BladeAndBail setup guide
Something stuck?
Jump to a step
  1. Just Studio, no installs
  2. Get access
  3. Get the code
  4. Learn PowerShell
  5. Install Node.js
  6. Install Rojo
  7. Helper files
  8. Start the panel
  9. Connect Studio
  10. Every day
  11. Troubleshooting
  12. Glossary

Windows 10 / 11 · Beginner guide · Mac notes included

BladeAndBail new contributor guide.
Start to finish, no coding.

Go from nothing to a running dev panel connected to Roblox Studio. Every step is one small action, and every command tells you what you should see. If you can use Studio and a web browser, you can do this.

  • No coding experience needed
  • Windows first
  • About an hour the first time
  • Written 2026-10-03

Before you start

The dev panel is a web page that runs on your own computer. It has switches, sliders and buttons for testing BladeAndBail: change test settings, give yourself gold, spawn monsters. Nobody else can see it, and it is not on the internet.

Can I use it with just Roblox Studio? No. Studio cannot run the panel. To run it you need the project's files and a free tool called Node.js, and this guide gets you both. If you only want to playtest, there is a shortcut that needs no installs.

  1. GitHub DesktopDownloads the project's files
  2. Node.jsRuns the dev panel
  3. RojoCopies the code into Studio

You will need:

  • A Windows PC. The project is built and tested on Windows. Mac notes appear where things differ, but the Mac is not officially supported.
  • Roblox Studio (opens in a new tab) and a Roblox account. You probably have these already.
  • A free GitHub account (step 1 shows you how).
  • Two things from the project owner: an invitation to the code, and edit access to the game place.
Keep this guide open while you work. A browser tab is one of the labels along the top of Edge, Chrome or Firefox. When a link opens a download page in a new tab, click this guide's tab to come back. Ctrl + V means hold Ctrl, tap V, then let go of both.

What works with just Studio

No installs. You need the place, and the game's scripts already inside it.

If you can open the game's place in Roblox Studio, and the place already contains the game's scripts, you can playtest right now. The scripts are there when the Explorer window shows a folder named TS inside ServerScriptService.

How to try it

  1. Ask the project owner for edit access to the place. The project's own notes do not say how collaborators get it, so ask the project owner. (Roblox shared editing is called Team Create (opens in a new tab); whether the owner uses it is their call.)
  2. Open Roblox Studio and open the place.
  3. In the Explorer window, open ServerScriptService and look for a folder named TS.
  4. Click the green Play button on the Home tab. Use Play, not Run. Play adds a player, and the tools below need one. (About Studio's testing modes (opens in a new tab).)
  5. Press F8 in the game window.

    What you should see: a tall panel docks to the right edge of the game window. It has four tabs named Spawn, Light, VFX and World, and a small log at the bottom.

    If it went wrong: nothing appears. The place probably has no game scripts yet (no TS folder). You need the full setup, steps 1 to 8, which puts the scripts in for you.

The keys

These work only inside a Studio playtest. They do nothing in the published game. They are ignored while the chat box has your typing focus.

Studio playtest keys
PressWhat happens
F8Opens or closes the dev console (Spawn, Light, VFX and World tabs).
Hold AltShows an info card for whatever your cursor is pointing at.
[ and ]Picks the previous or next enemy in the Spawn tab's list.
\Spawns the enemy you picked, using the count set in the Spawn tab.
Shift + \Lays out the whole lineup of armed skeletons.
JCycles to the next enemy type. A small message shows the name.
KSpawns the enemy type chosen with J.
Numpad *Rebuilds the dungeon maze. This is the star key on a number pad.
NTurns noclip on or off (walk through walls).
F10Opens a menu for teleporting to rooms.
F2Turns weapon positioning mode on or off.
HBuilds a fresh catacomb layout and moves you to its entrance.
Shift + HTakes you back out of the catacomb preview.
; (semicolon)Releases monsters you spawned and held in place. Works only if that setting is switched on in the dev panel.
' (apostrophe)Drops a Legendary loot bag. Works only if that setting is switched on in the dev panel.

Is this safe?

In Studio the game is set up to use test data instead of the real saved data, so your Studio character is not a real player's save.

What you cannot do with just Studio

  • Start the dev panel.
  • Change the test settings (the "flags"). They are baked in when the game's code is built.
  • Put newer code into the place.

All three need the full setup below.

