High-risk tools in Sbox

CCTV / security monitor / mirror / simple portal: creates a secondary camera (IsMainCamera=false, Priority param) positioned/rotated or aimed at a target object, a display surfa...

Generate a text-to-speech speaker component over Sandbox.Speech.Synthesizer (the OS speech engine — dynamic NPC dialog with zero recorded VO): call <class>.Say(\

Enable + bake the active scene

Bake all EnvmapProbe reflection probes in the scene (EnvmapProbe.BakeAll) so they actually capture their surroundings — placing a probe with add_envmap_probe does nothing visibl...

Build a standalone heightmap terrain mesh (a MeshComponent) from a hills/clearings JSON spec — independent of MapBuilder. Use when you don

Run an s&box console command / ConCmd via Sandbox.ConsoleSystem.Run — e.g. a cvar (

Generate a generalized L4D-style AI/pacing director component (host-authoritative). On a configurable interval the host rolls a weighted pick over a [Property] List<GameObject> ...

Generate a spawner Component that instantiates an NPC prefab over time / in escalating waves at spawn points, capped by maxAlive. RUN

Draw a wireframe debug box centered at a point. Renders in editor and play. Ideal for visualizing a trigger_zone

Draw a debug ray (drawn as an arrow) from an origin along a direction for a given length. Renders in editor and play. Ideal for visualizing a raycast result or a facing/normal d...

Draw a wireframe debug sphere at a point. Renders in editor and play. Ideal for visualizing a physics_overlap radius or an NPC

EXPERIMENTAL — Drive the active PlayerController DURING PLAY MODE across multiple frames: synthesize sustained look (EyeAngles), analog movement (wish velocity), and/or hold a n...

EXPERIMENTAL. Compile + run a C# snippet inside the s&box EDITOR (which is unsandboxed): writes a temp [ConCmd] into the project

Highlight a GameObject by selecting it in the editor. NOTE: s&box exposes no dedicated focus API, so this only sets the selection — it does NOT move any camera (returns { focuse...

Aim the s&box EDITOR viewport camera at a GameObject (by id) or a world point (position + optional radius), then call take_screenshot to capture that view. This is how Claude po...

Generate a lipsync dialogue performer — NPCs SPEAK their lines with MOVING MOUTHS: a sealed Component holding a [Property] line list (speaker GameObject name + text) that, per l...

Spawn a FULL prefab instance into the active scene — components and children recreated. Uses the engine

Call a public method on a component. Matching is tried in order: (1) a [Button] attribute label, (2) the exact method NAME, (3) case-insensitive name with spaces stripped. Calls...

Call a public method BY NAME on a component of a live scene GameObject, passing ARGUMENTS. The with-args sibling of invoke_button (which only calls parameterless [Button]/method...

Open a scene in the s&box editor by its path

Network-enable a GameObject so it is synchronized across all connected clients. Calls NetworkSpawn(). Returns { spawned, id } on success — follow with inspect_networked_object t...

Play a named animation sequence on a GameObject

Start MoviePlayer playback. Targets the MoviePlayer on the given GameObject, or the first MoviePlayer in the scene when id is omitted. Pass moviePath to load-and-play a differen...

Play a sound in the editor for testing without entering play mode. Returns { playing, sound, volume }. Fire-and-forget via Sound.Play — there is no stop control, and the volume ...

playtest

Stop the RUNNING playtest immediately: releases held input actions, restores UseInputControls, and finalizes the partial transcript (reason

Pose a Citizen by setting CitizenAnimationHelper params (enables PlayAnimationsInEditorScene so the pose shows in-editor). Set holdType (None/Pistol/Rifle/Shotgun/HoldItem/Punch...

Compile a project asset by path — registers it with the editor

Start recording live play-mode gameplay into a Sandbox.MovieMaker clip — REQUIRES play mode (start_play first; errors otherwise). Captures the given GameObjects (ids — recommend...

Restart the s&box editor and wait for the bridge to reconnect — closes the C#-edit→recompile loop so addon/bridge changes apply without a manual restart. Relaunches straight bac...

Run an end-to-end health check of the bridge: create a temp object, add a component, assign + measure a model, capture a screenshot, recompile a temp asset, remove the component...

Select a GameObject in the editor (highlights it in the hierarchy and scene view). Replaces the current selection unless addToSelection=true. Returns { selected, id }; confirm t...

Set ForestGenerator.Seed and (by default) regenerate — re-rolls the forest layout while keeping POIs, trails, and density regions. Returns

Set the running game

Press or release a named input action during PLAY mode (via Sandbox.Input.SetAction) so input-driven behavior — jump, attack1, use, reload, IPressable, weapon fire — can be veri...

EXPERIMENTAL — build an additive runtime ParticleEffect (no texture asset needed): kind = fire, embers, sparks, magic, dust, blood, or snow (

Spawn a REAL particle system by playing a compiled .vpcf asset through LegacyParticleSystem — the reliable path that actually renders, unlike spawn_particle/create_particle_effe...

Start a real local multiplayer test from PLAY MODE. Creates an explicitly private, hidden lobby when needed, validates capacity, launches 1-2 sbox.exe clients with -joinlocal, a...

Enter play mode — starts running the game in the editor. Scripts execute, physics simulate, everything goes live. Returns { started, method } (method

Stop MoviePlayer playback (the counterpart to play_movie). Targets the MoviePlayer on the given GameObject, or the first MoviePlayer in the scene when id is omitted. Pass rewind...

Stop every client process launched by start_multiplayer_test; exited clients are cleared while failed live kills remain tracked for retry. Optionally disconnect the host lobby. ...

Exit play mode — stops the game and returns to editor. All runtime changes are discarded

Force s&box to recompile and hotload all C# scripts immediately. Use after creating or editing scripts to see changes in real-time