YAZE is a ROM editor for "The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past" (US and JP versions). It provides a full-featured GUI editor, integrated SNES emulator, AI-powered command-line tools, and a web preview build.

Quick Start

Choose a build. v0.8.0-exp.1 is the published experimental prerelease. The stable release is v0.7.2; nightly/source builds can contain later features. Check the version-specific release notes.
Copy your ROM into a separate folder, outside a .yazeproj bundle.
Launch and open that ROM file directly via File > Open ROM / Project. Start with one small Dungeon room edit so the first save is easy to check.
Save with File > Save ROM, keeping backups enabled. If saving stops, resolve the named pending edit or validation error before continuing.
Close and reopen the copied ROM. Confirm that the room edit persisted before starting a larger editing session.

Experimental Lyra projects

Copy the complete .yazeproj bundle with its assets. Before opening the copy, check the paths in project.yaze: its ROM and writable assets must point into the copy. Legacy projects can keep external paths after a folder copy. Use an editor version that understands the project's document schema. The published prerelease has the schema-3, 32-page Lyra document model; later gameplay-area, transport and reward models belong to newer source candidates. The source and qualification matrix distinguishes them. First verify normal project Save and fresh reopen. A saved project alone does not establish a playable Oracle Build/Test result.

‍Using .yazeproj bundles? See the .yazeproj Bundle Guide for how to open bundles on each platform.

‍Building from source? See the Build and Test Quick Reference.

‍Helping beta-test? See the Beta Testing Guide for what to try first, ROM compatibility expectations, and useful bug report details.

Web App (Preview)

Want a quick browser-based preview? Use the web build with a limited feature set and no emulator support. See the Web App Guide for supported features and AI configuration.

Tips

Backups: Automatic backups are enabled by default. Each save creates a timestamped backup. Use File > ROM Backups... > Restore to stage a backup in the current session, inspect it, then use Save ROM to commit it. Keep Backup Before Save enabled so that commit also preserves the ROM version it replaces. Autosave remains paused until you either commit with Save ROM or choose Discard Restored Backup in the ROM Backups popup to abandon the staged ROM-buffer edits and reload the unchanged backing ROM. Resolve pending dungeon-room or palette edits before discarding.
Overworld vs. World Map: the Overworld Editor edits playable areas; Screen Editor > Overworld Map edits the pause-menu map art.
Experiment Flags: Try new features via File > Options > Experiment Flags.
Editor limits: Graphics has experimental guarded 3bpp sheet write-back; unsupported graphics and Screen edits still block ROM save. Read the version-specific release notes and Beta Testing Guide before testing persistence.
Extensions: Load custom tools from the Extensions menu (plugin system under development).
AI Providers: Configure providers in Settings > Agent or set GEMINI_API_KEY, OPENAI_API_KEY, or ANTHROPIC_API_KEY.

Editor Status

Editor	Tester status	Notes
Dungeon	Tester ready	Use a copied ROM; save, close, and reopen after a small room edit.
Overworld	Tester ready	Use a copied ROM; save, close, and reopen after a small map edit.
Message	Tester ready	Save valid parsed text and verify it after reopening.
Palette	Conditional	Palette Save to ROM, then File > Save ROM. Both steps are required.
Assembly / Asar	Conditional	Source save and patch application are separate advanced workflows.
Sprite	Conditional	Custom `.zsm` editing; vanilla room sprites are edited in Dungeon.
Settings	Conditional	Verify non-ROM settings after restarting Yaze.
Graphics	Experimental	Guarded 3bpp sheet write-back; verify Save/reopen on a copy. Unsupported edits remain blocked.
Screen	View only	Pending edits deliberately block coordinated ROM save.
Hex / Memory	View only	Advanced raw tooling; no complete dirty/undo/save contract.
Music	View only	Playback and inspection; ROM persistence is incomplete.
Emulator	Experimental	Runtime emulator; save-state UI incomplete.
Agent	Experimental	Availability depends on build and provider configuration.

The editor readiness matrix is the canonical detailed status.

Command-Line Interface (z3ed)

The z3ed CLI provides scriptable access to ROM editing capabilities.

AI Chat

z3ed agent simple-chat --rom=zelda3.sfc --ai_provider=auto

Example prompt: "What sprites are in room 1?"

ROM Inspection

# List sprites in a dungeon room (room 1 = Eastern Palace)
z3ed dungeon-list-sprites --room=1 --rom=zelda3.sfc
 
# Describe overworld map
z3ed overworld-describe-map --map=80 --rom=zelda3.sfc
 
# Search messages
z3ed message-search --query="Master Sword" --rom=zelda3.sfc

For more details, see the z3ed CLI Guide.

Next Steps

Dungeon Editor Guide - Learn dungeon room editing
z3ed CLI Guide - Master the command-line interface
Architecture Overview - Understand the codebase