Live-edit a running game

Live editing connects the desktop editor to an open game through a UE4SS Lua mod and a companion helper. Changes affect the running session. The game can later persist them in its normal saves. The browser edition does not support live connections.

Live changes have no editor backup

Vitals and skills apply automatically after a short pause in input. Other controls send changes when you use their action or commit the edit. There is no universal SAVE or undo step for live changes, and no .bak from the editor. Back up your world before starting a session you want to experiment with.

Set up a game on this PC

Automatic local setup is Windows-only. The Linux desktop editor can edit save files, but cannot run the bundled Windows helper or automatically install the live agent locally.

1. Install UE4SS for Abiotic Factor if it is not already installed. The editor does not install this third-party mod framework for you.
2. In the desktop editor, choose live editing and This PC.
3. If asked, approve copying the bundled agent into the detected game's Binaries/Win64/ue4ss/Mods/AbioticEditorLiveAgentLua folder. The editor also enables its entry in mods.txt. An updated agent can require this step again.
4. Start or restart the game after installing/updating the mod, then load a world.
5. The editor starts its bundled helper and reads the local connection details automatically. Wait for it to connect, then select a player or world surface.

If the editor cannot find your game, check Settings > Game Data. If it reports that the helper is unavailable, check your extracted release contains the live-agent folder. Source builds may require building the helper separately; the agent source instructions cover manual installation and compilation.

Connect to a server you run

Install the Lua agent and run the helper on the game server machine. Choose the remote-server option in the desktop editor and enter the host, port, and token supplied by that helper. The default port is 42117; use the helper's actual port if it selected another one. Local connection files live under %LOCALAPPDATA%\AbioticEditorLiveAgent (token.txt and port.txt).

The helper must be reachable from the editor and the server must have a world loaded. A token connects the editor to the agent; joining an ordinary multiplayer server does not install an agent there or give you authority over that world. See the protocol reference for the connection format and the agent README for listener configuration.

What is available

The available controls depend on the selected player, host authority, and the objects the game currently has loaded. World changes require host authority. A client can edit supported parts of their own character; a host can select other connected players.

Area	Current controls and limits
Vitals and skills	Read and change values; edits apply automatically
Inventory and transmog	Edit supported slots, give items, and change transmog visibility
Recipes	Unlock or lock recipes, including batched bulk changes
GatePal	Fish, emails, journals, and supported compendium sections; kill-requirement sections stay read-only
General and spawn	Background/PhD and supported discovery fields, position/respawn actions; traits and crafted counters remain read-only
Story and quest flags	Change chapter and flags with prerequisite planning; world-wide recipe unlocks are read-only
Clock and weather	World day, time, and supported weather actions
Containers and ground items	Edit loaded storage, add ground items, and remove individual or multiple dropped items
Creatures	Select a loaded creature to inspect its status and use kill/revive or other available controls
Story NPCs, traders, and pets	Supported narrative, availability, and pet controls; pet species changes are unavailable
Doors, portals, vehicles, and containment	Controls for loaded objects, according to the agent's supported operations
Bases	Supported deployable controls; live bench-upgrade installation is disabled

Some operations have been verified in the real game; others have only source/data evidence and offline harness coverage. The protocol reference records these limits per command. Bench-upgrade calls were disabled following a reported native crash, and are not available as an experimental toggle.

Missing objects or a failed connection

• An object is absent: only objects in loaded sectors can appear. Move a player near it and refresh.
• No world is available: load into the game, rather than staying on its main menu.
• A world action is unavailable: check that you are hosting and that the agent supports that action.
• Connection times out: check UE4SS loaded the mod, restart after an agent update, and check the helper is running.
• A change fails: read the displayed error. Refresh to see the game's actual state before retrying.

Disconnecting stops editing; it does not reverse changes. To edit files instead, disconnect, close the game or stop the server, and follow the save-file guide.