Last Updated: 2026-08-14 Version: 1.4
This master index provides a comprehensive guide to all technical documentation for LuminariMUD. Documents are organized by category and purpose to help developers, builders, and administrators quickly find the information they need.
- Setup & Getting Started
- Architecture & Core Systems
- Game Systems
- Development Guides
- Building & Content Creation
- Administration & Operations
- Project Management
- README.md - Project overview, quick start, and essential information
- onboarding.md - Fresh-clone developer checklist
- SETUP_AND_BUILD_GUIDE.md - Verified Autotools and CMake setup and build paths
- LUMINARI_OVERVIEW.md - What LuminariMUD is: the world, its systems, and what makes it distinct (written for players and newcomers to MUDs)
- deployment.md - CI/CD, release, managed-service, and rollback boundaries
- DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md - Complete setup and deployment instructions
- environments.md - Development and production configuration boundaries
- CONTRIBUTING.md - How to contribute to the project
- CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md - Community guidelines and expectations
- CMAKE_BUILD_GUIDE.md - Alternative build system using CMake
- IMPORT_DB.md - Database import procedures
- VESSEL_SCHEMA_DEPLOYMENT.md - Vessel schema deployment, verification, and rollback procedure
- ARCHITECTURE.md - Verified system overview, component boundaries, and data flow
- CORE_SERVER_ARCHITECTURE.md - Game loop, networking, and core engine
- Special-Procedure Boot Control Plane - Definition, authored/effective binding, boot precedence, diagnostics, and compatibility boundaries
- DATA_STRUCTURES_AND_MEMORY.md - Memory management and data structures
- COMMAND_SYSTEM_AND_INTERPRETER.md - Command parsing and execution
- DATABASE_INTEGRATION.md - MySQL integration and schema
- SAVE_SYSTEMS_BREAKDOWN.md - Save file formats and persistence
- HELP_SYSTEM.md - Database-first help content, SQL migration, verification, and legacy import/export workflow
- Operational API Contracts - Loopback readiness and liveness HTTP contract
- PROTOCOL_SYSTEMS.md - Telnet, MSDP, GMCP, and client protocols
- MUDLET_GUI_PACKAGE.md - Mudlet GUI package identity, updates, and web deployment
- WEB_ONBOARDING_SYSTEM.md - Versioned MSDP account, character-creation, and role-play presentation for Luminari Web
- CLIENT_CAPABILITIES_AND_PREFERENCES.md - How client capability auto-detection and player PRF flags interact, what persists, and when
- INTERMUD3.md - Inter-MUD communication system
- INTERMUD3_GATEWAY_API.md - External I3 Gateway API reference (JSON-RPC 2.0)
- INTERMUD3_SECURITY_AUDIT.md - I3 client security audit (remediated 2025-08-26)
- LOCAL_INTERMUD3_E2E.md - Local gateway and MUD end-to-end operations runbook
- Vessel System Product Requirements - Durable vessel requirements, wilderness contract, release criteria, and authoritative release-gate state
- GAME_MECHANICS_SYSTEMS.md - Overview of all game systems
- BARD_PERKS.md - Base performance contract and Bard perk trees
- COMBAT_SYSTEM.md - Combat mechanics and formulas
- SPELL_PREPARATION_SYSTEM.md - Magic and spell preparation
- PLAYER_MANAGEMENT_SYSTEM.md - Character and account management
- ARTIFACT_SYSTEM.md - Unique artifact registry, ownership, binding, progression, powers, persistence, deployment, and staff operations
- VESSEL_SYSTEM.md - Ships, airships, submarines, and land vehicles (carts, wagons, mounts) with wilderness navigation, multi-room interiors, and unified transport interface
- VESSEL_BENCHMARKS.md - Current and historical vessel performance, memory, and test evidence
- CLAN_SYSTEM.md - Guild and clan functionality
- MOUNT_SYSTEM.md - Mounts, paladin/blackguard mounts, and dragon mounts (code reference)
- CASTING_VISUALS_SYSTEM.md - School, class, metamagic, progress, and environmental spellcasting visuals
- CHARACTER_RENAME_SYSTEM.md - Authoritative player rename across index, files, accounts, and database