Get access

Two accounts, two invitations. Only the project owner can grant them.

The project's code is stored on GitHub (opens in a new tab), a website that keeps code safe and tracks every change. The project is private, so you need an invitation before you can see it.

A. Make a GitHub account and get invited

  1. Go to github.com/signup (opens in a new tab) and make a free account. Skip this if you already have one.
  2. Send the project owner your GitHub username. The owner adds you to the project. Only they can do this.
  3. Wait for an email from GitHub. Its subject says you were invited to collaborate on Redmancometh/BladeAndBail.
  4. Open the email, click View invitation, then click Accept invitation. (For background, GitHub's page on how collaborator invitations work (opens in a new tab).)

    What you should see: after you accept, github.com/Redmancometh/BladeAndBail (opens in a new tab) shows a list of folders and files, while you are signed in.

    If it went wrong: a page that says 404 means you are not signed in with the invited account, or the invitation is not accepted yet. Try the invitations page (opens in a new tab). Invitations expire after seven days, so ask the owner to send a new one if needed.

B. Get edit access to the game place

The game's maps, models and meshes live in the Roblox place (the Studio file that holds the world). They are not in the code on GitHub. (What a place is (opens in a new tab).)

  1. Send the project owner your Roblox username.
  2. Ask the project owner for edit access to the place. The project's notes do not say how it is shared, so do not guess. The owner will tell you whether to use the shared place or your own copy.
  3. Ask one more question: should I connect the code sync to the shared place, or to my own copy? Step 8 changes scripts inside the place. In a shared place, everyone sees those changes.

Get the code

GitHub Desktop downloads the project into a folder, using buttons.

To clone a project means to download a full copy of it into a folder on your computer. GitHub Desktop is a free app from GitHub that does the cloning with buttons instead of typing.

A. Install GitHub Desktop

  1. Click the green button below. The download page opens in a new tab.
  2. On that page, click the green Download now button. It picks the right version for your computer.
  3. When the download finishes, open the file (its name starts with GitHubDesktopSetup). It installs itself and asks no questions.
  4. When the app opens, click Sign in to GitHub.com. Your browser opens. Sign in with the account you were invited on, then click Authorize.
  5. Back in the app, leave the name and email as they are, then click Finish.
Open the GitHub Desktop page → (opens in a new tab)
  1. The Download now button.
Screenshot taken 2026-10-03. Websites change, so yours may look a little different. Source: desktop.github.com (opens in a new tab)

What you should see: after signing in, an app window with a heading such as "Let's get started" and a list of things you can do, including cloning a repository.

If it went wrong: if Windows shows a blue box saying "Windows protected your PC", click More info, then Run anyway. That is normal for newly downloaded installers from a site you chose yourself.

Mac note

On a Mac, the same button downloads the macOS version. Open the downloaded file and drag GitHub Desktop into Applications.

B. Clone the project

  1. In GitHub Desktop, open the File menu and click Clone repository…
  2. Click the GitHub.com tab and find Redmancometh/BladeAndBail in the list. (A repository, or repo, is a project folder tracked by GitHub.)
  3. Click in the Local path box. Delete what is there and type C:\BladeAndBail. This is the folder the project will live in. It is short, simple, and outside OneDrive, which keeps things fast.
  4. Click Clone. It downloads a lot, including one file of about 180 MB, so it can take several minutes.

    What you should see: a progress bar, then the app switches to showing the project's name at the top left. Open File Explorer and look in C:\BladeAndBail. You should see folders named devpanel, src and docs.

    If it went wrong: if BladeAndBail is not in the list, your invitation is not accepted yet (see step 1) or you are signed in with a different account. In GitHub Desktop, open File, Options, Accounts to check.

  5. Remember this location: C:\BladeAndBail. This is "the project folder". You will come back to it every day.

Want pictures of these screens? GitHub's own guide to cloning in GitHub Desktop (opens in a new tab) has them, and so does the GitHub Desktop documentation (opens in a new tab).

Alternative: clone with a command instead of GitHub Desktop

Skip this unless you prefer typing. First install Git, a tool that downloads and tracks code. Go to git-scm.com/download/win (opens in a new tab), click Click here to download (or the 64-bit Setup link), run the file, and click Next on every screen without changing anything. The installer also includes Git LFS (opens in a new tab), which fetches the one big file. Then do step 3 to open PowerShell and run these two commands, one at a time.

