AetherAether

Quickstart Guide

Get Aether running in under 3 minutes. This guide will take you from zero to your first AI-visible Unity session.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • Unity 2021.3 LTS or newer (including Unity 6)
  • Cursor IDE with MCP support
  • Node.js 18+ (for npx) or a downloaded bridge binary
  • Windows, macOS, or Linux

Step 1: Install Aether

Fastest: One Command

Open a terminal in your Unity project directory and run:

1npx aether-init

This does everything automatically:

  • Downloads the correct bridge binary for your OS
  • Installs the Unity SDK into your project
  • Writes .cursor/mcp.json so Cursor launches the bridge automatically
✅That's it!

Skip to Step 2 — the CLI handled the bridge, SDK, and MCP config for you.

Already Downloaded the Bridge?

If you already have the aether-bridge binary, run from your Unity project directory:

1./aether-bridge --setup-cursor

This writes .cursor/mcp.json pointing to the bridge. You'll still need to install the Unity SDK manually (see the Alternative section below).

Alternative: Manual Setup

If you prefer to do things by hand:

  1. Download the bridge binary from getaether.dev/download
  2. Copy the Aether/ folder into your Unity project's Assets/ directory
ℹ️Alternative: UPM

For Unity Package Manager, add via Package Manager → Add from git URL:

1https://github.com/finexma-dev/aether.git?path=unity-sdk/Aether
  1. Create .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

Windows:

1{ 2 "mcpServers": { 3 "aether": { 4 "command": "C:/path/to/aether-bridge-windows-x64.exe", 5 "args": ["--stdio"] 6 } 7 } 8}

macOS:

1{ 2 "mcpServers": { 3 "aether": { 4 "command": "/path/to/aether-bridge-darwin-arm64", 5 "args": ["--stdio"] 6 } 7 } 8}

Linux:

1{ 2 "mcpServers": { 3 "aether": { 4 "command": "/path/to/aether-bridge-linux-x64", 5 "args": ["--stdio"] 6 } 7 } 8}
ℹ️Path Format

Use forward slashes (/) in paths, even on Windows. Cursor handles the conversion automatically.

Step 2: Reload Cursor

Reload Cursor to pick up the new MCP configuration:

Ctrl+Shift+P → "Reload Window"

Step 3: Enter Play Mode and Test

  1. Enter Play mode in Unity
  2. Check Unity Console for: [Aether] Connected to bridge
  3. In Cursor, open the AI chat and ask:
1What's the current state of my Unity game?
✅Success!

Your AI will use aether_snapshot to show your current game state!

You're Done!

Aether is now connected. Your AI can see Unity runtime context and use the full Aether toolset (console logs, clips, capsules, two-run debugging, proof clips).

Try Your First Capsule

Now that everything is set up, try creating your first capsule. Ask your AI:

1Package the last error from my game

This creates a Capsule with full context for your AI to analyze.

ℹ️Pro Feature

Capsules (aether_package) are available on Pro/Studio tiers.

What's Next?

  • Create a capsule: Ask your AI to package errors or mark important moments
  • Get a snapshot: Ask "What's happening in my game right now?"
  • Learn the tools: Check out the MCP Tools Reference
  • Understand capsules: Read about Capsules and how they work
  • Need help?: Visit Troubleshooting if you run into issues
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