cadence

Cadence is a motion graphics framework that lets developers generate video entirely through Lua code, without relying on browsers or frontend frameworks like React. Compositions are defined as pure functions of time — meaning any frame can be rendered independently, enabling fast verification and deterministic output. The toolchain uses a headless LÖVE engine (a lightweight game framework) to render frames, then encodes them into MP4 via ffmpeg. Key features include instant compile feedback via wasmoon (WASM), structured JSON output for agent tools (like Cursor or Copilot), and built-in diagnostics via the `cadence doctor` command. Users write compositions in Lua using a declarative API that supports tweens, text, shapes, and animations. The system is designed for automation, CI/CD integration, and AI agent workflows — verified before encoding, with no runtime I/O or clocks. It includes an optional desktop editor built with Tauri and React, and maintains backward compatibility with its former name, ellua. All verification outputs follow a standardized schema (`cadence.result/v1`) for machine parsing. The engine footprint is under 10MB, making it portable and efficient for headless rendering environments.