Scripting is live in Rive

Starting today, Scripting is a core part of the Rive platform. 

Build entire experiences

The Rive Editor now lets you iterate on code, design, and animation in one place. Build entire experiences, like games, interactive UI, full apps, and ship them anywhere: web, iOS, Android, Unity, Unreal, and any custom products, with our open-source C++ runtime.

Scripting extends Rive

Scripting also extends Rive itself — not just the Editor, but the Runtime too. 

Rather than waiting on us to ship every niche feature request (and forcing everyone else to pay for that runtime bloat), Scripting lets teams build the custom systems they need.

Other tools solve this in one of two ways: code-first platforms where design is an afterthought, or design-first tools where scripting lives in a bolted-on text box or a separate plugin ecosystem.

Scripting is Rive’s answer. It’s a professional programming environment inside a professional design tool. 

What you can build

Scripting answers real requests we hear all the time:

• Control components: dynamically create instances of your components and control their data with code. Populate lists of data, make characters interact, and dynamically control any property or animation with code.

• Fetch data: fetch real data and populate your View Models with it directly in the editor

• Particle behaviors: emitters, trails, procedural bursts, noise-driven motion, controllable UI confetti

• Physics: gravity, collisions, inertia, spring constraints, follow chains, secondary motion systems that aren’t just keyframes

• Custom layout logic: rules like “wrap until X then stack,” content-aware distribution, breakpoint-driven behavior beyond basic constraints

• Mini-map-style UI logic: coordinate transforms, viewport indicators, dynamic markers, interactive panning/selection behaviors

Smooth motion where HTML struggles

A lot of modern UI is “web-shaped,” even when it isn’t on the web. Rive runs performantly in environments where HTML-based approaches are impractical, like game engines, low-end devices, in-vehicle systems, and more. 

That unlocks entirely new categories of interactive experiences and not just better versions of what already exists.

Protocols give scripts shape

Scripting starts with Protocols: structured categories that define what kind of script you’re writing, what you’re allowed to touch, and what you’re expected to implement. 

Rive currently ships with five protocols: 

• Node: Custom drawing/rendering logic tied to the scene graph

• Converter: Shape or transform data

• Layout: Layout helpers that can participate in Rive’s layout system

• Test: Harnesses for validation and repeatable checks

• PathEffect: Attach procedural behavior to strokes/paths

When you pick a protocol, the Editor generates a typed scaffold — the surface area you can operate on — so scripts stay specific. 

Scripts run on the programming language Luau, and the Editor generates type definitions from Rive’s engine APIs, so you get real autocomplete, validation, and safer refactors as you work. Here’s Rive CTO Luigi Rosso's explanation for why we chose Luau as Scripting’s programming language.

Protocol scaffolds keep scripts constrained to the job you chose (Layout, PathEffect, etc.) instead of turning your file into a free-for-all. The result is code that stays runtime-friendly and predictable. 

A real code editor inside a design tool

Workflow wins:

• Live updates/hot reload: Iterate on code and see changes while you’re still designing and animating

• Command palette (keyboard-first): Stay in flow without hunting through panels

• Themes: We know engineers care about this

• Full-screen mode: Focus when you’re building and a clean view when you’re presenting

• Collaborative code editing: Edit the same script together, in real time

For anyone used to modern developer tools, none of these are exotic. The point is that they’re now living inside the same canvas as your motion and design system. 

Meet the AI Coding Agent

Scripting is for anyone who wants more control. We also know the word “scripting” can feel like a Sisyphean task for non-engineers. 

The AI Coding Agent makes Scripting accessible to more people by helping you: 

• Generate code and learn Luau as you go

• Ask questions in-context without leaving the Editor

• Review changes with inline diffs

• Offload tedious setup work, like building layouts or generating view models. 

It’s a powerful on-ramp for designers and a speed boost for developers. 

Like any AI tool, it can be wrong, so we built it for review: inline diffs, accept/reject on agent edits, and a workflow that keeps you in control.

The AI Coding Agent uses credits. Every paid plan includes monthly credits. See the FAQ for the full breakdown.

Scripts in the Marketplace

Scripting also changes what “reusable” can mean in Rive. 

Today, the Marketplace is where you grab files, components, and starting points. Similarly, scripts are small building blocks that teams can share, reuse, and improve.

Imagine a community-standard PathEffect that becomes the go-to way to do a certain class of procedural styling. Or a Layout helper that becomes the default foundation for a particular UI pattern. 

Someday, it will be a true marketplace where freelance designers and developers can sell those scripts. That’s the future we’re building toward.

Start building

Ready to try it?

This is the creative freedom Flash gave designers and developers working together, except now it’s without the plugin and rebuilt for modern platforms. And because Rive is open-source, it's not going anywhere.