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Start the complete development environment from the generated project root:
This loads tableverse.config.ts and starts three things: the local rules server, the frontend’s dev script from publish.frontend, and a developer shell. The shell is served at the rules server’s address, http://127.0.0.1:5100 by default. Open that URL to play your game.

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The developer shell

The shell opens on a setup form:
  • Seats — how many players the match seats.
  • Seed — the deterministic RNG seed for the match.
  • Setup input — your game’s setup input, shown when the game definition declares a setup input schema.
Starting the match frames your game inside the shell, with a control strip above it:
  • One button per seat — switches whose perspective the framed game shows. Use it to play a turn-based game past the first move on your own.
  • Reset — starts a fresh match with the same seats, seed, and setup input.
  • Exit game — discards the match and returns to the setup form.
Your frontend needs no code for any of this. The shell passes the seat to the framed page, and the client picks it up:

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Options

Use another port when 5100 is busy:
The rules server and the shell both move to that port.

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Local session behavior

  • Starting a match from the setup form initializes the game with your seats, seed, and setup input.
  • Every seat connects to the same in-memory state.
  • Each seat receives that player’s safe view.
  • Accepted commands send fresh snapshots to all connected clients.
  • Domain and stage events are delivered to connected clients.
  • Reset deals a fresh match on the same parameters; Exit game and restarting the command clear the session.
Restart tvk dev after changing engine source. The command loads the game definition when it starts.
tvk dev is for local authoring only. It has no authentication or persistence and is not a production server.

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Troubleshooting

If the client remains on connecting:
  1. Confirm tvk dev printed its listening URL.
  2. Confirm you opened the shell URL rather than the frontend dev server’s own port.
  3. Check that setup input matches the schema in your game definition.
  4. Click Exit game to return to the setup form and start a match with corrected input.
If config loading fails, confirm the project root contains tableverse.config.ts. Run tvk validate from the same directory to check the game definition.

Local sessions

Configure viewers, the roster, and setup input in the frontend.