Paste into PowerShell
cd C:\
Paste into PowerShell
git lfs install; git clone https://github.com/Redmancometh/BladeAndBail.git

What you should see: a browser window may open the first time, asking you to sign in to GitHub. Then progress lines count up to 100%. A folder C:\BladeAndBail now exists.

If it went wrong: "Repository not found" or "Permission denied" means your invitation is not accepted yet, or you signed in with the wrong account. See step 1.

Learn PowerShell in two minutes

The window where you paste commands. You never need to type them.

A terminal is a window where you type instructions instead of clicking buttons. On Windows the terminal we use is PowerShell (opens in a new tab). An instruction you type is called a command. You will paste the commands from this guide, so you never need to type them by hand.

A. Open PowerShell

  1. Click the search box next to the Start button, or press the Windows key.
  2. Type PowerShell.
  3. Press Enter. Do not choose "Run as administrator".

    What you should see: a window, usually blue or black, with a line like PS C:\Users\YourName> and a blinking cursor. That line is the prompt. It means PowerShell is ready for a command.

Pictures: Microsoft's "Getting started with PowerShell" (opens in a new tab) shows where to find it. On Windows 11 it may open inside an app called Windows Terminal (opens in a new tab), which is fine.

B. Paste and run a command

  1. On this page, click the Copy button on a dark command box.
  2. Click inside the PowerShell window.
  3. Press Ctrl + V to paste. In many versions, right-clicking inside the window also pastes.
  4. Press Enter. That is the "go" key. Nothing runs until you press it.
  5. Wait. The command is finished when a new prompt (the PS ...> line) appears again. Run only one command at a time.

Dragging across text in the PowerShell window selects it. Click once anywhere to clear the selection.

C. What "the folder" means

PowerShell always "stands" inside one folder on your computer. The prompt shows which one. Most commands in this guide must run inside the project folder, C:\BladeAndBail. Moving into a folder uses the command cd, short for "change directory". A directory is just a folder.

  1. Open PowerShell, paste this command, and press Enter:
    Paste into PowerShell
    cd C:\BladeAndBail

    What you should see: the prompt now reads PS C:\BladeAndBail>. Nothing else is printed. That is success.

    If it went wrong: "Cannot find path" means the folder is not there. Check step 2, or use the shortcut below.

  2. To double-check, paste this and press Enter:
    Paste into PowerShell
    dir

    What you should see: a list of names. It includes devpanel, src and package.json.

    If it went wrong: a short or empty list means you are in the wrong folder. Run cd C:\BladeAndBail again.

D. A shortcut that works for any folder

If you cloned somewhere else, or cd confuses you, do this instead:

  1. Open the project folder in File Explorer.
  2. Click the address bar at the top (where the folder path is shown).
  3. Type powershell and press Enter.

    What you should see: PowerShell opens with the prompt already showing the project folder, so you do not need cd.

Mac note

The terminal on a Mac is called Terminal (opens in a new tab). Press Cmd + Space, type Terminal, and press Return. Paste with Cmd + V. Use cd with your own folder path, and ls instead of dir.

Install Node.js

This is the program that actually runs the dev panel. npm comes with it.

Node.js (opens in a new tab) is a free program that runs small programs written in JavaScript. The dev panel is one of those programs, so Node.js is what starts it. It also comes with npm, a tool that downloads the helper files the project needs.

A. Download the installer

  1. Click the green button below. The Node.js download page opens in a new tab.
  2. At the top, make sure the version button shows v24 with a LTS badge, and the system is Windows.
  3. Scroll down past the big box of Docker code. Leave Docker alone.
  4. Find the sentence "Or get a prebuilt Node.js for Windows running a x64 architecture". Keep x64 selected on most PCs. If Windows Settings says your processor is ARM-based, pick ARM64 instead.
  5. Click the green Windows Installer (.msi) button.
Open the Node.js download page → (opens in a new tab)
  1. The version: use v24 with the LTS badge. Newer numbers may appear later; ask the owner if you are unsure.
  2. The Windows Installer (.msi) button.
Screenshot taken 2026-10-03. Version numbers change. Source: nodejs.org (opens in a new tab)

B. Run the installer

  1. Open the downloaded file. Its name starts with node-v and ends with .msi. Your browser's Downloads list (press Ctrl + J) shows it.
  2. Click Next. Tick "I accept the terms", then click Next again.
  3. Leave the install folder and the feature list alone. Click Next through those screens.
  4. On the page about Tools for Native Modules, leave the checkbox empty. You do not need those tools. Click Next, then Install.
  5. If Windows asks "Do you want to allow this app to make changes?", click Yes. Then click Finish.
Mac note

On the same page, pick macOS and download the .pkg file. Click Continue through the installer. In the commands in this guide, write npm where it says npm.cmd.