- STAFF_EVENT_SYSTEM.md - Staff-managed game events
- wilderness_system.md - Dynamic wilderness generation
- SPATIAL_SYSTEMS_ARCHITECTURE.md - Spatial visual and audio systems with triple strategy pattern
- RESOURCE_SYSTEM_TECHNICAL.md - Wilderness resource system with flexible region effects
- RESOURCE_REGENERATION_SYSTEM.md - Resource regeneration with seasonal and weather effects
- RESOURCE_REGENERATION_QUICK_REFERENCE.md - Quick reference for resource regeneration system
- DYNAMIC_RESOURCE_DESCRIPTIONS_PLAN.md - Dynamic environment descriptions based on resource state
- AI_SERVICE_README.md - AI service integration
- OLC_ONLINE_CREATION_SYSTEM.md - Online building tools
- SCRIPTING_SYSTEM_DG.md - DG Scripts documentation
- DG Scripts Web Guide - Source-backed builder path, complete trigger and command references, TRIGEDIT, testing, architecture, and public Dollhouse examples
- UTILITY_SYSTEMS.md - Helper systems and utilities
- development.md - Current daily commands, build gates, and source map
- DEVELOPER_GUIDE_AND_API.md - Comprehensive developer reference
- RESOURCE_SYSTEM_REFERENCE.md - Resource system player/admin reference
- RESOURCE_REGENERATION_API.md - Resource regeneration API for developers
- PHASE_4_INSTALLATION.md - Phase 4 region effects system setup and testing guide
- CLAUDE.md - AI assistant guidelines and codebase patterns
- TESTING_GUIDE.md - Testing procedures and frameworks
- Special Procedure Phase 00 Validation - Registry-safety acceptance, 78-test ownership, evidence matrix, and reproducible phase gates
- Special Procedure Phase 01 Validation - Call-site gateway acceptance, event/flow contracts, extraction-safety corrections, and 12-test ownership
- Special Procedure Phase 02 Validation - Declarative-assignment inventory, live binding diagnostics, help acceptance, and 11-test ownership
- Special Procedure Phase 03 Validation - Completed content-ownership extraction, legacy-source retirement, compatibility evidence, and reproducible gates
- Special Procedure Phase 03 Checkpoint History - Detailed ownership moves and per-checkpoint validation record
- Special Procedure Phase 04 Validation - Shared context, phrase, cooldown, combat, and affect contracts with consumer and gate evidence
- Special Procedure Phase 05 Validation - Mixed typed/legacy dispatch, Bank and Vampire Cloak conversion, compatibility inventory, and reproducible gates
- Special Procedure Phase 06 Validation - Final composition/lifecycle consumer audit, explicit wrapper boundary, typed nesting regression, and reopen criteria
- Special Procedure Phase 07 Validation - Final assignment-source ownership, direct-header consolidation, manifest parity, and reproducible closeout gates
- RESOURCE_SYSTEM_TESTING.md - Resource system testing guide
- VESSEL_SYSTEM_TESTING.md - Vessel system manual regression script (30 steps)
- LOCAL_DEV_LOGIN_QUICK_GUIDE.md - Credential-safe local boot, Kohdee login, and character/account logout smoke test
- CASTING_VISUALS_TESTING.md - Casting visuals in-game verification checklist
- vessel_test_results.md - Historical Phase 00 vessel test record (superseded; see VESSEL_BENCHMARKS.md)
- CuTest_README.md - Unit testing with CuTest
- PROTOCOL_PARSER_HARNESS.md - Focused protocol safety and framing regression matrix
- PERFORMANCE_OPTIMIZATIONS.md - Performance tuning guide
- affect_update_optimization.md - Specific optimization case study
- TROUBLESHOOTING_AND_MAINTENANCE.md - Common issues and solutions
- Builder Quickstart - One zone from empty to bootable; start here
- Builder's Manual - Overview of building tools and processes
- OLC SpecProc Editing - Owner-aware selection, authored persistence,
specbinddiagnostics, and moving-room safety - World Validator CLI - World parsing, validation, typed lookup, and the completed RoL reconciliation, canonical rebase, release, and maintenance pipeline
- ultimate-mud-writing-guide.md - Writing compelling MUD content
- Zone File Format -
.zonheader fields, reset commands, and parser gotchas - Shop File Format -
