Godot Development

This skill tracks the current stable Godot, captured as a dated snapshot. The paradigms (typed GDScript, TileMapLayer over TileMap, annotation and signal syntax, call-down-signal-up) move slowly. The exact version numbers and per-release breaking changes move fast, so the version-specific facts are dated and meant to be re-verified.

Snapshot and freshness

• Snapshot date: 2026-06-06 (the date in the frontmatter). The snapshot currently targets the Godot 4.x line. Each reference file also carries its own Verified date.
• Check the project's Godot version first. Read project.godot for config/features (e.g. PackedStringArray("4.6", ...)) and the editor version. The installed major.minor decides which pitfalls and APIs apply. Never assume it from memory.
• Staleness rule. If today is well past a reference file's Verified date, or a new Godot minor has shipped, treat that file's version-specific claims (breaking changes, "new in" features, default-changed behavior) as suspect and confirm against the official release notes. The core paradigm sections age far slower than the version notes.
• Updating. When a claim matters for the task, confirm it against the official Godot docs or the release notes for that version, then refresh the reference file and bump its Verified line. Maintainers: see MAINTENANCE.md.

Core Rules

1. Always use static typing - typed GDScript is significantly faster and catches errors at parse time
2. Use TileMapLayer, not TileMap - TileMap is deprecated since 4.3
3. Use annotation syntax - @export, @onready, @tool (not the old keywords)
4. Use the current signal syntax - signal.connect(callable), signal.emit()
5. Call down, signal up - parents call children, children emit signals
6. Never combine @onready with @export - @onready overrides exported values

Project Structure Convention

res://
  scenes/         .tscn scene files with co-located .gd scripts
  scripts/
    autoload/     singleton scripts (registered in project.godot)
    data/         class_name Resource definitions
    systems/      game system logic
  resources/      .tres data files (organized by type)
  assets/
    sprites/      textures, spritesheets
    tilesets/     tileset resources
    audio/        sound effects, music

Reference Files

Consult these based on the task at hand. Each carries its own Verified date.

Language and project

• GDScript syntax, annotations, signals, typed collections, lambdas, await, match, abstract classes, file structure convention - See references/gdscript.md
• Scene organization, autoloads, event bus, resource system, grid movement, turn-based patterns, fog of war - See references/architecture.md
• SceneTree, changing scenes (change_scene_to_file), pausing and process_mode, timers, deferred calls and safe tree mutation, node lifecycle - See references/scene-tree.md
• Text file formats (.tscn, .tres, project.godot), ext_resource/sub_resource, connections, UIDs and .uid sidecars, version control - See references/file-formats.md
• Editor tooling and exposing tunables in the editor, @export and grouping, data-driven custom Resources, @tool and @export_tool_button, EditorPlugin docks (add_dock), custom inspector widgets - See references/editor-tooling.md
• Common pitfalls, deprecated API, breaking changes, new features - See references/pitfalls.md

Gameplay systems

• Physics bodies (CharacterBody2D/3D), move_and_slide, collision layers/masks, Area2D, RigidBody2D, raycasts, groups, process callbacks - See references/physics.md
• Input Map and actions, polling vs events, get_vector and action strength, physical_keycode, mouse and gamepad, runtime remapping - See references/input.md
• Math and utility globals (lerp, move_toward, clamp, remap, snapped), randomness and RandomNumberGenerator, Vector2/3 helpers, framerate-independent smoothing - See references/math.md
• Navigation and pathfinding, AStarGrid2D, AStar2D, NavigationAgent2D/3D and navmesh baking, local avoidance, one-shot path queries - See references/navigation.md
• TileMapLayer API, cell methods, coordinate conversion, terrains, custom data, migration from TileMap - See references/tilemaplayer.md
• High-level multiplayer, @rpc, ENetMultiplayerPeer, authority and identity, MultiplayerSpawner and MultiplayerSynchronizer - See references/multiplayer.md
• 3D essentials, the 2D-to-3D node map, Node3D transforms, Camera3D, lighting and Environment, meshes and StandardMaterial3D, glTF import, CSG, GridMap - See references/3d.md

Presentation

• UI and Control nodes, anchors and offsets, containers, size flags, theming, GUI input, mouse_filter, focus - See references/ui.md
• Tweens (create_tween), easing, parallel and chained steps, AnimationPlayer, AnimationTree state machines, AnimatedSprite2D - See references/animation.md
• Audio playback, AudioStreamPlayer 2D/3D, one-shot SFX pooling, buses and the AudioServer mixer, linear-vs-dB volume sliders - See references/audio.md
• Shaders (gdshader), shader_type and processor functions, uniforms and hints, setting parameters from GDScript, 2D effects, when not to use a shader - See references/shaders.md
• Particles and VFX, GPUParticles2D vs CPUParticles2D, ParticleProcessMaterial, one-shot self-freeing bursts, trails and local_coords - See references/particles.md

Data, tooling, and shipping

• Saving and persistence, res:// vs user://, FileAccess, JSON, ConfigFile, DirAccess, save/load helpers, untrusted-data security - See references/persistence.md
• Performance and optimization, profiling and monitors, object pooling, MultiMesh batching, off-screen culling, threading, server calls - See references/performance.md
• Testing with GUT or GdUnit4, test structure and assertions, signals and scene runners, running headless in CI, what to test in a game - See references/testing.md
• Editor and CLI workflow, running headless, importing, syntax-checking GDScript, standalone scripts, exporting builds, CI, verifying changes - See references/workflow.md

Quick Patterns

Typed function

gdscript
func calculate(base: float, mult: float) -> float:
    return base * mult

Export with range

gdscript
@export_range(0, 100, 1, "or_greater") var hp: int = 100

Signal connect

gdscript
$Button.pressed.connect(_on_pressed)
health_changed.emit(current_health)

TileMapLayer cell

gdscript
layer.set_cell(Vector2i(x, y), source_id, atlas_coords)
var pos: Vector2 = layer.map_to_local(Vector2i(x, y))
var cell: Vector2i = layer.local_to_map(world_pos)

Resource definition

gdscript
class_name CardData
extends Resource
@export var card_name: String
@export var mp_cost: int

Autoload access

gdscript
GameState.score += 100
Events.enemy_died.emit(self, global_position)

Writing .tscn / .tres / project.godot as text

These are human-readable text formats you can author or patch directly. The essentials: scene headers use format=3, resource ids are strings ("1_player"), load_steps is deprecated and ignored, the root [node] has no parent, and direct children use parent=".". Commit .tscn, .tres, .gd, and the .uid sidecars; ignore the .godot/ cache.

Full format details (ext_resource/sub_resource, connections, UIDs, project.godot sections) are in references/file-formats.md. When in doubt, let the editor write the file and copy its output rather than hand-authoring verbose blocks like input events.