# godot-ability-system

A skill that gives your coding agent patterns for Godot ability systems: cooldowns, combos, skill trees, charges and status effects.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 418 installs · ★ 893
- Author: thedivergentai
- License: LGPL-3.0 · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/thedivergentai/Game-Dev-Agentic-Skills/tree/HEAD/skills/godot-ability-system/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-16
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/godot-ability-system

## What it does

The skill lays out how to structure ability systems for RPGs and action games in Godot. Live cooldowns, the global cooldown and `execute()` calls belong in a scene-scoped manager under the caster, not in a global Autoload, because a global cast oracle breaks encapsulation and multiplayer authority. An Autoload is fine for unlock ranks and flags only.

It ships GDScript files: `ability_resource.gd` holds data plus a virtual `execute()`, `ability_manager.gd` and `ability_container.gd` cover the two scene-scoped manager styles, `combo_tracker.gd` handles windowed chains, `charge_ability.gd` covers multi-charge recharges, and `skill_node.gd` with `skill_tree_manager.gd` builds prerequisite graphs. Status effects run through `status_effect.gd` and `status_effect_manager.gd`, while `ability_caster_network.gd` predicts locally and lets authority validate.

Cooldown ticking and status durations must run on `_physics_process(delta)` or `Timer` nodes, otherwise frame spikes throw the timings off. Status templates applied at runtime need `duplicate(true)` — a single shared `.tres` mutates for every character using it. Saving cooldowns means storing absolute end timestamps rather than leftover seconds. The deeper combo, charge and networking material sits in a separate reference file that you skip on a first `AbilityResource` plus manager pass.

## Requirements
- Works with: Godot

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add thedivergentai/Game-Dev-Agentic-Skills --skill godot-ability-system -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/godot-ability-system/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/godot-ability-system/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add thedivergentai/Game-Dev-Agentic-Skills --skill godot-ability-system -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/godot-ability-system/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add thedivergentai/Game-Dev-Agentic-Skills --skill godot-ability-system -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/godot-ability-system/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install thedivergentai/Game-Dev-Agentic-Skills godot-ability-system
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/godot-ability-system/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add thedivergentai/Game-Dev-Agentic-Skills --skill godot-ability-system -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/thedivergentai/Game-Dev-Agentic-Skills --path skills/godot-ability-system
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/godot-ability-system/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add thedivergentai/Game-Dev-Agentic-Skills --skill godot-ability-system -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/thedivergentai/Game-Dev-Agentic-Skills/tree/HEAD/skills/godot-ability-system/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- build ability cooldowns that resist button spam
- chain combo sequences into a finisher
- lay out a skill tree with prerequisites
- add multi-charge abilities with recharge ticks
- persist cooldowns across sessions without exploits

## Example prompts
- Create an AbilityResource for a fireball and wire it to the scene-scoped AbilityManager
- Add a global cooldown between casts and gate casting during animation lock
- Build a skill tree with prerequisites that grants abilities to the caster

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From the same set: [thedivergentai/game-dev-agentic-skills](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/thedivergentai/game-dev-agentic-skills.md) — 51 cards

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