C. Check it worked

  1. Close every PowerShell window you had open, then open a new one. Node is only found by windows opened after installing.
  2. Paste this command and press Enter:
    Paste into PowerShell
    node --version
npm.cmd --version

    What you should see: two lines. The first starts with v24, such as v24.11.1. The second is a number such as 11.6.2. Your exact numbers may differ.

    If it went wrong: "'node' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet" means Windows cannot find Node. Close all PowerShell windows and open a new one. If it still fails, run the installer again and choose Repair.

Why npm.cmd and not npm? On a fresh Windows PC, PowerShell blocks the script that plain npm uses (about execution policies (opens in a new tab)). npm.cmd does the same job and is never blocked.

Install Rojo

The tool that copies the game's code into Studio. Two pieces: a program and a plugin.

Rojo (opens in a new tab) copies the game's code from your folder into the game inside Roblox Studio, and keeps it up to date as the code changes. Copying code like that is called syncing. It has two pieces: a program on your computer, and a plugin (an add-on) for Studio.

Use version 7.4.4. That is the version this project is known to work with. The program and the plugin must be the same version.

A. Download both pieces

  1. Click the green button below. The Rojo 7.4.4 release page opens in a new tab.
  2. Scroll to the bottom to the Assets list. It fills in a moment after you reach it.
  3. Click rojo-7.4.4-windows-x86_64.zip to download the program.
  4. Click Rojo.rbxm to download the Studio plugin.
Open the Rojo 7.4.4 download page → (opens in a new tab)
  1. The program for Windows.
  2. The Studio plugin.
Screenshot taken 2026-10-03. Source: Rojo release page on GitHub (opens in a new tab)
Mac note

Download rojo-7.4.4-macos-aarch64.zip on a newer Mac (Apple silicon) or rojo-7.4.4-macos-x86_64.zip on an older Intel Mac. Unzip it, then ask a teammate who uses a Mac how to put rojo on your PATH, because this project's setup is tested on Windows.

B. Put the program in a folder

  1. Open your Downloads folder in File Explorer.
  2. Right-click rojo-7.4.4-windows-x86_64.zip and click Extract All…
  3. In the box that says where the files will be extracted, delete the text and type C:\rojo.
  4. Click Extract.

    What you should see: a folder C:\rojo containing a file named rojo.exe.

    If it went wrong: if the file is inside another folder, such as C:\rojo\rojo-7.4.4-windows-x86_64\, move rojo.exe up so that C:\rojo\rojo.exe exists.

C. Tell Windows where Rojo is

Windows looks for programs in a list of folders called the PATH. This command adds C:\rojo to your own list.

  1. Open PowerShell. Paste this command and press Enter:
    Paste into PowerShell
    [Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User") + ";C:\rojo", "User")

    What you should see: nothing at all. The prompt just comes back. That is success.

  2. Close PowerShell and open a new one. Then paste this and press Enter:
    Paste into PowerShell
    rojo --version

    What you should see: Rojo 7.4.4.

    If it went wrong: "'rojo' is not recognized" means the new PowerShell window cannot find it. Check that C:\rojo\rojo.exe exists, run the command in this step again, and open a fresh window. If Windows shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" box, click More info, then Run anyway.

D. Install the Studio plugin

  1. Open Roblox Studio. You do not need to open a place yet.
  2. Click the Plugins tab at the top, then click Plugins Folder. A File Explorer window opens. (About Studio plugins (opens in a new tab).)
  3. From your Downloads folder, drag Rojo.rbxm into that window.
  4. Close Studio completely, then open it again.

    What you should see: after you open a place, the Plugins tab has a button named Rojo.

    If it went wrong: no Rojo button means the file is not in the Plugins folder, or Studio was not fully restarted. Repeat steps 2 to 4.

