Defold Core
/defold-core
Build and debug the core of a Defold game in Lua: game.project, collections, game objects, script lifecycle, go.property, input focus, URLs and messages, factories and collection proxies, with a read-only reference checker and a Bob build plus headless smoke run.
- License
- Apache-2.0
- By
- By GameSkill
Part of
Awesome Gamedev Agent Skills
77 portable SKILL.md skills across 12 engines (Godot, Unity, Unreal, Phaser, PixiJS, three.js, Bevy, pygame, LÖVE, Roblox, Defold, Ebitengine), with a router.
Tested by GameSkill
29/29 checks passed on Defold 1.14.0 (Bob 1.14.0 on OpenJDK 25, headless engine) (2026-11-03): trigger, a runnable example, a screenshot and self-check, one job per skill, and English + Chinese docs. Trigger checks match prompts against skill descriptions; they are not a live agent run.
Test reportWhat this skill does
When it triggers
property, input focus and bindings, URLs and message passing, factories, collection factories and collection proxies, plus building and smoke-running with Bob.jar, or a Defold build error. …
GameSkill's tested copy
GameSkill's tuned build of this skill: the skill files from commit 19d93f97c9c1, plus our runnable example, test report, self-check list and Chinese guide, put through our skill process.
License: based on gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills by gamedev-skills, under Apache-2.0. The ZIP keeps the license files (LICENSE, NOTICE) and lists everything GameSkill added in CHANGES.md.
Self-check
- game.project 里的路径带编译后缀 c（/main/main.collectionc） / game.project paths carry the compiled c suffix
- 改完文件先跑 check_defold_project.py，直到退出码 0 / Run check_defold_project.py until it exits 0
- require 用点号路径（modules.util），不用斜杠 / require uses dotted paths, not slashes
- 每个被 proxy 加载的 collection 有唯一的 name / Every proxied collection has a unique name
- 冒烟测试看日志里的完成标记和 ERROR 行，不只看退出码 / Judge a smoke run by its done marker and ERROR lines, not the exit code
- 引擎运行总是加超时 / Always run the engine under a timeout
Pairs well with
Install
Tell your AI
Install the skill from https://gameskill.dev/skills/defold-core/install.md
GameSkill's tested copy
mkdir -p .claude/skills
curl -fsSL https://gameskill.dev/dl/skills/defold-core.zip -o /tmp/gameskill-defold-core.zip
unzip -oq /tmp/gameskill-defold-core.zip -d .claude/skills
rm /tmp/gameskill-defold-core.zipWhat you get
- Verified shapes for game.project, .collection, .go, .atlas and .input_binding files
- Script lifecycle, input stack, URL and message-passing patterns in Lua
- Factories, collection factories and collection proxies, with the socket-name pitfalls
- scripts/check_defold_project.py: a read-only checker for broken resource paths and requires, no Defold install needed
- A Bob build and headless smoke-test recipe that judges the run by its log
Good fit
- Adding or fixing game objects, scripts, input, messages, spawning or level loading in a Defold project
- Bob build errors such as a missing resource or a main collection that cannot be found
Not for
- LÖVE or plain Lua projects (love2d-core)
- GUI layout, sprites, tilemaps and physics depth
Try this prompt
Add a spawner to my Defold game that drops a lantern every second through a factory, make the lanterns report back by message, and prove it with a Bob headless smoke run.About this skill
Build and debug the core of a Defold game in Lua: game.project settings, collections, game objects and components, script lifecycle and self state, go.property, input focus and bindings, URLs and message passing, factories, collection factories and collection proxies, plus building and smoke-running with Bob.
From the defold-core SKILL.md in gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills.
What's inside
- Workflow: inspect, edit the right file type, check references, build with Bob, run it
- Patterns: project paths, collections and game objects, script lifecycle, input stack, addressing and messages, factories, collection proxies
- Pitfalls with the exact Bob and engine error lines
- References: verified editor file shapes, and Bob build and headless smoke-test commands
scripts/check_defold_project.py: read-only reference checker
Notes
- Bob 1.14.0 needs JDK 25; on Java 21 it fails at once with
UnsupportedClassVersionError. - The headless engine draws nothing and has no input devices: check input and rendering in the editor or a desktop build.
Requirements
- Python 3.10+ for the reference checker
- JDK 25 and bob.jar (Defold 1.14.0 in the examples) to build and smoke-run
FAQ
Based on gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills by gamedev-skills (Apache-2.0). The author's LICENSE and NOTICE files ship in the ZIP; ATTRIBUTION.md and CHANGES.md list the source commit and what GameSkill added.
Works well with
Skills the author points to as related or as the better fit for neighbouring tasks.
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