covel

Covel is a modular, agentic AI role-playing game framework and playable studio. Its architecture separates the kernel (scheduling, context assembly, tools, validation, persistence, rendering), plugin packages (gameplay behavior such as agent and function runtimes, UI, schemas, tools, events, projections, and lifecycle hooks), and portable world packs (lore, characters, rules, plugin defaults, memory blocks, quests, items, portraits, and scenes). Two play modes are included: Stage mode is a full-screen visual novel with scene backdrops, character sprites, typewriter dialog, choice overlays, and on-demand backdrop generation for new locations; Story mode is text-based with narrated turns, suggested actions, inline forms, and a per-turn agent timeline. Plugins are capability packages rather than fixed roles. Bundled examples include agent runtimes like narrator, codex, and core-quest; function runtimes like pregame, dice-check/roller, and scene-cast; mixed packages such as npc-graph and image generation; lifecycle hooks such as cost-gate, story-guard, and director; and UI or data contracts like memory, character-blueprint, and character-presence. The kernel discovers capabilities and outputKind without branching on concrete plugin IDs, so components stay replaceable. Built-in RPG mechanics include pre-rolled dice checks with visible arithmetic receipts, an auto-tracked quest log, player-managed inventory, and per-NPC affinity meters; all are optional plugins and worlds can seed opening quests, starting gear, and initial affinity. After each turn, a shared WorldIR fact projection lets quests, inventory, affinity, codex, and relationship plugins reuse the same evidence. World packs are declared through world.yaml, WORLD.md, and WorldData imports; pluginPolicy can mark plugins required, recommended, or excluded, and memoryBlocks can add genre-specific memory such as clues or signal logs. The framework ships zh-CN, en-US, and ru-RU UI catalogs and supports localized plugin instructions, world files, character data, and rules with fallback to canonical sources. A Trace Inspector groups execution by session and turn, exposing runtimes, flows, LLM requests, tools, messages, state, and hook events, plus Session Data and Cost views. Storage is local-first with SQLite on disk; Web mode keeps API keys in browser localStorage, while desktop mode saves them as plaintext in ~/.covel/keys.env. The project provides desktop builds for macOS Apple Silicon and Windows x64, and source runs via pnpm with web and server targets. Bundled world packs include Mistport Chronicles, Haruka Academy, and Emberback Relay. Authors can generate a world pack with the AI Create World flow or scaffold plugins with create-plugin. Current release v0.0.32 is early access, and APIs, world data, and plugin manifests may change between versions. The project is MIT licensed and community hub and marketplace features are on the roadmap.