Apothicon runs on your computer and connects to the AI client you already use. The companion handles installation settings and MCP connections; your agent handles map authoring, scripts and builds.
Download and start
When the download page offers a Windows installer, download the EXE and follow setup. It installs for your Windows account and adds an Apothicon Start menu shortcut. Open that shortcut to prepare the private runtime and show the setup companion. Administrator rights and a separate Python installation are not required.
You can also use the source package:
- Get the source ZIP from the download page.
- Extract the whole archive to a folder you intend to keep, such as
D:\Projects\apothicon-mcp. - Double-click Start-Apothicon.cmd inside that folder.
Keep the project folder together. The launcher prepares a private Python environment, installs the locked dependencies and opens the native setup companion. You do not need a separate Python installation, administrator rights or permanent changes to PATH or PowerShell execution policy.
The first installation needs internet access. If uv is missing, the launcher downloads its official release and checks its SHA-256 digest before running it. Later starts use the environment in the project folder.
Install-Apothicon.cmd performs installation and configuration without opening the companion. Use the start launcher for the usual setup experience.
Choose your folders
In Setup & settings, choose your agent workspace and Black Ops III Mod Tools folder, then save the settings.
The workspace holds map_source/ and usermaps/. A separate workspace lets the agent stage changes before deploying them into Mod Tools. Pointing the workspace at the installation enables direct source edits there. For a first project, a separate workspace makes the deployment step easier to review.
A licensed Windows BO3 Mod Tools installation is required for native templates, compilation and engine validation. Local documentation search and original prototype source authoring can work without it. A prototype does not include the stock assets and runtime setup needed to claim a playable map.
Review execution settings
Native builds, installation writes and tool launches require local execution to be enabled. Individual execution calls also need execute=true; deployment starts as a preview. You can finish setup and inspect plans with execution disabled.
The companion saves settings in apothicon.toml in its project folder. Open the active configuration from the companion to find it. A minimal configuration looks like this:
[apothicon]
workspace = "workspace"
install_root = 'D:\SteamLibrary\steamapps\common\Call of Duty Black Ops III'
allow_builds = falseRelative paths resolve from the configuration file. APOTHICON_CONFIG, APOTHICON_WORKSPACE, BO3_MOD_TOOLS and APOTHICON_ALLOW_BUILDS override saved values; setup reports active overrides.
Manual installation
The launcher is the recommended starting point. If you already use Python tooling, the repository also supports a reproducible uv environment with Python 3.11 or newer:
cd D:\Projects\apothicon-mcp
uv sync --extra dev --locked
Copy-Item apothicon.example.toml apothicon.toml
uv run apothicon guiCopy the example only when creating a new configuration. Standard python -m venv and python -m pip install -e ".[dev]" also work. Manual Python installations need Tk support for the companion. On Linux and macOS, source work is available, while stock BO3 Windows executables require their supported Windows environment.
Next, connect your agent and test the MCP connection.