Export Pipeline

Export Pipeline in Godot 4.3+

All examples target Godot 4.3+ with no deprecated APIs. GDScript is shown first, C# follows where applicable.

> Related skills: godot-testing for CI/CD test integration, godot-optimization for pre-export performance checks, responsive-ui for platform-specific resolution settings, mobile-development for Android/iOS export specifics.

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1. Export Presets

Creating Presets in the Editor

Open Project → Export, click Add…, and select the target platform. Each preset maps to one entry in export_presets.cfg. You can create multiple presets for the same platform (e.g., a debug build and a release build for Windows).

Required one-time setup per platform:

• Export Templates must be downloaded via Editor → Export Templates.
• Platform-specific toolchains (Android SDK, Xcode, etc.) must be installed separately.

export_presets.cfg

Godot writes export_presets.cfg to the project root. Commit this file — it is safe and contains no secrets. Secrets (codesigning passwords, keystore passwords) must never be committed; use environment variables instead.

Example preset structure (Windows release):

[preset.0]

name="Windows Desktop"
platform="Windows Desktop"
runnable=true
dedicated_server=false
custom_features=""
export_filter="all_resources"
include_filter=""
exclude_filter=""
export_path="build/windows/MyGame.exe"
encryption_include_filters=""
encryption_exclude_filters=""
encrypt_pck=false
encrypt_directory=false

[preset.0.options]

custom_template/debug=""
custom_template/release=""
debug/export_console_wrapper=1
binary_format/embed_pck=true
texture_format/s3tc_bptc=true
texture_format/etc2_astc=false
binary_format/architecture="x86_64"
codesign/enable=false
codesign/identity=""
codesign/password=""
codesign/timestamp=true
codesign/timestamp_server_url=""
codesign/digest_algorithm=1
codesign/description=""
codesign/custom_options=PackedStringArray()
application/icon=""
application/console_wrapper_icon=""
application/icon_interpolation=4
application/file_version=""
application/product_version=""
application/company_name=""
application/product_name=""
application/file_description=""
application/copyright=""
application/trademarks=""
application/export_angle=0
application/export_d3d12=0
application/d3d12_agility_sdk_multiarch=true
ssh_remote_deploy/enabled=false
ssh_remote_deploy/host="user@host_ip"
ssh_remote_deploy/port="22"
ssh_remote_deploy/extra_args_ssh=""
ssh_remote_deploy/extra_args_scp=""
ssh_remote_deploy/run_script="#!/usr/bin/env bash\nexport DISPLAY=:0\n\"{temp_dir}/{exe_name}\" {cmd_args}"
ssh_remote_deploy/cleanup_script="#!/usr/bin/env bash\nkill $(pgrep -x -f \"{temp_dir}/{exe_name} {cmd_args}\")\nrm -rf \"{temp_dir}\""

> Godot regenerates export_presets.cfg on every editor save. Do not hand-edit it while the editor is open.

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2. Platform-Specific Settings

| Platform | Key Setting / Consideration | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------| | Windows | Set application/icon (.ico file). Codesigning requires a .pfx certificate; set codesign/enable=true and supply codesign/identity + codesign/password via env vars. Without codesigning, Windows SmartScreen will warn users. | | Linux | No codesigning required. After export, run chmod +x MyGame.x86_64 on the binary. Ship as a tarball or AppImage for distribution. | | macOS | Requires notarization for Gatekeeper to allow launch without warning. Set codesign/enable=true and notarization/enable=true. Provide the codesign/identity (Apple Developer ID). The Info.plist entries (bundle ID, version, display name, privacy usage descriptions) are set under application/* options in the preset. Notarization is done post-export via xcrun notarytool. | | Web | Requires SharedArrayBuffer for multi-threading — the web server must send Cross-Origin-Opener-Policy: same-origin and Cross-Origin-Embedder-Policy: require-corp headers. Disable threads (rendering/threads/thread_model=0) if hosting on a server you cannot configure. Exported output is a .html + .js + .wasm + .pck bundle. | | Android | Requires a keystore for release signing. Set keystore/release to the .keystore path and supply keystore/release_user + keystore/release_password via env vars. Declare permissions in the preset under permissions/*. Set package/unique_name to a reverse-DNS string (e.g., com.studio.mygame). | | iOS | Requires a valid Apple provisioning profile (.mobileprovision). Set application/bundle_identifier, codesign/identity, and application/provisioning_profile. Distribution builds require an App Store distribution certificate. |

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3. Export from CLI

Run Godot in headless mode to export without opening the GUI. This is the standard approach for CI/CD.

