Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Unreal Insights Trace Tool agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The cli-anything-unrealinsights skill gives an AI agent a command-line route into Unreal Insights, Epic's profiling tool for Unreal Engine. This guide explains what the skill lets the agent do, how to install it, how to ask for work in plain language, and what to check before running captures. By the end you will know how to set up the skill on a Windows machine with Unreal Engine installed and what to expect from its trace, export and summary commands.
Unreal Insights Trace ToolHKUDS/CLI-Anything · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Confirm the requirements. Check that you are on Windows and that Unreal Engine tools include UnrealInsights.exe. Confirm the engine release against the skill's prerequisites.
- 2Install the command-line tool. Install cli-anything-unrealinsights separately from the HKUDS/CLI-Anything project, since it is not included in the skill file.
- 3Place the skill. Unzip the downloaded skill into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings, Capabilities, Skills in the Claude apps.
- 4Check the backend. Ask the agent to confirm the Unreal Insights backend and current trace before capturing or exporting.
- 5Capture or export. Describe the capture or export you need, naming the project, engine folder and output location. Review the plan before the agent launches any Unreal process.
- 6Review the output. Check output_status and the summary before drawing conclusions, and keep the CSV files for comparison between runs.
What the skill lets the agent do
An agent skill is a folder with a SKILL.md file that tells an AI agent when and how to use a tool. This skill points the agent at the cli-anything-unrealinsights command-line tool, which wraps Unreal Insights trace capture and exporter workflows.
Once the skill is available, the agent can start or stop trace captures of a game or editor, find and open trace files, keep the Unreal Insights viewer open for you, and export timing and counter data to CSV files. It can also produce a summary of top timers and focused GameThread, RenderThread and RHIThread hotspots.
- Capture: start, check, snapshot and stop a continuous trace session, or run a capture to a set output file
- Trace Store: list, find and set the latest trace file
- GUI: open a trace in Unreal Insights and keep the window open
- Export: write threads, timer statistics and counter values to CSV
- Summary: report top timers, wait-related timers, counter peaks and export status
What you need before installing
The skill is documented as Windows-first. You need Windows, Unreal Engine tools that include UnrealInsights.exe, and the cli-anything-unrealinsights command-line tool. The skill's prerequisites note the Unreal Engine release it was verified with, so check that section of SKILL.md if your engine version differs.
The command-line tool is installed separately and is not included in the skill file. The skill is published in the HKUDS/CLI-Anything repository. Follow that project's instructions for installing the tool.
- Windows
- Unreal Engine tools with UnrealInsights.exe
- The cli-anything-unrealinsights command-line tool, installed separately
- Optional: UNREALINSIGHTS_EXE, UNREAL_TRACE_SERVER_EXE and UNREALINSIGHTS_TRACE environment variables to point at specific executables or traces
Install the skill from a ZIP file
Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it. For a personal install, place the skill folder in ~/.claude/skills/. To limit it to one project, place it in that project's .claude/skills/ folder instead.
In the Claude apps, you can also upload the skill under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills.
- Personal install: ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: .claude/skills/ inside the project folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills
Ask for what you need in plain language
You do not need to type the CLI commands yourself. Describe the outcome you want and name the files or project involved. The agent will choose the matching commands from the skill.
Useful requests name the project, the output location and the question you want answered. For example: start a profiling capture of your game project and tell me when it is running, or export timer statistics from the trace I captured yesterday to a CSV in a named output folder, or summarize the top GameThread hotspots in this trace.
- Give the .uproject path and the engine folder when capturing
- Give an output folder for exports so the CSV files are easy to find
- Say whether you want the Unreal Insights window opened afterwards
Check backend and trace status first
Before a capture or export, the agent can confirm which Unreal Insights executable it will use and what trace is currently selected. These are read-only checks, so they are a safe first step to ask for.
cli-anything-unrealinsights --json backend info
cli-anything-unrealinsights --json trace info
cli-anything-unrealinsights --json store list --live-onlyExport timing data and produce a summary
Exports write CSV files from a trace. Filters such as --timers=* and --counter=* are documented in equals form, and the summary command reports top timers and hotspots. The agent should read output_status: ok means the export was written, and no_output means the trace or filter produced no rows, which is not a crash.
The summary also returns export_status counts, so the agent can tell successful exports from empty ones.
- Use output_status ok as a written export
- Use no_output as an empty trace or filter result
- Treat exporter_error, process_failed and timed_out as signs to retry or debug
cli-anything-unrealinsights --json -t D:\captures\session.utrace export timer-stats D:\out\stats.csv --region=EXPORT_CAPTURE
cli-anything-unrealinsights --json -t D:\captures\session.utrace analyze summary --out D:\out\summarySafety notes before you run captures
This skill runs scripts and launches Unreal processes. The source says it can stop running ones: capture start requires --replace when a tracked capture is still running, and that option stops the previous process before launching a new one. capture stop terminates the process tree the harness launched. live stop-trace stops trace collection without killing the Unreal process.
The skill does not use the network, according to its listing. Still, review capture requests on shared or production machines before the agent runs them, and do not let it stop processes you have not agreed to stop.
- Captures launch Unreal processes; run them on machines where that is expected
- capture start with --replace stops the previous tracked process
- Live commands need UNREALINSIGHTS_LIVE_EXEC or --backend-command; without one, the tool returns a JSON error and does not claim success
What people use it for
- Diagnosing a frame time spike by asking for a summary of top GameThread and RenderThread hotspots from a capture
- Exporting timer statistics to CSV for the same scene before and after a change, so the numbers can be compared
- Starting a continuous capture, running the scene, then taking a snapshot and stopping the session in a later turn
- Opening a saved trace in the Unreal Insights window so you can inspect it yourself while the agent keeps working
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the cli-anything-unrealinsights agent skill?
Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload it in the Claude apps under Settings, then Capabilities, then Skills. The command-line tool must be installed separately.
What are the requirements for the Unreal Insights skill?
You need Windows and Unreal Engine tools that include UnrealInsights.exe. The skill is documented as Windows-first, and the command-line tool must be installed separately. Optional environment variables can point the tool at specific executables or traces.
Is the Unreal Insights trace tool skill free?
The skill is listed under the Apache-2.0 licence. This page does not state pricing, and the source does not describe any paid tier. Unreal Engine itself is a separate product, so check its own licence terms.
Does this skill work on Mac or Linux?
The skill is documented as Windows-first and needs UnrealInsights.exe, so it is not aimed at Mac or Linux users. Use it on a Windows machine with Unreal Engine installed.
What are alternatives to using an agent skill for Unreal Insights?
You can run Unreal Insights and its exporters by hand from the Unreal Engine tools. This skill's value is that an agent can run the captures, exports and summaries for you with structured JSON results. Compare the two based on whether you want the agent to do the repetitive steps.
Why does my export return no_output?
The source says no_output means the trace or filter combination completed but produced no rows. It is not a backend crash. Try a different filter, check the trace file, or review the summary's export_status counts.
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Our verdict
This skill suits Unreal Engine developers and technical artists on Windows who want an agent to run repeatable captures, CSV exports and hotspot summaries. It is a poor fit for Mac or Linux users, for anyone without an Unreal Engine install, or for shared or production machines where unreviewed captures could stop running processes.
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