Export Rules — Godot Addon

Tired of manually tweaking export_presets.cfg every time you need a demo build, a full version, or a platform-specific release? Export Rules lets you define once which files/folder belong to which build — and keeps your presets in sync automatically.

The Problem

Managing multiple export variants in Godot means editing export_presets.cfg by hand. One preset for the demo, another for the full game, maybe one for Steam and one for itch.io — each with a different set of files. It's tedious, error-prone, and easy to forget a file.

The Solution

Export Rules gives you a visual editor where you tag each folder or file with the presets it belongs to. Hit Update Export Presets and the plugin computes the right file list for every preset automatically.

How It Works

Every rule maps a path to a set of required tags:

• No tags → always excluded from all exports (perfect for test folders, dev tools, etc.)
• Tags set → included only in presets that declare all those tags

Tags come from each preset's Custom Features field (comma-separated). The plugin reads those, applies your rules, and writes the correct export_files list to each preset.

Example

You have two export presets:

• Demo with custom_features = "demo"
• Full with custom_features = "full"

Your rules:

Path	Required Tags	Effect
res://test/	(none)	Excluded from every preset
res://stages/level_demo/	demo	Only in Demo preset
res://stages/level_full/	full	Only in Full preset
res://stages/level_shared/	demo, full	In both presets

Everything else is included by default.

Installation

1. Copy the addons/export_rules/ folder into your project's addons/ directory.
2. In Godot: Project → Project Settings → Plugins → enable Export Rules.
3. An Export Rules tab appears in the main editor screen.

Usage

1. Open the Export Rules tab.
2. Click Add Folder or Add File to create a rule.
3. Assign required tags to the rule (e.g. demo, full, steam).
4. Optionally add a comment to describe what the rule does.
5. The preview on the right shows which presets will include or exclude the path.
6. Click Update Export Presets to apply everything to export_presets.cfg.

That's it. Your presets are now managed by rules instead of by hand.

In the Real World

I made this add-on because I was in dire need of an easier way to manage the export versions of my game.

New Folder Policy

When the plugin detects a new folder in your project, it can handle it automatically. Configure this in the panel settings:

Policy	Behavior
Auto Include	New folders are added to known paths and included in all presets
Auto Exclude	New folders are added as a rule with no tags (excluded everywhere)
Ask	The plugin prompts you to decide for each new folder

Configuration

Rules are stored in export_rules.json at your project root — commit it alongside your project.

{
  "new_folder_policy": 0,
  "rules": [
    {
      "path": "res://test",
      "required_tags": [],
      "comment": "Never export tests"
    },
    {
      "path": "res://stages/level_demo",
      "required_tags": ["demo"],
      "comment": "Demo build only"
    },
    {
      "path": "res://stages/level_full",
      "required_tags": ["full"],
      "comment": "Full version only"
    }
  ]
}

Requirements

• Godot 4.x
• No external dependencies — pure GDScript