Recreate and preview a patrol with an assistant

Let an assistant turn route coordinates into an editable patrol, frame it from above, and start a temporary guard. You can then inspect the path and keep the route for a server project.

Before you start

• Open your target level in offline World Builder in 1.6.6.
• Connect an assistant through MCP.
• Save your project and leave the Default layer visible and unlocked.
• If recreating a vanilla route, give the assistant access to the matching level’s game data through its own file tools, or supply the route points.

This tutorial creates project data, so there is no script file tree. You will keep an editable .project.json; deployment later uses a .world.json and a server resource that creates the guard.

1. Give it the task and source

Start with this request:

Find a vanilla patrol route in the current level’s game data, recreate it in World Builder through MCP, position the camera top-down, and start a guard preview.

Add where the assistant can read the data, or attach your extracted points. Ask it to identify the source and route before editing. World Builder MCP can list authored routes and browse game areas, but it has no general game archive reader or vanilla-patrol discovery tool. An assistant that only has MCP access needs you to supply that part.

Use coordinates from the currently loaded level. Preserve their order and check any source-specific coordinate conversion. Copying points does not copy the original NPC’s schedule, quest rules, equipment or behavior.

2. Create the editable route

Ask the assistant to inspect wb_get_state and tools/list, then create a new route through wb_patrol_create. Choose a unique ID such as village.vanilla-preview. Do not replace an existing route just because its name matches.

The tool accepts a route with an id and points. Each point has a position containing x, y and z. Optional route and point settings include speed (walk, jog, run), waitSeconds and radius. The route’s mode is once, loop or pingPong. Choose these settings deliberately if the source data does not specify them.

The assistant must include the current expectedRevision and a fresh idempotencyKey, wait for completion, then read the route back with wb_patrol_get. See the HTTP tutorial for the request and operation format. The route should now appear in Patrols.

3. Frame it and start a guard

Ask the assistant to save the current camera as a named view before moving it. It can use wb_view_save, then wb_camera_set or wb_camera_frame to look down over the route. Camera pitch is limited to 89 degrees in either direction, so the overhead view is nearly vertical.

Have it query wb_npc_roles_query and choose a guard role returned by the catalog. wb_patrol_preview_start takes the authored route’s id and the catalog role. Wait for the operation, then use wb_patrol_preview_get to inspect activity, progress and the resolved path.

The guard is a temporary offline preview. Its path can differ from straight lines between waypoints when navigation goes around obstacles. Starting a preview does not put a persistent NPC into the exported world resource.

4. Inspect the result

Watch the guard travel through the route. Check corners, doors, slopes and waiting points. Ask the assistant to report where progress stops, then adjust the route and preview it again. A successful request alone does not show that the guard can complete the route.

For a screenshot, use wb_capture_viewport and poll its captureId until ready. The result includes a PNG; includeOverlays: false hides the Framework editor and browser overlays. A capture has its own frame metadata, so let the scene settle after moving the camera before judging the image.

5. Stop, save and use the route

Stop the temporary guard with wb_patrol_preview_stop, then save the project. MCP file paths must be under maps beside the client or the editor’s selected export directory. You can also save through the UI.

To deploy, export the world resource and follow the village patrol tutorial. That tutorial creates a server-owned NPC and assigns the exported route. Use the saved route ID, and test it again on the server with the intended NPC and map content.