Scene Optimizer Skill

This skill analyzes Godot scene files (.tscn) to identify structural issues, performance bottlenecks, and optimization opportunities specific to Godot 4.x projects.

Workflow Context

When to Use This Skill

Invoke this skill when the user:

• •Asks to "optimize scene" or "check scene structure"
• •Says "analyze [scene_name].tscn"
• •Wants to troubleshoot performance issues
• •Asks "why is my scene slow?" or "is my scene structure good?"
• •Requests scene quality review
• •Says "check my scenes"

Analysis Categories

1. Node Hierarchy Issues

Check for:

• •Excessive depth: More than 5-6 levels deep (hard to maintain)
• •Flat hierarchies: Too many siblings at root level (poor organization)
• •Singleton children: Nodes with only one child (unnecessary nesting)
• •Naming conventions: Unclear or generic names ("Node2D", "Control", etc.)

Best Practices:

• •Keep hierarchies 3-5 levels deep when possible
• •Group related nodes under organizational parents
• •Use descriptive, PascalCase names for custom nodes
• •Remove unnecessary wrapper nodes

2. Performance Red Flags

Check for:

• •Too many nodes: More than 100-150 nodes in a single scene (consider splitting)
• •Heavy processing nodes: Multiple AnimatedSprite2D, Particle2D, or Light2D nodes
• •Inefficient collision: Too many CollisionShape2D nodes or complex polygon shapes
• •Duplicate resources: Same texture/material loaded multiple times
• •Missing optimization flags: CanvasItems without proper visibility settings

Best Practices:

• •Split large scenes into subscenes
• •Use object pooling for repeated nodes (bullets, enemies)
• •Simplify collision shapes (use rectangles/circles over polygons)
• •Share resources via preloading
• •Use visibility notifiers for off-screen culling

3. Signal and Connection Issues

Check for:

• •Broken connections: Signals connected to non-existent nodes
• •Missing critical signals: Input nodes without connected signals
• •Callback typos: Method names that don't follow _on_NodeName_signal_name convention
• •Cross-scene coupling: Connections to nodes outside the scene tree

Best Practices:

• •Verify all signal connections are valid
• •Use descriptive callback names
• •Connect signals in code for dynamic nodes
• •Avoid hard-coded node paths in connections

4. Resource Management

Check for:

• •External resources: Missing or broken external references
• •Embedded resources: Large resources embedded directly (should be external)
• •Duplicate materials/textures: Same resource defined multiple times
• •Missing compression: Textures not using appropriate compression

Best Practices:

• •Extract shared resources to separate .tres files
• •Use resource preloading for common assets
• •Compress textures appropriately (VRAM vs. Lossless)
• •Remove unused resources

5. Script Attachment Issues

Check for:

• •Missing scripts: Nodes with broken script references
• •Duplicate logic: Multiple nodes with identical scripts (consider inheritance)
• •Script on wrong node type: Scripts attached to inappropriate node types
• •Export variables: Nodes missing exported variables that should be configured

Best Practices:

• •Verify all script paths are valid
• •Use script inheritance for shared behavior
• •Attach scripts to semantically appropriate nodes
• •Use @export for scene-configurable properties

6. UI-Specific Checks (for Control nodes)

Check for:

• •Layout containers: Using Control instead of appropriate containers (VBoxContainer, etc.)
• •Anchors not set: Controls with default anchors that should be responsive
• •Missing themes: Inconsistent styling across UI elements
• •Z-index conflicts: Overlapping controls with unintended draw order

Best Practices:

• •Use layout containers over manual positioning
• •Set anchors for responsive layouts
• •Apply consistent themes
• •Organize UI layers properly

7. Physics-Specific Checks

Check for:

• •Physics in wrong process: Physics code in _process instead of _physics_process
• •Missing collision layers/masks: Default layers/masks (should be explicit)
• •Overlapping collision shapes: Multiple shapes when one would suffice
• •Incorrect node types: Using RigidBody2D when CharacterBody2D is appropriate

Best Practices:

• •Use _physics_process for all physics operations
• •Set explicit collision layers and masks
• •Use appropriate physics body types
• •Simplify collision shapes

How to Perform Analysis

1. •Identify target scenes: Ask user which scene(s) to analyze, or scan project for .tscn files
2. •Read scene files: Use Read tool to load .tscn content (they're text-based)
3. •Parse structure: Analyze node hierarchy, connections, resources
4. •Check against criteria: Run through all 7 analysis categories
5. •Generate report: Provide prioritized findings with specific line references
6. •Suggest improvements: Offer concrete refactoring steps

Output Format

Provide analysis in this structure:

# Scene Optimization Report: [scene_name].tscn

## Summary
- Total nodes: X
- Max depth: X levels
- Issues found: X
- Severity: 🔴 Critical | 🟡 Warning | 🟢 Good

---

## Critical Issues (Must Fix)
1. **[Issue name]** - [Location]
   - Problem: [Description]
   - Impact: [Performance/maintainability impact]
   - Fix: [Specific steps to resolve]

## Warnings (Should Fix)
[Same format]

## Suggestions (Nice to Have)
[Same format]

---

## Scene Statistics
- Node count: X
- Max hierarchy depth: X
- Signal connections: X
- External resources: X
- Script attachments: X

## Overall Assessment
[1-2 paragraph summary of scene quality and recommended next steps]

Scene File Format Reference

Godot .tscn files are text-based with this structure:

[gd_scene load_steps=X format=3]
[ext_resource ...]
[sub_resource ...]

[node name="Root" type="NodeType"]
[node name="Child" type="NodeType" parent="Root"]
[connection signal="signal_name" from="NodeA" to="NodeB" method="callback"]

Key sections to parse:

• •[ext_resource]: External dependencies
• •[sub_resource]: Embedded resources
• •[node ...]: Node definitions with hierarchy
• •[connection ...]: Signal connections

Important Notes

• •Be specific: Reference exact node names and line numbers
• •Context-aware: Consider the project type (prototype vs. production)
• •Prioritize: Critical issues before nice-to-haves
• •Actionable: Every suggestion should have clear steps
• •Godot 4.x: Use Godot 4.x terminology and best practices

Example Invocations

User: "Check my Main.tscn scene" User: "Optimize all enemy scenes" User: "Why is my UI scene performing poorly?" User: "Analyze scenes for performance issues"