whycavalry macOS onlyCavalry required

Describe motion.

It runs in Cavalry.

Claude generates the Cavalry JavaScript from your words and fires it live in your open scene via AppleScript. No copy-paste. No context switching. Words become animation.

View on GitHub Join Discord

// emitter_01 // morph_sq→circ

0306090120f

last prompt

"Circles exploding from center, pastel colors, spring easing"

capabilities

Describe it. Watch it move.

The full Cavalry.js API — shapes, modifiers, expressions, connectors, timing — all accessible in plain language.

Particles

"Cerchi che esplodono dal centro, colori pastello, loop infinito"

Claude generates particle emitter with pastel color array, radial velocity, loop timing. Fires in Cavalry in 2.3s.

Typography

"Testo 'Hello' che entra con spring physics da sinistra"

Text layer with spring easing on X position. Overshoot and settle in 0.6s. Live in scene immediately.

Morphing

"Morph fluido tra cerchio e quadrato, 2 secondi, loop"

Shape morph modifier between circle and rectangle paths. Ease in/out, seamless loop. No manual path editing.

Color

"Sfondo che va da teal a nero in 3 secondi, sinusoidale"

Background color animated with sine wave expression. Custom duration and color stops. Applied instantly.

Iteration

"Rendi l'esplosione 30% più veloce e aggiungi un flash bianco"

Claude reads the current script from context, modifies timing and adds a flash layer. Runs immediately in Cavalry.

Complex scene

"Crea un logo reveal: il logo entra dall'alto, le lettere si separano e poi si riuniscono con rimbalzo, poi la scena fa un flash e si stabilizza"

Multi-step sequence: layer animation, character-level timing with stagger, spring physics per character, flash overlay with opacity keyframes. Claude builds the full scene structure and fires it — no manual keyframing.

philosophy

Motion without friction.

The clipboard is not a workflow. WhyCavalry eliminates every step between idea and animation.

Zero copy-paste

The standard workflow: write prompt in ChatGPT → copy → switch to Cavalry → paste into Scripts → run. WhyCavalry eliminates every step after the first sentence.

The file bridge writes to ~/.whycavalry/. AppleScript triggers Cavalry's Scripts menu. You never touch the clipboard. You never switch context. The animation appears while you are still looking at the chat.

Cavalry native

Claude knows the full Cavalry.js API — shapes, modifiers, expressions, connectors, timing functions. Not a wrapper. Not a prompt template.

Conversation memory

The sidebar tracks all sessions. "Make it faster" works because Claude has the previous script in context. Iterative motion design.

Real-time execution

Script lands in Cavalry and runs immediately. Feedback loop under 3 seconds. Iterate faster than manual keyframing.

Zero API cost

Claude Code CLI runs on Claude Pro subscription. No API key. No per-request billing. Use it all day.

architecture

How the bridge works.

Electron app → Claude Code CLI → file bridge → AppleScript → Cavalry Scripts menu. One direction. Zero latency for the human.

<3seconds to execution

0copy-paste steps

100%Cavalry.js API

0API key needed

technical

Under the hood.

electron

Electron + Node.js

Native macOS app. Dark UI, conversation sidebar, session history. Launches as a standalone app or from the dock.

Claude Code CLI

claude --print for each generation. Claude has full context of the Cavalry.js API and your conversation history.

bridge

File bridge

Generated script written to ~/.whycavalry/script.js. Atomic write ensures Cavalry always reads a complete file.

osascript

AppleScript trigger

osascript tells Cavalry to run the script via its Scripts menu. No plugin required. Works with any Cavalry version that supports scripting.

context

Conversation history

Sidebar stores all past sessions. Reference previous scripts, refine animations, build on past work without restarting.

prereq

Prerequisites

Cavalry installed and open with an active scene. Claude Code CLI authenticated. That is all.

motion vocabulary

Everything you can describe.

particle systems

shape morphing

spring physics

text animation

color gradients

loop control

easing curves

layer stagger

expression scripting

connectors

timing functions

modifiers

logo reveals

title sequences

zero copy-paste

particle systems

shape morphing

spring physics

text animation

color gradients

loop control

easing curves

layer stagger

expression scripting

connectors

timing functions

modifiers

logo reveals

title sequences

zero copy-paste

manifesto

The clipboard is a symptom.
Context switching is the real problem.
Motion should flow from thought to screen.

WhyCavalry is not an AI plugin. It is a bridge that makes AI invisible — you stay in the creative flow, the animation appears, the conversation continues. No switching. No pasting. No interruption.

Star on GitHub Open an issue

get started

Open Cavalry. Start describing.

Install, open Cavalry with a scene, run WhyCavalry, and type. The first animation runs in under 30 seconds from setup.

View on GitHub Join Discord

<3s

description to execution

copy-paste steps

100%

Cavalry.js API coverage

Anthropic API key needed