# Save Load

> Use when implementing save/load systems — ConfigFile, JSON, Resource serialization, save game architecture

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-jame581-godotprompter-save-load`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [jame581](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jame581)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [jame581](https://github.com/jame581)
- **Source:** https://github.com/jame581/GodotPrompter/tree/master/skills/save-load

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-jame581-godotprompter-save-load
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# Save / Load Systems in Godot 4.3+

Choose the right serialization strategy for your data type. All examples target Godot 4.3+ with no deprecated APIs.

> **Related skills:** **resource-pattern** for custom Resource data containers, **inventory-system** for inventory serialization patterns, **godot-project-setup** for SaveManager autoload setup.

---

## 1. Strategy Comparison

| Strategy          | Best For                        | Readable | Editor Support | Notes                              |
|-------------------|---------------------------------|----------|----------------|------------------------------------|
| ConfigFile        | Settings, simple key-value data | Yes      | No             | Built-in INI-style, no extra deps  |
| JSON              | Game saves, flexible structures | Yes      | No             | Cross-platform, version-migratable |
| Resource .tres    | Editor-integrated data          | Yes      | Yes            | **NOT secure — never load untrusted files** |
| Resource .res     | Fast binary data                | No       | Yes            | **NOT secure — never load untrusted files** |

> **Security warning:** Loading `.tres` or `.res` files executes arbitrary GDScript embedded in the resource. Never load Resource files from untrusted sources (user-uploaded files, downloaded mods). Use ConfigFile or JSON for user-generated save data.

---

## 2. ConfigFile — Settings

`ConfigFile` writes INI-style sections — ideal for audio / video / controls settings (small, designer-debuggable). Use `set_value(section, key, value)` then `save(path)`; load with `load(path)` and `get_value(section, key, default)`.

> See [references/configfile.md](references/configfile.md) for the full GDScript + C# settings save/load + typical settings-menu wiring.

---

## 3. JSON — Game Saves

`JSON.stringify(dict)` to serialize, `JSON.parse_string(text)` to deserialize. Read/write through `FileAccess`. Best for game saves where you want human-readable files. Build a Dictionary that captures all gameplay state (player position, inventory, world flags), serialize, write to `user://save_.json`.

> See [references/json-saves.md](references/json-saves.md) for the full GDScript + C# save/load implementation, including FileAccess wrapping and error handling.

---

## 4. Save Architecture Pattern

For larger games, attach a `SaveableComponent` to each persistent node. Each component declares `save_callable` and `load_callable`. The save manager iterates components by ID, calls each one's save callable, builds a master Dictionary.

> See [references/save-architecture.md](references/save-architecture.md) for the full `SaveableComponent` + save-manager implementation.

---

## 5. Save File Locations

`user://` resolves to a platform-specific writable directory outside the project folder.

| Platform | Path                                                                          |
|----------|-------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
| Windows  | `%APPDATA%\Godot\app_userdata\\`                                |
| macOS    | `~/Library/Application Support/Godot/app_userdata//`           |
| Linux    | `~/.local/share/godot/app_userdata//`                          |

> Always use `user://` for save data, never `res://`. The `res://` path is read-only in exported builds.

---

## 6. Version Migration

Save files outlive the schema that wrote them. Always include `"version": ` at the top of the saved Dictionary; on load, switch on the version and migrate older saves forward incrementally (`v1 → v2 → v3 → current`). Never break old saves — always migrate.

> See [references/version-migration.md](references/version-migration.md) for the full migration helper pattern.

---

## 7. Implementation Checklist

- [ ] Use ConfigFile for settings, JSON for game saves (not Resources)
- [ ] Every save file includes a `version` integer field
- [ ] Save path uses `user://`, never `res://`
- [ ] Call `DirAccess.make_dir_recursive_absolute()` before writing saves
- [ ] Vector2/Vector3 serialized as separate `x`/`y`/`z` floats (JSON has no Vector type)
- [ ] All file operations check return codes and call `push_error()` on failure
- [ ] `_migrate()` handles every version from 0 to current, applied incrementally
- [ ] Resource files (.tres/.res) are never used for player-controlled save data
- [ ] `get_save_slots()` and `delete_save()` helpers exist for UI slot management
- [ ] Saveable nodes use stable IDs that do not change between sessions

## Source & license

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

- **Author:** [jame581](https://github.com/jame581)
- **Source:** [jame581/GodotPrompter](https://github.com/jame581/GodotPrompter)
- **License:** MIT

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

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-jame581-godotprompter-save-load
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/jame581
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.