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CLI Reference

The Class Creation Wizard runs fully headless from the command line. It discovers template-specific flags dynamically from each template’s input_vars, so the exact flag set changes per template. Use --template-help <template> to get the complete command for any template.

Base Command

python ClassWizard.py [global flags] [mode flags] [template-specific flags]

Global Flags

These flags apply to every invocation regardless of mode.

Flag	Required	Description
`--engine-path <path>`	Yes	Path to the O3DE engine root
`--project-path <path>`	Yes	Path to the O3DE project directory. Required in both GUI and CLI mode – it’s the only way the wizard can correctly resolve and scrub build targets.

Discovery Flags

Use these to explore available templates before running.

Flag	Description
`--list-templates`	Print all wizard-enabled templates and exit
`--template-help <class_name>`	Print the full command, all flags, and command list for a template, then exit

Example

python ClassWizard.py --engine-path D:\O3DE --project-path D:\MyProject --list-templates

python ClassWizard.py --engine-path D:\O3DE --project-path D:\MyProject --template-help default_component

--template-help output includes:

Template identity (class name, suffix, description)
The full runnable command with the global/CLI-mode flags and all of the template’s own flags shown (--target-path is a valid CLI-mode flag but is not printed in this block – see CLI Mode Flags)
Per-argument details: default values, required status, show_if condition
The complete list of processing commands that will run and their conditions

CLI Mode Flags

These flags drive component creation when not launching the GUI.

Flag	Required	Description
`--template <class_name>`	Yes	Selects the template and activates CLI mode. Must match the `class_name` from `--list-templates`.
`--component-name <Name>`	Yes	Base name of the component, e.g. `PlayerHealth`. Becomes `${Name}` in all substitutions.
`--namespace <GemName>`	Yes	Gem namespace, e.g. `GS_Interaction`. Becomes `${GemName}`.
`--target-path <path>`	No	Destination directory. Defaults to `<project-path>/Gem`.
`--automatic-register`	No	Run registration commands (CMake file lists, module descriptors). Omit to generate files only.
`--keep-comments`	No	Preserve template comment blocks in generated files. Default: strip comments.
`--default-license`	No	Emit the default license header in generated files.

Template-Specific Flags

Each template adds its own flags from input_vars. These are printed by --template-help.

Toggle inputs become --flag-name (store_true, no value needed).

Text inputs become --flag-name <value>.

Dropdown inputs become --flag-name <choice> with a fixed set of allowed values.

Int and float inputs become --flag-name <number>.

Flag names are derived from var_name with underscores replaced by hyphens: add_bus_interface -> --add-bus-interface

A toggle flag is a plain “turn on” switch (store_true). If the template’s default_value for that toggle is already true, as with add_bus_interface on every component template, there is no CLI flag to turn it back off. Passing --add-bus-interface is a no-op. There is currently no --no-add-bus-interface equivalent. Toggles that default to false, like include_editor, work as expected: omit the flag to leave it off, pass the flag to turn it on.

Flags marked show_if are optional at the CLI level (the condition is false when omitted), but they are only shown in the Editor GUI when the gem satisfies the condition.

Full Command Shape

python ClassWizard.py \
  --engine-path  <engine-path> \
  --project-path <project-path> \
  --template     <class_name> \
  --component-name <Name> \
  --namespace      <GemName> \
  [--target-path <path>] \
  [--automatic-register] \
  [--keep-comments] \
  [--default-license] \
  [<template-specific flags>]

Examples

GUI Mode

python ClassWizard.py --engine-path D:\O3DE --project-path D:\MyProject

List All Templates

python ClassWizard.py --engine-path D:\O3DE --project-path D:\MyProject --list-templates

Full Help for a Template

python ClassWizard.py --engine-path D:\O3DE --project-path D:\MyProject \
  --template-help default_component

Basic Component – Files Only, No Registration

python ClassWizard.py \
  --engine-path  D:\O3DE \
  --project-path D:\MyProject \
  --template     default_component \
  --component-name PlayerHealth \
  --namespace      GS_Core

Basic Component – With Registration and Editor Adapter

python ClassWizard.py \
  --engine-path  D:\O3DE \
  --project-path D:\MyProject \
  --template     default_component \
  --component-name PlayerHealth \
  --namespace      GS_Core \
  --automatic-register \
  --include-editor

LyShine Component – Keep Comments

python ClassWizard.py \
  --engine-path  D:\O3DE \
  --project-path D:\MyProject \
  --template     lyshine_component \
  --component-name HealthBar \
  --namespace      GS_Core \
  --automatic-register \
  --keep-comments

add_bus_interface defaults to true on every component template and has no CLI flag to disable it (see Template-Specific Flags). There is no CLI-only way to omit the interface header. Use the GUI to turn it off.

System Component

python ClassWizard.py \
  --engine-path  D:\O3DE \
  --project-path D:\MyProject \
  --template     system_component \
  --component-name TimeManager \
  --namespace      GS_Core \
  --automatic-register

Data Asset with Custom Extension

python ClassWizard.py \
  --engine-path  D:\O3DE \
  --project-path D:\MyProject \
  --template     data_asset \
  --component-name QuestData \
  --namespace      GS_Quests \
  --automatic-register \
  --file-extension questdata \
  --asset-group Quests

--asset-group takes free text (default DataAssets), not a fixed set of choices – any asset browser group name is valid.

Custom Destination Path

python ClassWizard.py \
  --engine-path  D:\O3DE \
  --project-path D:\MyProject \
  --template     default_component \
  --component-name FadeToBlack \
  --namespace      GS_Cinematics \
  --target-path    D:\MyProject\Gems\GS_Cinematics\Code \
  --automatic-register

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
`0`	Success
`1`	Validation failure (invalid component name/namespace, missing `--project-path`, missing destination directory) or component creation failure
`2`	Argument parsing error from argparse itself – missing `--engine-path`, an invalid `--template` choice, or a bad value for a typed flag (e.g. non-numeric `--width`)