Houdini — Claude Code skill: what it does, how to install

---
name: Houdini
description: Control SideFX Houdini from the shell via Flue - a Python bridge to hou without an MCP server.
---
This skill lets a coding agent operate **SideFX Houdini** on the desktop through [Flue](https://github.com/SFKislev/flue), a local shell-to-application bridge. The agent pipes Python into `houdini_bridge.py` and gets structured JSON back.

> agent shell -> `houdini_bridge.py` -> hou -> JSON result

## When to use
The human requests work performed **inside Houdini** — inspect the open scene, nodes, parameters, geometry, selection; make bounded edits; run small `hou` scripts. A CLI agent cannot act inside Houdini without a bridge like Flue.

## How to proceed
1. **Read `FLUE.md` in this directory first.** It explains how Flue works, the bridge contract, a worked `hou` example, and safety expectations.
2. **If Flue is installed:** also read `C:\Users\fredd\.claude\skills\flue\SKILL.md` and `adapters/houdini_adapter/APP.md` for the operational contract, then work from there.
3. **If Flue is not installed:** tell the human. The install command is `pip install flue && flue setup`. Do not install without explicit approval in the current session.

## Other apps
Flue also supports Photoshop, Illustrator, Premiere, After Effects, InDesign, Audition, Blender, 3ds Max, Unity, and Microsoft Office through the same stdin/stdout contract. One install covers all adapters.

## Safety
Flue acts inside professional desktop software. Treat the human as the driver; prefer small, inspectable steps; avoid destructive actions unless explicitly requested. Flue is MIT-licensed and reviewable on GitHub / PyPI before use.