foundation-editor-workflow

name: foundation-editor-workflow description: Foundational skill for Godot editor-facing workflows: plugin entry points, menu/settings registration lifecycle, editor UX consistency, and teardown cleanliness. tier: core godot_version: 4.6+ doc_anchors: - godot-docs/tutorials/plugins/editor/making_plugins.rst - godot-docs/tutorials/plugins/running_code_in_the_editor.rst - godot-docs/tutorials/editor/managing_editor_features.rst - godot-docs/classes/class_editorplugin.rst tags: - editor - plugins - workflow depends_on: []

Foundation Editor Workflow

Use When

• Building editor tools/plugins/docks/settings.
• Adding/removing menu entries and editor settings categories.
• Hardening plugin load/unload behavior.

Outcomes

• Editor entry points are explicit and stable.
• Registration and teardown are symmetric and repeatable.
• Tools behave safely in editor context without runtime side effects.

Required Rules

• Register editor entry points once.
• Remove all entries on disable/unload.
• No legacy/obsolete settings categories retained.
• Prefer event/callback lifecycle hooks over polling.

Workflow

1. Define plugin entry surfaces (menu, dock, inspector, main screen).
2. Implement enable/disable lifecycle with explicit registration map.
3. Ensure @tool execution boundaries are editor-safe.
4. Add teardown cleanup for controls, signals, settings, and temporary state.
5. Validate behavior across editor reload/restart cycles.

Validation

• Enable/disable plugin repeatedly with no duplicate entries or leaked state.
• Editor restart preserves intended settings and drops temporary artifacts.
• Tool actions do not mutate runtime-only state unexpectedly.

Failure Modes

• Plugin registers controls multiple times across reloads.
• Disable path leaves stale menus/signals/settings in editor state.
• Editor-time code executes unsafe runtime operations.

Local Doc Anchors

• godot-docs/tutorials/plugins/editor/making_plugins.rst
• godot-docs/tutorials/plugins/running_code_in_the_editor.rst
• godot-docs/tutorials/editor/managing_editor_features.rst
• godot-docs/classes/class_editorplugin.rst