Pictures and more detail: the Rojo installation guide (opens in a new tab) and the Rojo documentation (opens in a new tab). You can also install the plugin by running rojo plugin install in PowerShell.

Mac note

The Plugins folder on a Mac is Documents/Roblox/Plugins. The Plugins Folder button in Studio opens the right place.

Install the project's helper files

One command, a few minutes, done once.

The project's code is built using many small helper packages made by other people. One command downloads them all into a folder named node_modules inside the project folder. You only do this once, plus again whenever the owner tells you the helpers changed. That command is npm ci (opens in a new tab).

  1. Open PowerShell in the project folder. Use cd C:\BladeAndBail or the File Explorer shortcut from step 3. The prompt must show the project folder.
  2. Paste this command and press Enter:
    Paste into PowerShell, in the project folder
    npm.cmd ci

    What you should see: a pause, then several lines. It may take a few minutes. Yellow lines starting with npm warn are normal. It ends with a line like added 400 packages, and audited 401 packages in 45s, and the prompt returns.

    If it went wrong: red lines starting with npm error mean it failed. If the error mentions "package.json" or "ENOENT", you are in the wrong folder, so run dir and look for package.json. If it mentions the network, check your internet and run the command again.

Start the dev panel

One command, then open an address in your browser.

A. Start it

  1. Open PowerShell in the project folder (see step 3).
  2. Paste this command and press Enter:
    Paste into PowerShell, in the project folder
    node devpanel/server.js

    What you should see: one line that says BladeAndBail dev panel: http://localhost:8787. The prompt does not come back. That is correct. The panel is running inside this window, so leave the window open as long as you use the panel.

    If it went wrong: "Cannot find module" means you are in the wrong folder. "address already in use" means a copy is already running. See troubleshooting.

  3. Open your web browser (Chrome, Edge, Firefox, anything).
  4. Click the address bar, type localhost:8787, and press Enter. Localhost (opens in a new tab) means "this computer", and 8787 is the port (opens in a new tab), the numbered door the panel listens at. Only your own computer can open it.

B. What the browser should show

The browser tab is titled BladeAndBail Dev Panel. The panel has a dark theme. The picture below is a real screenshot of it, with numbered boxes added.

  1. The address, devpanel · localhost:8787.
  2. The Rojo badge. A red dot, the words rojo down and a Run Rojo button. It turns green once Rojo is running.
  3. The build badge. It reads build idle until you build.
  4. The Pages list: Dev Flags, Rig Pipeline, Combat Pipelines, Catacombs and Live.
  5. The bottom buttons: Reset all, Rebuild only and Apply + Build. Apply + Build is dimmed until you change a setting.
Real screenshot of the dev panel, 2026-10-03. Your settings may differ a little.

In the middle of the Dev Flags page you see a search box that says "filter settings…", three small filter buttons (all, changed, off-default), and then cards of switches, sliders and dropdowns. The cards include Test Starting Resources, Quick Combat, NPC Voice, Combat Feel, Shortcuts, Catacomb Floors, Boss Vault and General.

If it went wrong: a page that says "This site can't be reached" means the panel is not running, or the address is wrong. Check that the PowerShell window still shows the "dev panel" line, and that you typed localhost:8787. A white or empty page: press Ctrl + F5. A red message "Couldn't reach the dev panel server" with a Retry button means the panel stopped, so start it again.

C. What each page is for

The five pages in the left column
PageWhat it isCan you use it now?
Dev FlagsSwitches and sliders for test settings, such as starting gold and potions. Apply + Build saves your changes and rebuilds the game's code. They reach the game the next time you press Play.Yes.
LiveOne-click buttons that act on a game running in Studio. Groups include Character, Gear & bag, Weapons, Monsters, Spawn one and World. A log lists what you pressed.Yes, once Studio is connected (step 8).
CatacombsChoose which themed rooms a dungeon floor uses, and run eight health checks on them.Partly. Three checks run on their own. Five need extra Studio tools, and Repack kit is for the owner.
Rig PipelineA guided process for adding a new animated enemy. It needs Blender (opens in a new tab) (a 3D program), special art files, and a Roblox upload key.Look only. Skip it unless the owner asks you to use it.
Combat PipelinesMeasures how far each enemy's weapon reaches. It needs the same extras as Rig Pipeline.Look only.
GitHub Desktop may show changed files

Starting the panel, or pressing Apply + Build, can rewrite a couple of the project's own files, such as DevFlags.ts. GitHub Desktop will then list "changed files". That is expected. Do not press Commit. Ask the owner what to do with them.

