needed.
• If the port file is missing, restart Aura AI to regenerate it.
• Check that your firewall is not blocking local loopback connections.

Plugin Not Loading

If an editor plugin was not auto-installed:

• Unity: Open Window → Package Manager → + → Add package from git URL, then paste https://github.com/Dknight203/Aura-AI.git?path=unity/Editor.
• VS Code: Run code --install-extension path/to/aura.vsix from a terminal.
• Visual Studio: Double-click AuraVS.vsix in your Aura AI install directory.
• Rider: In Rider → Settings → Plugins → Install from disk, point to the Aura plugin ZIP.

Credits Not Updating

If your credit balance does not reflect a recent purchase:

• Wait up to 60 seconds — the Stripe webhook may take a moment to process.
• In Aura AI → Settings, click Refresh next to your balance.
• If the issue persists after 5 minutes, contact support@aurainc.co with your receipt.