- name
- vvvv-startup
- description
- Covers launching vvvv gamma from the command line or programmatically -- normal startup, opening specific .vl patches, command-line arguments, package repositories, and key filesystem paths (install directory, user data, sketches, exports, packages). Use when starting vvvv, configuring launch arguments, setting up package repositories, or finding vvvv's data directories.
- license
- CC-BY-SA-4.0
- compatibility
- Designed for coding AI agents assisting with vvvv gamma development
- metadata
- author
- Tebjan Halm
- version
- 1.0
Launching vvvv gamma
Filesystem Paths
| Location | Path |
|---|---|
| Install directory | C:\Program Files\vvvv\vvvv_gamma_X.Y-win-x64\ |
| User data (AppData) | %LOCALAPPDATA%\vvvv\gamma\ |
| Documents root | %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vvvv\gamma\ |
| Sketches | %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vvvv\gamma\Sketches |
| Exports | %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vvvv\gamma\Exports |
| User packages | `%LOCALAPPDATA%\vvvv\gamma\ |
| ugets` | |
| Log file (when enabled) | %USERPROFILE%\Documents\vvvv\gamma\vvvv.log |
Preview builds use gamma-preview instead of gamma in the above paths.
Normal Launch
# Launch vvvv (opens with default empty patch)
"C:\Program Files\vvvv\vvvv_gamma_7.0-win-x64\vvvv.exe"
# Open a specific patch
vvvv.exe MyProject.vl
# Open multiple files
vvvv.exe --open "FileA.vl;FileB.vl"Package Repositories and Editable Packages
These two arguments work together and are the most important for development:
--package-repositoriestells vvvv where to look for packages. Provide the parent folder of each package (the folder containing the package directory, not the package directory itself).--editable-packagestells vvvv which packages from those repositories to load from source instead of pre-compiled cache (read-only). Glob patterns are supported.
You must use both together when working on a package from source:
# Given this folder structure:
# D:\Projects\
# VL.MyLib\ <-- the package
# VL.MyLib.vl
# VL.MyOtherLib\ <-- another package
# VL.MyOtherLib.vl
# The parent folder "D:\Projects" is the package repository
vvvv.exe --package-repositories "D:\Projects" --editable-packages "VL.MyLib*" --debug
# Multiple repositories (semi-colon separated)
vvvv.exe --package-repositories "D:\Projects;D:\SharedLibs" --editable-packages "VL.MyLib*;VL.SharedUtils" --debug
# Open a specific help patch for testing
vvvv.exe --package-repositories "D:\Projects" --editable-packages "VL.MyLib*" -o "D:\Projects\VL.MyLib\help\HowTo Use Feature.vl" --debugWithout --package-repositories, vvvv won't find your local package sources, and --editable-packages will have no effect.
Common Argument Combinations
# Development: debug symbols + allow multiple instances
vvvv.exe MyProject.vl --debug --allowmultiple
# Troubleshooting: skip cache, enable logging
vvvv.exe MyProject.vl --nocache --log
# Minimal startup: no extensions, no backend (fast launch for patch editing)
vvvv.exe --noextensions --disable-backend
# Paused on startup (runtime won't start until you press play)
vvvv.exe MyProject.vl --stoppedonstartup
# Skip splash screen
vvvv.exe --no-splashFor the complete argument reference, see cli-reference.md.
Detecting vvvv Installations
To find vvvv programmatically:
- Windows Registry: Enumerate
HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstallfor subkeys starting withvvvv_gamma_. Read theInstallLocationvalue. - Default path: Scan
C:\Program Files\vvvv\for directories matchingvvvv_gamma_*. - Version parsing: Extract version from directory name format
vvvv_gamma_MAJOR.MINOR[-PREVIEW-HASH-PLATFORM]. - Filtering: Exclude
-beta,-alpha,-rc,-test,-dev, etc. variants if not explicitly requested. - Selection: Sort by major DESC, minor DESC, preview number DESC. Pick the latest and ask the user if that or another one should be used.
The executable is at <install-dir>\vvvv.exe.