D. How to stop it

  1. If a green Rojo badge is showing in the panel's top bar, click Stop next to it first.
  2. Click the PowerShell window where the panel is running.
  3. Press Ctrl + C. Or just close the PowerShell window.

    What you should see: after Ctrl+C the prompt comes back. Reloading localhost:8787 now shows "This site can't be reached". That means it is stopped.

Connect Studio to the code

Build, start Rojo, connect the plugin, press Play.

This step puts the game's code into the place in Studio, and lets the Live page control a playtest. Keep the panel running in its PowerShell window while you do it.

Before you start

Connecting Rojo changes scripts inside the place. In a shared place, everyone sees those changes. If you have not yet asked the owner whether to use the shared place or your own copy, do that first (step 1).

A. Build the code

To build means to turn the project's code into the form Roblox understands. The result lands in a new folder named out.

  1. In the panel, click Rebuild only in the bottom bar.
  1. The Rebuild only button.
Real screenshot of the dev panel, 2026-10-03.

What you should see: the build badge at the top right changes to building with a counting number of seconds, then to build ok with the time it took. The first build can take a minute or more.

If it went wrong: a red build failed badge. Click it to open the log, and send the red lines to the owner. Do not try to fix code. If the log says it cannot find something, run npm.cmd ci again (step 6).

B. Start Rojo

  1. In the panel's top bar, click Run Rojo.
  1. The Run Rojo button, next to the red dot and "rojo down".
  2. The build badge.
Real screenshot of the dev panel, 2026-10-03.

What you should see: the red dot turns green and the badge reads rojo :34500, with a Stop button. This project uses port 34500, which is not Rojo's usual number. Remember 34500 for the next part.

If it went wrong: the badge stays red and says rojo down. Windows probably cannot find Rojo. Do the check at the end of step 5, or use the manual way below.

Manual way to start Rojo, without the panel button

Open a second PowerShell window in the project folder and run this. Leave the window open.

Paste into a second PowerShell window, in the project folder
rojo serve default.project.json --port 34500

What you should see: some lines, including that Rojo is listening, and the port 34500. The prompt does not return, which is correct.

If it went wrong: "address already in use" means another Rojo is running. Close other PowerShell windows or stop the one the panel started.

C. Connect from Studio

  1. Open Roblox Studio and open the game place, as the owner told you.
  2. Click the Plugins tab, then click Rojo. A Rojo window opens, usually docked on the side.
  3. Find the box labelled Port. It may show 34872 in faded text. Click in it and type 34500. Leave the Address box as it is (localhost).
  4. Click Connect.
  5. If Rojo shows a list of changes with Accept and Abort buttons, read it, then click Accept. If you are not sure, click Abort and ask the owner.

    What "connected" looks like: the Rojo window leaves the Address and Port form and shows the project name (BladeandBail) with a Disconnect button. In the Explorer, a folder named TS appears inside ServerScriptService, and rbxts_include appears inside ReplicatedStorage. The wording can differ a little between Rojo versions, but those signs are the same.

    If it went wrong: the plugin shows an error or does not connect. Check that the port says 34500 (not 34872), that the panel's badge is green, and that the build finished. See troubleshooting.

The Rojo window is not in this guide as a picture, because it only exists inside Studio. The Rojo documentation (opens in a new tab) has official pictures of it.

D. Allow the game to talk to the panel

The Live page works by the running game calling out to the panel on your computer. Studio blocks that unless you allow it. (About Studio's Game Settings (opens in a new tab).)

  1. In Studio, click the Home tab, then Game Settings.
  2. Click Security.
  3. Turn on Allow HTTP Requests, then click Save.

E. Try the Live page

  1. In Studio, click Play on the Home tab.
  2. In the game, pick a character from the game's own menu. Some Live buttons say "pick a character first" until you do.
  3. In the browser, click Live in the left column.
What the Live page looks like before a playtest connects.
  1. The connection box in the left column. It shows a grey dot.
  2. The message in the main area.
Real screenshot of the dev panel, 2026-10-03.

What you should see once Play is running: within a few seconds, a green dot and "Play session connected" in the left column. Your player name appears under "Players". Groups of buttons appear in the main area (Character, Gear & bag, Weapons, Monsters, Spawn one, World). Click one, such as a full heal, and a line appears in the Results log.

