src/engine/dispatcher.test.ts

@@ -340,3 +340,78 @@ describe('light/extinguish verbs (implicit lighter)', () => {
     expect(result.appended.at(-1)?.text).toBe("It isn't lit.")
   })
 })
+
+describe('light X with Y (explicit lighter)', () => {
+  function w(): World {
+    return {
+      startingRoom: 'r',
+      startingInventory: [],
+      rooms: { r: { id: 'r', title: '[ R ]', descriptions: { firstVisit: '.', revisit: '.', examined: '.' }, exits: {}, items: [] } },
+      items: {
+        lamp: { id: 'lamp', names: ['lamp'], short: 'an oil lamp', long: '.', initialState: { lit: false }, takeable: true, lightable: true, litText: 'The wick catches.', extinguishedText: 'The flame dies.' },
+        matches: { id: 'matches', names: ['matches'], short: 'a matchbook', long: '.', initialState: {}, takeable: true, lighter: true, lighterUses: 2, lighterEmptyText: 'The book is empty.' },
+        rock: { id: 'rock', names: ['rock'], short: 'a rock', long: '.', initialState: {}, takeable: true },
+      },
+      encounters: {},
+      endings: { true: { whenFlags: {}, narration: '' }, wrong: { whenFlags: {}, narration: '' }, bad: { whenFlags: {}, narration: '' } },
+    }
+  }
+
+  it('lights with the explicit instrument', () => {
+    const world = w()
+    let state = initialStateFor(world)
+    state = { ...state, inventory: [
+      { id: 'lamp', state: { lit: false } },
+      { id: 'matches', state: { uses: 2 } },
+    ] }
+    const result = dispatch(state, {
+      kind: 'verb-target-prep', verb: 'light',
+      target: { canonical: 'lamp', raw: 'lamp' },
+      preposition: 'with',
+      indirect: { canonical: 'matches', raw: 'matches' },
+    }, world)
+    expect(result.state.inventory.find((i) => i.id === 'lamp')?.state['lit']).toBe(true)
+    expect(result.state.inventory.find((i) => i.id === 'matches')?.state['uses']).toBe(1)
+  })
+
+  it('refuses when the named instrument is not a lighter', () => {
+    const world = w()
+    let state = initialStateFor(world)
+    state = { ...state, inventory: [
+      { id: 'lamp', state: { lit: false } },
+      { id: 'rock', state: {} },
+    ] }
+    const result = dispatch(state, {
+      kind: 'verb-target-prep', verb: 'light',
+      target: { canonical: 'lamp', raw: 'lamp' },
+      preposition: 'with',
+      indirect: { canonical: 'rock', raw: 'rock' },
+    }, world)
+    expect(result.appended.at(-1)?.text).toBe("That isn't going to help.")
+  })
+})
+
+describe('use verb routing', () => {
+  function w(): World {
+    return {
+      startingRoom: 'r',
+      startingInventory: [],
+      rooms: { r: { id: 'r', title: '[ R ]', descriptions: { firstVisit: '.', revisit: '.', examined: '.' }, exits: {}, items: [] } },
+      items: {
+        rock: { id: 'rock', names: ['rock'], short: 'a rock', long: '.', initialState: {}, takeable: true },
+      },
+      encounters: {},
+      endings: { true: { whenFlags: {}, narration: '' }, wrong: { whenFlags: {}, narration: '' }, bad: { whenFlags: {}, narration: '' } },
+    }
+  }
+
+  it('falls back when no encounter consumes use', () => {
+    const world = w()
+    let state = initialStateFor(world)
+    state = { ...state, inventory: [{ id: 'rock', state: {} }] }
+    const result = dispatch(state, {
+      kind: 'verb-target', verb: 'use', target: { canonical: 'rock', raw: 'rock' },
+    }, world)
+    expect(result.appended.at(-1)?.text).toBe("You can't think how to use that here.")
+  })
+})

src/engine/dispatcher.ts

@@ -119,6 +119,23 @@ export function dispatch(state: GameState, command: ParsedCommand, world: World)
     if (command.verb === 'read') return handleRead(stateWithNoun, command.target.canonical, world)
     if (command.verb === 'light') return handleLight(stateWithNoun, command.target.canonical, null, world)
     if (command.verb === 'extinguish') return handleExtinguish(stateWithNoun, command.target.canonical, world)
+    if (command.verb === 'use') return narrate(stateWithNoun, [{ kind: 'narration', text: "You can't think how to use that here." }])
+    return narrate(stateWithNoun, [{ kind: 'narration', text: `You're not sure how to ${command.verb} that.` }])
+  }
+
+  if (command.kind === 'verb-target-prep') {
+    const stateWithNoun: GameState = { ...state, lastNoun: command.target }
+    // Try the encounter first — it may consume verbs like 'cut vines with shears'.
+    const encResult = applyVerbToEncounter(stateWithNoun, command, world)
+    if (encResult?.consumed) {
+      return { state: encResult.state, appended: encResult.lines }
+    }
+    if (command.verb === 'light' && command.preposition === 'with') {
+      return handleLight(stateWithNoun, command.target.canonical, command.indirect.canonical, world)
+    }
+    if (command.verb === 'use') {
+      return narrate(stateWithNoun, [{ kind: 'narration', text: "You can't think how to use that here." }])
+    }
     return narrate(stateWithNoun, [{ kind: 'narration', text: `You're not sure how to ${command.verb} that.` }])
   }
 

src/engine/encounters.ts

@@ -66,12 +66,17 @@ export function applyVerbToEncounter(
   const phaseDef = def.phases[currentPhase]
   if (!phaseDef) return null
 
-  // Only verb-target and verb-only commands engage with encounters.
+  // Only verb-target, verb-target-prep, and verb-only commands engage with encounters.
   let verb: string | null = null
   let targetId: string | null = null
+  let instrumentId: string | null = null
   if (command.kind === 'verb-target') {
     verb = command.verb
     targetId = command.target.canonical
+  } else if (command.kind === 'verb-target-prep') {
+    verb = command.verb
+    targetId = command.target.canonical
+    instrumentId = command.indirect.canonical
   } else if (command.kind === 'verb-only' && command.verb !== 'inventory') {
     verb = command.verb
   } else {
@@ -91,6 +96,7 @@ export function applyVerbToEncounter(
         }
       }
     }
+    if (t.requires && instrumentId && t.requires.item !== instrumentId) return false
     return true
   })