Automate Game Publishing

Architect reproducible, headless CI/CD build and release pipelines that compile cross-platform game binaries, verify artifact integrity, and deploy delta patches to Steam, itch.io, Web, and mobile storefronts.

Core Rules

• Reproducible Headless Builds: Every release artifact must be built exclusively from clean version-controlled source via headless CLI runners (godot --headless --export-release, Unity -batchmode -quit, Unreal RunUAT BuildCookRun), never exported manually from a developer's local editor state.
• Secret & Credential Isolation: Never commit Steamworks credentials, itch.io Butler API keys, or code-signing certificates into repository files (app_build.vdf, export presets). Inject secrets exclusively via CI environment variables.
• Pre-Publish Smoke & Integrity Gate: Block store deployment unless automated headless unit tests pass, binary executables exist with non-zero pak/pck archives, and debug symbols are archived separately from stripped shipping binaries.
• Contract Adherence: Emit contracts/schemas/implementation-result.json when completing build and publishing automation pipelines.

Suggested Process

1. Semantic Versioning & Build Metadata Injection

Stamp every build artifact deterministically with version and Git commit metadata (vMAJOR.MINOR.PATCH+sha) inside the engine configuration before invoking the export compiler so runtime crash logs identify the exact commit.

2. Multi-Platform Headless Export Matrix

Configure matrix build stages across Windows (x86_64), Linux (x86_64), macOS (universal binary + notarization), and WebAssembly (SharedArrayBuffer COOP/COEP headers verified):

• Strip editor-only tools, debug consoles, and unreferenced test scenes from release .pck / .pak bundles.