Protocols

Protocols are the structured categories of scripts that tell the Editor what you’re trying to make.

Rive currently ships with the following protocols, with more to come:

• Node
• Layout
• Converter
• Path Effect - Create custom path effects.
• Transition Conditions - Create custom state machine transition conditions.
• Listener Actions - React to state machine listeners.
• Test - Unit test your functions.

Each protocol represents a different kind of script the Editor can generate: a converter that shapes data, a custom drawing function, a layout helper, a testing harness, a path effect you can attach to strokes, and so on.

Selecting a protocol generates a typed scaffold that defines the surface area you’re allowed to operate on. From there, you work with Rive-native concepts — paths, shapes, view models, artboards, state machines, timelines — but always through the lens of the protocol you picked. It keeps scripts specific and prevents “do anything anywhere” chaos.