Script Capability Matrix

Use this page when you need exact boundaries such as:

• "Can this script type access PathData?"
• "Which script gets PointerEvent?"
• "Can this script draw to the renderer?"
• "Where do script inputs actually come from?"

Runtime baseline

Matrix details are aligned to the June 4, 2026 compatibility baseline: public npm runtime line 2.37.8 plus source-level API snapshot runtime-v0.1.106. GPU callback guidance remains Rive Early Access editor workflow material. For versioned API-surface tracking, see Runtime Compatibility Baseline.

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1) Callback Parameter Matrix (What Each Script Receives)

This is the quickest way to see all runtime callback parameters by script type.

Script Type	Required Callbacks	Callback Parameters You Get
Node	init, draw	context: Context (init), renderer: Renderer (draw), no-argument canvas phase (drawCanvas), seconds: number (advance), event: PointerEvent (pointerDown/Move/Up/Exit), keyboard/text invocations (keyboardEvent, textEvent)
Layout	init, resize	context: Context (init), size: Vector (resize), renderer: Renderer (draw), no-argument canvas phase (drawCanvas), seconds: number (advance)
Converter	convert, reverseConvert	input: DataInputs (convert), input: DataOutput (reverseConvert), optional context: Context (init), optional seconds: number (advance)
Path Effect	update	inPath: PathData + node: NodeReadData (update), seconds: number (advance), optional context: Context (init)
ListenerAction	performAction	listenerContext: ListenerContext (performAction), optional context: Context (init)
TransitionCondition	evaluate	no parameters (evaluate), optional context: Context (init)
Util	none	no lifecycle callback params (module table only)
Test	setup(test: Tester)	test: Tester, and expect inside each test.case(...)

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2) Capability / Limitation Matrix

Legend: ✅ supported, ⚠️ conditional/indirect, ❌ not supported.

2A) Core Runtime Scripts

Capability	Node	Layout	Converter	Path Effect
Place or bind to scene target	✅	✅	✅	✅
Read editor Input<T> fields	✅	✅	⚠️ 1	✅
Access Context in init	✅	✅	✅	✅
Custom render with Renderer	✅	✅	❌	❌
Offscreen Canvas / GPUCanvas render phase	⚠️ 5	⚠️ 5	❌	❌
Receive PointerEvent directly	✅	❌	❌	❌
Transform host PathData geometry	❌	❌	❌	✅
Has per-frame callback	✅	✅	⚠️ 4	✅
Importable via require()	❌	❌	❌	❌
Primary unit-test target	⚠️	⚠️	⚠️	⚠️

2B) State + Utility Scripts

Capability	ListenerAction	TransitionCondition	Util	Test
Place or bind to scene target	✅	✅	❌	❌
Read editor Input<T> fields	⚠️ 2	✅ 3	❌	❌
Access Context in init	✅	✅	❌	❌
Custom render with Renderer	❌	❌	❌	❌
Receive PointerEvent directly	⚠️ 2	❌	❌	❌
Transform host PathData geometry	❌	❌	❌	❌
Has per-frame callback	❌	✅	❌	❌
Importable via require()	❌	❌	✅	❌
Primary unit-test target	⚠️	⚠️	✅	✅

Notes:

1. Converter scripts consume binding values through convert(input) / reverseConvert(input) callback parameters.
2. ListenerAction scripts are event-driven (performAction(listenerContext)). Pointer data is accessed through listener context when the listener event carries it.
3. TransitionCondition scripts often use threshold-style inputs plus ViewModel/context state to decide evaluate().
4. Converter scripts can optionally define advance(self, seconds) for time-based conversion logic, but many converters are purely data-driven.
5. Node and Layout scripts can use drawCanvas(self) for offscreen Canvas and early-access GPUCanvas render passes, then composite the resulting image from draw(self, renderer).

2C) Script-by-Script Boundaries

Script Type	Strong At	Cannot Do
Node	Rendering, interaction, per-frame animation, input-driven visuals	Cannot receive host PathData from existing stroke/fill
Layout	Child sizing/positioning and optional custom draw	Not a data-binding transformer protocol
Converter	Data transformation between binding endpoints	No rendering, no pointer handlers, no host path geometry
Path Effect	Direct path-geometry transformation of attached stroke/fill	No Renderer drawing callback for arbitrary scene rendering
ListenerAction	State-machine listener reactions with typed ListenerContext branching (is... / as...)	No per-frame lifecycle, no rendering
TransitionCondition	Custom boolean gating for state transitions	No rendering, no pointer event callback parameter
Util	Shared reusable code via require()	No lifecycle callbacks, cannot attach directly
Test	Unit-test harness for util logic	Not an attached runtime behavior script

Important Boundaries

1. Only Path Effect scripts receive PathData of an existing host shape.
2. Node scripts can draw custom Path objects, but do not receive inPath: PathData from an existing stroke/fill.
3. Nesting a Node script under a shape or group affects hierarchy behavior, not callback shape. It changes local transform, inherited opacity, and draw order, but it does not pass an implicit host NodeData or parent PathData into Node callbacks.
4. Listener<T> is not a script type; it is a function signature used by addListener()/removeListener() APIs.
5. Util/Test scripts are non-attached scripts: Util is imported code; Test is manual test execution.
6. ListenerContext payload detail is not uniform across kinds at this baseline (ReportedEvent and ViewModelChange are currently limited payloads).

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2D) Runtime-Backed Advanced Protocol

Protocol	Callback Surface	Current Guidance
ScriptedInterpolator	transform(factor), transformValue(from, to, factor)	Runtime-backed in current baseline; use for custom interpolation/easing logic, with linear fallback when omitted or failing

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3) "What Should I Use?" Quick Mapping

Need	Use
Draw custom graphics every frame	Node (draw, optional advance)
Render GPU shader effects or post-processing	Node or Layout with drawCanvas + GPUCanvas, preview / rollout-dependent
Position/size children in a layout	Layout (resize, optional measure)
Transform binding values	Converter (convert, reverseConvert)
Distort or rebuild existing shape path geometry	Path Effect (update(inPath, node))
Run logic on state machine listener events	ListenerAction (performAction)
Gate transitions with custom boolean logic	TransitionCondition (evaluate)
Customize keyframe interpolation/easing in script	ScriptedInterpolator (transform, transformValue)
Share reusable helpers/types	Util
Validate utility logic	Test

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Source Pages

• Script Types Overview
• Inputs and Data Binding
• Node Protocol
• Layout Protocol
• GPU Shaders and 3D Rendering
• Converter Protocol
• Path Effect Protocol
• ListenerAction Protocol
• TransitionCondition Protocol
• Util Protocol
• Test Protocol