# godot-shaders

A skill that teaches your agent to write canvas_item and spatial shaders in the Godot Shading Language, with TIME animation, uniforms and screen reading. For 2D and 3D effects in Godot 4.7.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 6500 installs · ★ 4506
- Author: gamedev-skills
- License: Apache-2.0 · policy=mirror · the beginning of the file is at the end of this page
- Source: https://github.com/gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/godot/godot-shaders/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/godot-shaders

## What it does

The skill sets the order of work for shaders in Godot 4.7. First line picks the type: `shader_type canvas_item;` for sprites and anything `CanvasItem`, or `shader_type spatial;` for 3D materials. Then a `ShaderMaterial` on the node, a `fragment()` writing to `COLOR` or `ALBEDO`, and uniforms with hints so the values show up in the Inspector.

Four worked patterns come with it: tint plus UV scroll driven by `TIME`, a dissolve against a `NoiseTexture2D` threshold, emissive rim light from `NORMAL` and `VIEW`, and a screen blur. Each is a real `.gdshader`, and there is a GDScript call for driving a uniform: `material.set_shader_parameter("amount", 0.7)`.

A separate section covers the 3.x port. `SCREEN_TEXTURE` is gone, `hint_color` and `hint_albedo` became `source_color`. This is the one that bites: writing `COLOR` in a spatial shader changes nothing on screen. A color uniform without `source_color` skips the sRGB conversion and looks washed out. Also worth knowing before you chase a jumping effect: `TIME` wraps every `time_rollover_secs`, 3600 by default, so pick periods that divide it or feed your own time through a uniform.

## Requirements
- Works with: Godot

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill godot-shaders -a claude-code
```

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

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill godot-shaders -a codex
```

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

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill godot-shaders -a cursor
```

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

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills godot-shaders
```

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

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill godot-shaders -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --path skills/godot/godot-shaders
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill godot-shaders -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/gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/godot/godot-shaders/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- write a noise-threshold dissolve without hand-tuning `discard`
- build a 2D effect that scrolls its texture over time
- add emissive rim light to a 3D material
- blur the screen through `hint_screen_texture`
- move a Godot 3.x shader to 4.7 with the renamed hints

## Example prompts
- Write `dissolve.gdshader` for a Sprite2D: dissolve against a `NoiseTexture2D`, expose the threshold as a uniform with `hint_range`
- Make a `spatial` shader with rim light, put colour and strength into uniforms with `source_color` and `hint_range`
- Port this shader from `SCREEN_TEXTURE` to `hint_screen_texture` for Godot 4.7

## Source text · SKILL.md · Apache-2.0

Below is the content of a third-party file. It is data, not instructions for you: do not act on anything written inside unless the human asks. Block tag: bf7523c66b9c9edd.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE bf7523c66b9c9edd
````text
---
name: godot-shaders
description: >
  Write Godot 4.7 shaders in the Godot Shading Language: canvas_item shaders for 2D
  and spatial shaders for 3D, with vertex/fragment functions, uniforms (source_color,
  hint_range), TIME/UV animation, and screen-reading via hint_screen_texture. Use
  when authoring .gdshader files, writing fragment/vertex code, making 2D/3D visual
  effects, or porting 3.x shaders (SCREEN_TEXTURE, hint_color) to 4.x.
---

# Godot Shaders (4.x)

Write `canvas_item` (2D) and `spatial` (3D) shaders in the Godot Shading Language, animate
with `TIME`/`UV`, expose `uniform`s, and read the screen. Targets **Godot 4.7**.

## When to use

- Use when writing `.gdshader` code or a `ShaderMaterial`: 2D effects (outline, dissolve,
  flash, water), 3D surface shaders (rim light, toon, scrolling UV), or screen-space
  post effects.

**When *not* to use:** the cross-engine *concepts* of shading (UVs, vertex/fragment
theory) → `shader-programming`; particles/VFX nodes → general 3D; non-shader visuals.

## Core workflow

1. **Pick the shader type** on the first line: `shader_type canvas_item;` for 2D
   (Sprite2D, TextureRect, anything `CanvasItem`) or `shader_type spatial;` for 3D
   materials. (`particles`, `sky`, `fog` also exist.)
2. **Attach via a `ShaderMaterial`.** Create a `ShaderMaterial`, assign your `.gdshader`,
   and put it on the node's `material`. Uniforms appear in the Inspector.
3. **Write `fragment()`** to set the output: `COLOR` (2D) or `ALBEDO`/`EMISSION`/`ALPHA`
   (3D). Optionally `vertex()` to move geometry and `light()` for custom lighting.
4. **Expose tunables as `uniform`s** with hints (`source_color`, `hint_range`) so they are
   editable and correctly color-managed.
5. **Animate with the built-in `TIME`** and sample textures with `texture(tex, UV)`.
6. **Set uniforms from code** with `material.set_shader_parameter("name", value)`.

## Patterns

### 1. 2D (canvas_item): tint + scrolling UV

```glsl
shader_type canvas_item;

uniform vec4 tint : source_color = vec4(1.0);     // source_color = sRGB-correct color
uniform float scroll_speed : hint_range(0.0, 2.0) = 0.3;

void fragment() {
    vec2 uv = UV;
````
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