Create Godot Editor Plugin

Core Principle

Extend the editor, don't fight it. Godot Editor plugins let you add custom tools, panels, and workflows directly into the editor interface.

What This Skill Does

Creates complete Godot Editor plugins:

•plugin.cfg - Plugin metadata and configuration
•EditorPlugin script - Entry point with lifecycle hooks
•Custom docks - Side panels with custom UI
•Bottom panels - Bottom dock tabs like Animation/Shader editors
•Tool scripts - Scripts that run in editor
•Settings integration - ProjectSettings for plugin configuration

Plugin Structure Created

code

addons/my_plugin/
├── plugin.cfg              # Plugin metadata
├── my_plugin.gd            # EditorPlugin entry point
├── docks/
│   ├── main_dock.gd        # Custom side dock logic
│   ├── main_dock.tscn      # Dock UI scene
│   └── bottom_panel.gd     # Bottom panel logic
├── ui/
│   ├── inspector_plugin.gd # Custom inspector controls
│   └── property_editor.gd  # Custom property editors
└── tools/
    ├── scene_tool.gd       # @tool script for editor functionality
    └── asset_processor.gd  # Import/Process automation

When to Use

You Need Custom Editor Tools

Creating level editors, terrain tools, or specialized workflows that integrate into Godot.

You Want Inspector Extensions

Adding custom property editors for your custom resources or nodes.

You're Building Asset Pipelines

Automating import workflows, batch processing, or custom exporters.

You Need Project-Wide Utilities

Tools that operate across scenes, manage resources, or provide project insights.

Process

•Generate plugin.cfg - Create metadata file with name, description, version
•Create EditorPlugin script - Implement _enter_tree() and _exit_tree()
•Build custom UI - Design docks and panels as scenes
•Add tool scripts - Create @tool scripts for editor functionality
•Integrate settings - Add ProjectSettings entries for configuration
•Commit - Git commit with complete plugin structure

Example: Simple Dock Plugin

Generated: addons/my_dock/plugin.cfg

ini

[plugin]
name="My Custom Dock"
description="Adds a custom dock panel to the editor"
author="Your Name"
version="1.0.0"
script="my_dock.gd"

Generated: addons/my_dock/my_dock.gd

gdscript

@tool
extends EditorPlugin

const DOCK_SCENE = preload("res://addons/my_dock/dock.tscn")
var dock_instance: Control

func _enter_tree():
    # Add custom dock to left slot
    dock_instance = DOCK_SCENE.instantiate()
    add_control_to_dock(DOCK_SLOT_LEFT_BR, dock_instance)
    
    # Add custom settings
    _setup_project_settings()

func _exit_tree():
    # Remove dock when plugin is disabled
    if dock_instance:
        remove_control_from_docks(dock_instance)
        dock_instance.queue_free()

func _setup_project_settings():
    # Add custom project settings for plugin configuration
    if not ProjectSettings.has_setting("my_plugin/enabled_features"):
        ProjectSettings.set_setting("my_plugin/enabled_features", ["feature_a", "feature_b"])
        ProjectSettings.add_property_info({
            "name": "my_plugin/enabled_features",
            "type": TYPE_ARRAY,
            "hint": PROPERTY_HINT_TYPE_STRING,
            "hint_string": "24/17:Feature"
        })

Generated: addons/my_dock/dock.gd

gdscript

@tool
extends Control

@onready var button: Button = $VBoxContainer/Button
@onready var label: Label = $VBoxContainer/Label

func _ready():
    button.pressed.connect(_on_button_pressed)

func _on_button_pressed():
    label.text = "Button clicked at %s" % Time.get_time_string_from_system()
    
    # Access plugin settings
    var features = ProjectSettings.get_setting("my_plugin/enabled_features", [])
    print("Enabled features: ", features)

Generated: addons/my_dock/dock.tscn

ini

[gd_scene load_steps=2 format=3]

[ext_resource type="Script" path="res://addons/my_dock/dock.gd" id="1_script"]

[node name="MyDock" type="Control"]
layout_mode = 3
anchors_preset = 15
script = ExtResource("1_script")

[node name="VBoxContainer" type="VBoxContainer" parent="."]
layout_mode = 1
anchors_preset = 15

[node name="Button" type="Button" parent="VBoxContainer"]
text = "Click Me"

[node name="Label" type="Label" parent="VBoxContainer"]
text = "Ready"

Example: Custom Inspector Plugin

Generated: addons/inspector_plugin/plugin.cfg

ini

[plugin]
name="Custom Inspector"
description="Adds custom property editors"
author="Your Name"
version="1.0.0"
script="custom_inspector.gd"

Generated: addons/inspector_plugin/custom_inspector.gd

gdscript

@tool
extends EditorPlugin

var inspector_plugin: EditorInspectorPlugin

func _enter_tree():
    inspector_plugin = preload("res://addons/inspector_plugin/my_inspector_plugin.gd").new()
    add_inspector_plugin(inspector_plugin)

func _exit_tree():
    remove_inspector_plugin(inspector_plugin)