If it went wrong: it still says "No play session". Check Rojo is connected, Allow HTTP Requests is on, the panel window is still open, and you pressed Play (not Run). Wait ten seconds.

  1. When you are done, click Stop in Studio. The Live page goes grey after about 25 seconds.

Next time

Every day: start and stop

After the first setup, this is all you need. Tick the boxes as you go if it helps.

Starting up

  1. Open GitHub Desktop. If you see a Pull origin or Fetch origin button at the top, click it. That downloads the newest code from the owner.
  2. If it pulled new code, open PowerShell in the project folder and run npm.cmd ci again. It is safe to repeat.
  3. Open PowerShell in the project folder and run node devpanel/server.js. Leave that window open.
  4. In your browser, open localhost:8787.
  5. In the panel, click Rebuild only, and wait for build ok.
  6. In the panel, click Run Rojo, and wait for the green rojo :34500.
  7. Open Studio and the place. Click Plugins, Rojo, and make sure Port says 34500. Click Connect.
  8. Press Play. Use the Live page and the keys table.

Shutting down

  1. In Studio, click Stop if a playtest is running. In the Rojo window, click Disconnect.
  2. In the panel, click Stop next to the green Rojo badge.
  3. In the PowerShell window running the panel, press Ctrl + C, then close the window.
The commands in this guide
CommandWhat it doesWhen
cd C:\BladeAndBailMoves PowerShell into the project folder.Any time you open a new PowerShell window.
npm.cmd ciDownloads the project's helper files.Once, then after pulling new code.
node devpanel/server.jsStarts the dev panel.Every day.
rojo --versionChecks Rojo is installed.Once, or when troubleshooting.
rojo serve default.project.json --port 34500Starts Rojo by hand. Same as the panel's Run Rojo button.Only if the button does not work.

When something goes wrong

Find the line that matches what you see, then follow the fix.

"'node' is not recognized as the name of a cmdlet…" (also npm.cmd, rojo or git)

Windows cannot find that program. Close every PowerShell window and open a new one, because old windows do not notice new installs. If it still fails, run that program's installer again (for Node, choose Repair). For rojo, check C:\rojo\rojo.exe exists and redo the PATH command in step 5.

"npm.ps1 cannot be loaded because running scripts is disabled on this system"

You typed npm. Type npm.cmd instead (for example npm.cmd ci). It does the same job. (About execution policies (opens in a new tab).)

"Cannot find module" or "Cannot find path"

You are not in the project folder. Run cd C:\BladeAndBail, then dir. You should see devpanel and package.json. The File Explorer shortcut in step 3 avoids this.

Port already in use ("address already in use", EADDRINUSE)

A copy of the panel (or Rojo) is already running, probably in another PowerShell window. Close the other window, or press Ctrl + C in it. If you cannot find it, restart your computer, or find and stop it with these two commands. The first prints a list. The number at the end of the line is the process number. Put it in place of NUMBER in the second command.

Paste into PowerShell
netstat -ano | findstr :8787
Paste into PowerShell, after replacing NUMBER
taskkill /PID NUMBER /F

For Rojo, use :34500 in the first command.

The panel page will not load, or is blank

Check, in order: the PowerShell window still shows the "dev panel" line and has not been closed; the address is exactly localhost:8787 (not https); then press Ctrl + F5. If the page prints an error message in plain text, send that text to the owner.

"Couldn't reach the dev panel server" inside the page

The panel stopped. Go to the PowerShell window. If the prompt is back, run node devpanel/server.js again, then click Retry in the page.

The build badge says "build failed"

Click the badge to open the log and send the red lines to the owner. Make sure npm.cmd ci finished without errors. You never need to edit code to follow this guide.

The Rojo badge stays red ("rojo down") after clicking Run Rojo

Rojo is not installed where Windows can find it. In PowerShell run rojo --version. If it fails, redo step 5. You can also start Rojo by hand with the manual way in step 8.