Release Export

godot --headless --export-release "Windows Desktop" build/windows/MyGame.exe

Debug Export

godot --headless --export-debug "Windows Desktop" build/windows/MyGame.exe

Export .pck Only (no executable)

Use --export-pack when you only want to ship updated game data alongside a fixed engine binary (e.g., DLC or patch distribution):

godot --headless --export-pack "Windows Desktop" build/windows/MyGame.pck

Key CLI flags

| Flag | Purpose | |------|---------| | --headless | No display server; required for server/CI environments | | --export-release "Preset Name" path | Export using release template | | --export-debug "Preset Name" path | Export using debug template | | --export-pack "Preset Name" path | Export .pck resource pack only | | --quit-after N | Quit after N milliseconds (rarely needed for export) |

> The preset name in the CLI flag must match name= in export_presets.cfg exactly, including capitalisation and spaces.

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4. CI/CD with GitHub Actions

Run godot --headless --export-release inside a GitHub Actions matrix that builds Windows, Linux, and Web artifacts on every push and tagged release. Use chickensoft-games/setup-godot@v2 to install the engine + export templates (set use-dotnet: true for C# projects). Inject the version from git describe before export so application/config/version is correct in the binary.

See [references/ci-cd-github-actions.md](references/ci-cd-github-actions.md) for the full .github/workflows/export.yml with matrix presets, artifact upload, and Linux executable bit handling.

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5. Versioning

Reading the Version at Runtime

Store the version string in Project → Project Settings → Application → Config → Version. Then read it anywhere:

# version_label.gd
extends Label

func _ready() -> void:
    text = "v" + ProjectSettings.get_setting("application/config/version", "dev")

// VersionLabel.cs
using Godot;

public partial class VersionLabel : Label
{
    public override void _Ready()
    {
        Text = "v" + ProjectSettings.GetSetting("application/config/version", "dev").AsString();
    }
}

Auto-Versioning from Git Tags

Tag your release commit, then inject the version at export time. The CI workflow above does this via sed, but you can also run a pre-export GDScript tool (EditorScript) if you prefer to keep it in-engine:

# tools/inject_version.gd  — run with: godot --headless --script tools/inject_version.gd
@tool
extends EditorScript

func _run() -> void:
    var git_output: Array = []
    var exit_code := OS.execute("git", ["describe", "--tags", "--always", "--dirty"], git_output)
    if exit_code != 0:
        push_error("inject_version: git describe failed")
        return

    var version: String = (git_output[0] as String).strip_edges()
    ProjectSettings.set_setting("application/config/version", version)
    var err := ProjectSettings.save()
    if err != OK:
        push_error("inject_version: failed to save project.godot — error %d" % err)
    else:
        print("inject_version: set version to '%s'" % version)

Run it as part of a CI step before the export step:

godot --headless --script tools/inject_version.gd
godot --headless --export-release "Windows Desktop" build/windows/MyGame.exe

Version Tag Convention

Use Semantic Versioning tags: v1.2.3. git describe then produces v1.2.3-4-gabcdef for commits after a tag, giving you fully traceable builds.

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6. Distribution: itch.io and Steam

itch.io uses the Butler CLI: butler push build/windows/ my-studio/my-game:windows --userversion "$VERSION". Channel names follow a convention (windows, linux, macos, web, android). In CI, the Ayowel/butler-to-itch@v1 action pushes all artifacts at once; store the API key as the BUTLER_API_KEY secret.