Generated: addons/inspector_plugin/my_inspector_plugin.gd

gdscript

@tool
extends EditorInspectorPlugin

func _can_handle(object: Object) -> bool:
    # Apply to any node with custom script
    return object is Node

func _parse_property(object: Object, type: Variant.Type, name: String, 
                     hint_type: PropertyHint, hint_string: String, 
                     usage_flags: int, wide: bool) -> bool:
    # Handle specific property types
    if name == "my_custom_property":
        add_property_editor(name, preload("res://addons/inspector_plugin/custom_property_editor.gd").new())
        return true  # Handled
    return false  # Use default editor

Example: Tool Script Pattern

Generated: addons/tools/scene_batch_processor.gd

gdscript

@tool
extends EditorScript

## Batch process scenes in editor
## Run via: Editor > Run > Run Script

@export var target_directory: String = "res://scenes"
@export var operation: String = "cleanup"

func _run():
    print("Starting batch processing...")
    
    var dir = DirAccess.open(target_directory)
    if dir:
        dir.list_dir_begin()
        var file_name = dir.get_next()
        
        while file_name != "":
            if file_name.ends_with(".tscn"):
                _process_scene(target_directory.path_join(file_name))
            file_name = dir.get_next()
    
    print("Batch processing complete!")

func _process_scene(path: String):
    var scene = load(path)
    if scene:
        print("Processing: ", path)
        # Perform operations on packed scene

Dock Slot Options

Slot	Location	Best For
`DOCK_SLOT_LEFT_UL`	Left, upper	Main tools, frequent access
`DOCK_SLOT_LEFT_BL`	Left, lower	Secondary panels
`DOCK_SLOT_LEFT_UR`	Left, upper right	Inspector companions
`DOCK_SLOT_LEFT_BR`	Left, lower right	Debug/info panels
`DOCK_SLOT_RIGHT_UL`	Right, upper	Properties, settings
`DOCK_SLOT_RIGHT_BL`	Right, lower	Console, output
`DOCK_SLOT_RIGHT_UR`	Right, upper right	Less frequent tools
`DOCK_SLOT_RIGHT_BR`	Right, lower right	Bottom companions

EditorPlugin Lifecycle

gdscript

func _enter_tree():
    # Called when plugin is enabled
    # Add docks, menus, inspectors here
    pass

func _exit_tree():
    # Called when plugin is disabled
    # Clean up everything added in _enter_tree
    pass

func _has_main_screen() -> bool:
    # Return true if plugin provides main screen (like 2D/3D/Script)
    return false

func _make_visible(visible: bool):
    # Called when main screen tab is selected/deselected
    pass

func _get_plugin_name() -> String:
    # Name shown in main screen tabs
    return "My Plugin"

func _get_plugin_icon() -> Texture2D:
    # Icon for main screen tab
    return get_editor_interface().get_base_control().get_theme_icon("Node", "EditorIcons")

Settings Integration

Add custom ProjectSettings entries:

gdscript

func _enter_tree():
    # Add setting if it doesn't exist
    if not ProjectSettings.has_setting("my_plugin/enable_debug"):
        ProjectSettings.set_setting("my_plugin/enable_debug", false)
        
        # Define property metadata
        ProjectSettings.add_property_info({
            "name": "my_plugin/enable_debug",
            "type": TYPE_BOOL,
            "hint": PROPERTY_HINT_NONE
        })
        
        # Set as basic setting (shows in Project Settings UI)
        ProjectSettings.set_initial_value("my_plugin/enable_debug", false)
        ProjectSettings.set_as_basic("my_plugin/enable_debug", true)

Access Editor from Plugin

gdscript

# Get the editor interface
var interface = get_editor_interface()

# Access editor features
var editor_selection = interface.get_selection()
var editor_settings = interface.get_editor_settings()
var resource_preview = interface.get_resource_previewer()

# Get current scene
var edited_scene_root = interface.get_edited_scene_root()

# Get selected nodes
var selected_nodes = editor_selection.get_selected_nodes()

# Open scene in editor
interface.open_scene_from_path("res://scene.tscn")

# Reload scene
interface.reload_scene_from_path("res://scene.tscn")

# Play scene
interface.play_current_scene()

What Gets Created

•Complete plugin structure in addons/plugin_name/
•plugin.cfg with proper metadata
•EditorPlugin script with lifecycle hooks
•Dock scenes (UI) and scripts (logic)
•Bottom panels for specialized tools
•Inspector plugins for custom property editors
•Tool scripts for editor automation
•ProjectSettings integration for configuration
•Git commits documenting each component

Integration

Works with:

•godot-refactor (orchestrator) - Create plugins as part of larger refactoring
•godot-extract-to-scenes - Use extracted components in plugin UI
•godot-add-signals - Connect plugin UI signals

Safety

•Validates plugin.cfg syntax
•Checks for plugin name conflicts
•Ensures proper cleanup in _exit_tree()
•Auto-rollback on validation failure
•Git commits for each generated component

When NOT to Use

Don't create a plugin for:

•One-off scripts (use EditorScript without plugin)
•Simple utilities (use Project > Tools > GDScript)
•Runtime game features (plugins are editor-only)
•Replacing existing Godot features

Best Practices

•Clean up in _exit_tree() - Remove all added UI/components
•Use @tool scripts - Enable code to run in editor
•Check Engine.is_editor_hint() - Distinguish editor vs runtime
•Prefix settings - Use plugin_name/setting_name convention
•Save settings - Call ProjectSettings.save() after changes
•Handle selection - Update UI when editor selection changes
•Lazy loading - Load heavy resources only when needed