.shpfield-by-field reference - Quest File Format -
.qstgrammar, source-backed types and flags, rewards, references, and chain rules - High-Level Quest File Format -
.hlqhost entries, command legality, bounds, references, and runtime order - OEDIT Guide - Object editor, item types, wear slots, and the object value vectors
- Room Flags - All 48 room flags
- Mobile Flags - All 126 mobile action flags, including converter-owned RoL compatibility flags
- CRAFTING_SYSTEM_NOTES.md - Crafting system design notes (partial; verify against
src/craft/) - gear_guide.md - Combined gear stat distribution (equipment balance, loot generation, stats by wear location)
- Incident response - Source-backed diagnosis, containment, and recovery
- Admin README - Legacy administration overview
- FAQ.md - Legacy gameplay/administration FAQ; current operator commands are linked at its top
- Utilities README - External utility programs
- LICENSE - Project licensing information
- Legal README - Legal considerations
- TASK_LIST.md - Current development priorities
- docs-audit.md - Phase 00 transition and vessel documentation audit ledger
- CONSIDERATIONS.md - Durable special-procedure and vessel maintenance lessons
- CONVENTIONS.md - Canonical engineering, build, test, documentation, and operational conventions
- CHANGELOG.md - Recent changes and updates
- Ongoing projects - Active work and retained handoffs: production autosave and memory follow-up, artifact placement, AI conversation history, SKORE phases 3-4, event-system merge, and in-game backlogs
- artifact-placement-plan.md - World-building brief for placing artifacts in player-facing content, the artifact system's one remaining open item
- AI_TODO_IDEAS.md - AI conversation history implementation plan
- DO_SKORE_PROJECT.md - Skore system phases 3-4
- IDEA_LIST.md - Player and staff feature idea backlog
- Previous Changelogs - Historical development records
- README.md
- onboarding.md
- SETUP_AND_BUILD_GUIDE.md
- development.md
- ARCHITECTURE.md
- CONTRIBUTING.md
- deployment.md
- DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md
- incident-response.md
- DATABASE_INTEGRATION.md
- TROUBLESHOOTING_AND_MAINTENANCE.md
- OLC_ONLINE_CREATION_SYSTEM.md
- SCRIPTING_SYSTEM_DG.md
- ultimate-mud-writing-guide.md
- Building guides in world_game-data/
- world/STARTER_AREA.md
- DEVELOPER_GUIDE_AND_API.md
- PERFORMANCE_OPTIMIZATIONS.md
- TESTING_GUIDE.md
- All system documentation
- README.md
- FAQ.md
- CODE_OF_CONDUCT.md
- ultimate-mud-writing-guide.md
- DEPLOYMENT_GUIDE.md
- OLC_ONLINE_CREATION_SYSTEM.md
- GAME_MECHANICS_SYSTEMS.md
- Building guides
- ARCHITECTURE.md
- CORE_SERVER_ARCHITECTURE.md
- DEVELOPER_GUIDE_AND_API.md
- PERFORMANCE_OPTIMIZATIONS.md
- DATABASE_INTEGRATION.md
- SCRIPTING_SYSTEM_DG.md
- COMMAND_SYSTEM_AND_INTERPRETER.md
- PROTOCOL_SYSTEMS.md
- By Feature: Look in
systems/directory - By Task: Check
guides/directory - By Problem: See TROUBLESHOOTING_AND_MAINTENANCE.md
- By Code: Refer to DEVELOPER_GUIDE_AND_API.md
README.md- Root repository overview onlyREADME_<directory>.md- Subdirectory overview documents*_SYSTEM.md- System documentation*_GUIDE.md- How-to guides*_TODO.md- Planning documents*_TASK_LIST.md- Work tracking
- All docs use Markdown format
- Code examples follow GNU C23 and the established source style
- Internal links use relative paths
- External links include descriptions
The Phase 00 transition audit is recorded in docs-audit.md. It verifies the required project entry points, the special-procedure documentation delivered in Phase 00, and the operational health/deployment surface. Older subsystem documents remain independently maintained and must be retraced before behavioral edits.
- Follow markdown best practices
- Include code examples where relevant
- Keep technical accuracy paramount
- Update this index when adding new docs
- Test all commands and code examples
This index is maintained as part of the LuminariMUD project. For corrections or additions, please submit a pull request or contact the development team.