Rojo will not connect in Studio
  • The Port box must say 34500, not 34872.
  • The panel's Rojo badge must be green.
  • Click Rebuild only and wait for build ok first. Rojo needs the out folder.
  • The program and the plugin must both be version 7.4.4. Download both again from the 7.4.4 page in step 5 if you are unsure.
  • If there is no Rojo button in the Plugins tab, the plugin file is missing from the Plugins folder. Redo the plugin steps in step 5 and restart Studio.
The Live page says "No play session"

The game must be running in Studio with Play. Rojo must be connected, Allow HTTP Requests must be on (step 8), and the panel must still be running. Wait about ten seconds after pressing Play.

A Live button says "pick a character first"

Choose a character from the game's own menu in the Play window, then press the button again.

GitHub says "Permission denied", "Repository not found", or shows 404

The repo is private, so GitHub hides it until your invitation is accepted. Open the email from GitHub and click Accept invitation, or use the invitations page (opens in a new tab). Make sure you are signed in with the same account the owner invited, in the browser and in GitHub Desktop (File, Options, Accounts). Still stuck? Ask the owner to check the invitation.

The clone is slow, or stuck at a big file

One file in the project is about 180 MB. Slow internet makes this take a while. Leave it running.

Windows shows a blue "Windows protected your PC" box

This is normal for new downloads. Click More info, then Run anyway. Only do this for files from the official links in this guide.

GitHub Desktop shows changed files I did not touch

The dev panel rewrites some of the project's own files when it starts or builds. That is expected. Do not press Commit. Ask the owner.

The panel closed when I closed PowerShell

That is how it works. The panel runs inside that window. Start it again with node devpanel/server.js.

Glossary

Build
Turning the project's code into the form Roblox understands. The result goes into the out folder.
Clone
Downloading a full copy of a project from GitHub into a folder on your computer. (How (opens in a new tab).)
Command
One instruction that you type or paste into a terminal and run by pressing Enter. (More on the command line (opens in a new tab).)
Dev panel
A web page that runs on your own computer, with switches and buttons for testing the game.
Flag
A test setting that can be switched on or off, or set to a number. The Dev Flags page edits them.
Folder (directory)
A container for files. "The project folder" here is C:\BladeAndBail.
GitHub
A website that stores code and tracks every change to it. (About GitHub (opens in a new tab); GitHub's glossary (opens in a new tab).)
GitHub Desktop
A free app that downloads and updates code from GitHub using buttons. (desktop.github.com (opens in a new tab).)
Localhost
The name for "this computer". The panel at localhost:8787 is reachable only from your own machine. (More (opens in a new tab).)
Node.js and npm
Node.js runs the dev panel. npm is its tool for downloading helper packages. (nodejs.org (opens in a new tab).)
Place
A Roblox Studio file that holds a game's world: the maps, models and scripts. (About places (opens in a new tab).)
Play session
A playtest started with the Play button in Studio. (Testing modes (opens in a new tab).)
Plugin
An add-on for Roblox Studio. Rojo is one. (About plugins (opens in a new tab).)
Port
A number that identifies one "door" on your computer that a program listens at. The panel uses 8787. Rojo uses 34500 in this project. (More (opens in a new tab).)
PowerShell (terminal)
The window where you paste commands. A terminal is any such window. (About PowerShell (opens in a new tab).)
Prompt
The line in PowerShell that starts with PS and ends with >. It means PowerShell is ready for a command.
Repo (repository)
A project folder tracked by GitHub. (About repositories (opens in a new tab).)
Rojo
A tool that copies the project's code into a place in Studio and keeps it updated. (rojo.space (opens in a new tab).)
Sync
Copying code from your folder into the place so both match.
Test data
Throwaway game data Studio uses so your playtests do not touch real players' saves.

Where to read more

These files are inside the project folder on your computer. The links open them on GitHub, where you need to be signed in with your invited account.

Further reading
FileWhat it covers
devpanel\README.md (opens in a new tab)How the dev panel works, in more detail.
docs\test-starting-resources.md (opens in a new tab)Giving test characters gold and potions.
enemy-rig-pipeline\README.md (opens in a new tab)How new animated enemies get into the game (advanced).
docs\authored-catacomb-puzzle-kit.md (opens in a new tab)How catacomb floors are put together.
docs\design-bible.html (opens in a new tab) and docs\ui-flow-map.html (opens in a new tab)The game's design overview and screen-by-screen UI map. Open the copies in your project folder by double-clicking them.
devpanel\ folder (opens in a new tab), default.project.json (opens in a new tab) and package.json (opens in a new tab)The dev panel's files, the Rojo project that says what gets synced, and the list of helper packages.