Godot

When to Use This Skill

Activate this skill when you need to:

• Create or manage Godot projects from the terminal
• Export games without using the editor
• Write scripts to generate scenes and resources programmatically
• Run games in headless mode for testing or CI/CD
• Look up Godot CLI commands and flags

Core Documentation

• Command Reference: See docs/cli/commands.md for all Godot CLI commands and flags
• Export Automation: See docs/export/ for platform-specific export guides
• Scripting: See docs/scripting/ for GDScript and programmatic workflows
• API Reference: See docs/classes/ for full class documentation

Common Commands

# Initialize a new project
godot --headless --editor --path /path/to/project

# Run a game
godot --path /path/to/project

# Export a project
godot --headless --export "Windows Desktop" output/game.exe

# Run a script
godot --headless --script main.gd

CLI Development Tips

1. Scene Files: .tscn files are text-based - edit them directly
2. Resources: .tres files are also text - create them programmatically
3. Project Settings: Edit project.godot directly for configuration
4. Hot Reload: Use --reload-scripts flag for live updates
5. Logging: Output goes to stdout/stderr for CI/CD integration

Project Structure

.
├── bootstrap.sh    # Download and prepare docs
├── docs/           # CLI-curated documentation
│   ├── MENU.md     # Documentation navigation
│   ├── cli/        # Command line essentials
│   ├── scripting/  # GDScript and programming
│   ├── export/     # Export guides per platform
│   └── classes/    # Full API reference
└── SKILL.md        # This file

General Godot Development Knowledge

Running Godot Projects

Launch the Godot editor and run a project from the project directory:

godot .

Testing Modes

Headless Mode (No GUI)

Useful for automated testing and CI/CD:

godot --headless --quit-after 10

Runs without GUI, loads project, checks for errors, and exits automatically after N seconds.

Script-Driven Testing

Run a specific test script:

godot --headless --script test.gd

Important Note

The standard godot . editor mode does NOT auto-reload code changes. Use headless mode or restart the editor after code modifications to see changes take effect.

Log File Location

Godot logs are stored in a platform-specific user data directory:

Linux:

~/.local/share/godot/app_userdata/<project_name>/logs/godot.log

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/Godot/app_userdata/<project_name>/logs/godot.log

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Godot\app_userdata\<project_name>\logs\godot.log

The most recent log file will be named godot.log or have a timestamp. This is essential for debugging runtime issues.

Self-Testing Workflow

CRITICAL: After modifying any code, you MUST:

1. Run the project using appropriate mode (headless for quick checks, editor for interactive testing)
2. Inspect the log file for errors, warnings, or unexpected behavior
3. Verify the changes work correctly by checking the log output

This ensures code changes are tested immediately and issues are caught early.