godot-nodes-scenes

Godot Nodes & Scenes (4.x)

Compose games from nodes and scenes, instance them at runtime, and access the tree without crashing on freed or missing nodes. Targets Godot 4.7.

When to use

• Use when structuring .tscn scenes, choosing how to break a feature into nodes, instancing a PackedScene (bullets, enemies, UI), or setting up autoload singletons.
• Use when debugging get_node() / $Path returning null, or "Attempt to call on a previously freed instance".

When not to use: GDScript language/syntax → godot-gdscript; signal-based decoupling → godot-signals-groups; physics bodies/collisions → godot-physics.

Core workflow

1. Model with composition. A scene is a tree of nodes saved as .tscn. Build small, single-purpose scenes (Player, Bullet, Enemy) and compose larger scenes from them. Favor adding child nodes over deep inheritance.
2. Make a scene reusable by giving its root a script and exposing @export config. Save it; it becomes a PackedScene you can instance many times.
3. Instance at runtime with preload/load → scene.instantiate() → add_child(instance). Set position/state after adding (or before, both work).
4. Access nodes safely. Use @onready var x = $Path for fixed children; use unique names (%Name) for nodes deep in the tree; never assume a node still exists.
5. Use autoloads for global state/services (game state, audio, scene switching) — registered in Project Settings > Globals (Autoload), accessible by name everywhere.
6. Free nodes with queue_free() and guard later access with is_instance_valid().
7. Check references before you finish. After creating, moving or renaming scenes, resources or scripts, run python scripts/check_godot_project.py <project-dir> (no Godot install needed; --json for machine-readable output). Fix every ERROR (missing or wrong-case res:// paths, undeclared ExtResource/SubResource ids, bad parent= paths, missing main scene or autoload) and re-run until it exits 0. Warnings such as a stale path= that Godot still finds by uid are safe but worth fixing. Run the script path relative to this skill directory, or resolve the installed skill path first. It needs Python 3.10+ and nothing else, and it does not replace opening the project in Godot.