DOOM via MCP

Can it run DOOM? Yes - your AI coding assistant can run DOOM.

Play DOOM in Claude Code, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client. The AI sees the game, fights demons, navigates levels, and reports what's happening - or you direct it move by move.

> Let's play DOOM!

  Starting E1M1 on medium difficulty...

  HP:100 Armor:0 | Pistol (key:2) | Ammo: 50b 0s 0r 0c | Kills:0 | E1M1
  No enemies in sight. Exploring the corridor ahead.

> Go forward and find some enemies

  Sprinting down the hallway... I can see an opening ahead.

  HP:100 Armor:0 | Pistol (key:2) | Ammo: 50b 0s 0r 0c | Kills:0 | E1M1
  ENEMIES IN SIGHT (aim for angle~0 then fire): Imp (HP:60) to your left (turn_left ~9) nearby

  There's an Imp to the left! Turning to face it...

> Shoot it!

  Aimed and firing!

  HP:100 Armor:0 | Pistol (key:2) | Ammo: 47b 0s 0r 0c | Kills:0 | E1M1
  ENEMIES IN SIGHT (aim for angle~0 then fire): Imp (HP:15) AHEAD close

  Hit! The Imp is wounded (HP:15). One more burst should finish it.

  HP:95 Armor:0 | Pistol (key:2) | Ammo: 44b 0s 0r 0c | Kills:1 | E1M1
  ITEMS: Stimpack (+10 HP) slightly to your right (turn_right ~4) point-blank (~3 ticks fwd+run to reach)
  1 kill! Want to see a screenshot?

Read the blog post for the full story.

Table of Contents

• How It Works
• Quick Start
• Play Modes
• Tools Reference
• Configuration
• FAQ
• Architecture
• Development
• Credits
• License

How It Works

A Rust MCP server embeds the real DOOM engine (doomgeneric) directly via FFI. No emulation, no child processes. Each tool call advances the game by a number of ticks and returns:

1. Game state - HP, armor, ammo, kills, position, current weapon
2. Enemy intel - visible enemies with human-readable direction, distance, and HP
3. Nearby items - health, ammo, armor, weapons within pickup range
4. Doors and switches - interactable linedefs detected within range
5. Frame image - small PNG thumbnail for the AI's vision

The AI uses this information to navigate, fight, and explore. You can direct it or let it play autonomously.

graph LR
    A[MCP Client] -->|doom_start| B[doom-mcp binary]
    A -->|doom_action| B
    A -->|doom_screenshot| B
    B -->|FFI| C[doomgeneric C engine]
    C -->|frame buffer| B
    B -->|game state + PNG| A

Quick Start

1. Register with your MCP client

Claude Code:

claude mcp add doom --scope user -- npx -y doom-mcp

Cursor, Windsurf, or any MCP client - add to .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "doom": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "doom-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

2. Play

Open a new session and say:

"Let's play DOOM"

The AI will ask which mode you want, start the game on E1M1, and begin playing.

Play Modes

Tools Reference

doom_start

Start or restart DOOM. Safe to call at any time — if a game is already running it rest

... View full README on GitHub