Steam requires three pieces: the Steamworks SDK (non-redistributable, keep out of public repos), the GodotSteam addon for engine bindings, and depot configurations driven by steamcmd +run_app_build app_build.vdf. Steam integration is outside the export pipeline itself.

See [references/distribution-itch-steam.md](references/distribution-itch-steam.md) for full butler install instructions, channel naming table, the deploy-itch GitHub Actions job, and the Steam component breakdown.

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7. Shader Baker (Godot 4.5+)

Godot 4.5 introduces the Shader Baker, an export-time tool that pre-compiles shaders for the target platform. Without it, shaders compile at runtime on first use, causing visible hitches when new materials are first rendered in-game. The Shader Baker eliminates this stutter by doing the work at export time.

Enabling

In Project → Export, open a preset and locate the Shader Baker section. Enable it and configure target backends (Vulkan, D3D12, Metal, GLES3) as needed.

> The Shader Baker increases export build time but has no effect on game download size or runtime memory. The pre-compiled cache is embedded in the .pck file.

Impact by Platform

| Platform | Backend | Benefit | |----------|---------|---------| | macOS / Apple Silicon | Metal | Up to 20x load time reduction on complex shader graphs | | Windows | D3D12 | Eliminates D3D12 pipeline state compilation stalls | | Mobile (Android/iOS) | GLES3 | Faster first-render on mid-range hardware | | Linux / Windows | Vulkan | Moderate improvement; Vulkan caches vary by driver |

CI Workflow Note

The Shader Baker runs automatically when exporting via the editor GUI or CLI (--export-release). No extra steps are needed in CI — it is controlled by the preset configuration, not a separate CLI flag.

# Shader Baker runs as part of normal export (no extra flag needed).
godot --headless --export-release "Windows Desktop" build/windows/MyGame.exe

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8. Windows Export — Native Resource Editing (Godot 4.5+)

Before Godot 4.5, modifying .exe metadata (version info, icon, copyright, company name) on Windows required the external rcedit tool. Godot 4.5 handles all of this natively at export time — no rcedit download or configuration needed.

What is Edited Natively

| Export Preset Field | Effect on .exe | |---------------------|---------------| | application/file_version | File version shown in Properties → Details | | application/product_version | Product version | | application/company_name | Company name | | application/product_name | Product name | | application/file_description | Description | | application/copyright | Legal copyright | | application/icon | .ico file embedded as the executable icon |

Setup

1. Open Project → Export → Windows Desktop preset.
2. Fill in the application/* fields under Application in the preset options.
3. Export normally — Godot writes the metadata into the .exe directly.

> Removing rcedit from CI: If your project previously downloaded rcedit in CI and called it as a post-export step, you can remove that step. The fields in the export preset replace it entirely for Godot 4.5+.

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9. Checklist

• [ ] Export templates downloaded for the target Godot version (Editor → Export Templates)
• [ ] export_presets.cfg committed to version control
• [ ] Secrets (keystore passwords, codesign passwords, API keys) stored in env vars or CI secrets, never in the file
• [ ] Each preset has a unique name= that matches the CLI --export-release argument exactly
• [ ] Output directories created before the export command runs (mkdir -p)
• [ ] Linux binary marked executable after export (chmod +x)
• [ ] application/config/version in project.godot is populated at export time from a git tag
• [ ] Web export: hosting server sends COOP + COEP headers if threads are enabled
• [ ] Android release preset uses a signed keystore, not the debug keystore
• [ ] macOS builds intended for distribution are codesigned and notarized
• [ ] Artifacts are uploaded per-platform in CI so individual platform builds can be downloaded
• [ ] itch.io channels follow the naming convention (windows, linux, macos, web, android)
• [ ] Butler API key stored as a CI secret, not hardcoded
• [ ] Steam depot configs are kept out of public repositories
• [ ] Shader Baker enabled in export presets for macOS, D3D12, and mobile targets (Godot 4.5+)
• [ ] Windows .exe metadata (version, icon, company name) set in the export preset — rcedit no longer required (Godot 4.5+)

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: jame581
• Source: jame581/GodotPrompter
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.