Write Interactive Fiction.
It's Easier Than You Think.

Sharpee is a modern platform for writing parser-based interactive fiction. Build rich, explorable worlds — and focus on the writing.

Sharpee 3.0 is the current stable release, available now on npm. Install the CLI with npm i -g @sharpee/devkit, then run sharpee init to start a new story.

New in 3.0: The Chord Story Language

Sharpee 3.0 introduces Chord, a story language built for writers. Instead of TypeScript, you write a .story file that reads like the prose it produces:

create the brass hook
  aka hook, peg
  scenery, a supporter with capacity 1
  in the Cloakroom

  It's just a small brass hook, screwed to the wall.

Chord compiles to the same traits, behaviors, and phrases as the platform API — the classic Cloak of Darkness drops from 785 lines of TypeScript to under 100 lines of Chord. Meet the language.

The Book Is Here

The Sharpee Author and Developer Manual (v2.0.0 edition) teaches the whole platform by building one game, the Family Zoo, across 31 chapters: rooms, objects, puzzles, NPCs, timed events, scoring, a browser client, theming, and testing. Every listing was verified against the published packages by a first-time reader following the book literally, front to back, until a full run came back clean.

Read it online, or download the EPUB or PDF. Every code listing is also available on the snippets page.

Build Worlds Like Lego

Everything in your world is assembled from small, snap-together pieces called traits. A treasure chest? That's a container, an openable, and a lockable. A lantern? A light source and a switchable. You build exactly what you need — no more, no less.

Logic and Prose Stay Separate

When a player types a command, Sharpee handles the mechanics first — then turns the result into prose. Your story logic and your writing are separate concerns. Change how something reads without touching how it works, and vice versa. The 2.x line rebuilt this rendering layer around the phrase algebra: composable phrases that produce grammatical, article-correct prose from your world's own vocabulary.

You focus on the world and the words. Sharpee handles the plumbing.