# roblox-datastores

Teaches the agent to persist Roblox player data through DataStoreService: load on join, save on leave and on BindToClose, retries. Useful when progress vanishes.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 5700 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/other-engines/roblox-datastores/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-10-24
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/roblox-datastores

## What it does

The skill lays out a server-side loop: `GetDataStore` by name, a key like `"Player_" .. player.UserId`, a load on `PlayerAdded`, a save on `PlayerRemoving` and another on `BindToClose`. Code patterns ship inside, all in Luau: reads wrapped in `pcall`, writes through `UpdateAsync`, retries with backoff, a counter via `IncrementAsync`, and a leaderboard on `OrderedDataStore` read with `GetSortedAsync`.

The interesting part is failure handling. A network error on `GetAsync` is not a new player, so the skill flags the session and refuses to save, because defaults would overwrite real progress. `SetAsync` is out for read-modify-write for the same reason: two servers clobber the key. Worth checking your `PlayerAdded` handler if players have reported wiped data before.

Setup: enable Studio Access to API Services on a published place, and test in a separate place since Studio hits the same live data as players. DataStores run only from server `Script`, never `LocalScript`. General Luau, remotes and the client/server split are out of scope here; roblox-luau covers them.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

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

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

### Codex

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

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

### Cursor

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

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/roblox-datastores/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 roblox-datastores
```

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

### Gemini CLI

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

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --path skills/other-engines/roblox-datastores
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

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

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add gamedev-skills/awesome-gamedev-agent-skills --skill roblox-datastores -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/other-engines/roblox-datastores/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- Load coins and inventory when a player joins
- Survive a server shutdown without losing progress via `BindToClose`
- Replace `SetAsync` with `UpdateAsync` so two servers stop clobbering a key
- Build a coin leaderboard on `OrderedDataStore`
- Wrap network calls in `pcall` and add retries

## Example prompts
- Write a server `Script` that loads the player's coins with `GetAsync` inside `pcall` and saves them on `PlayerRemoving`.
- Add a coin leaderboard using `OrderedDataStore` and print the top 10 with `GetSortedAsync`.
- Progress got wiped on server restart — add a `BindToClose` save and stop defaults from overwriting real data.

## 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: ad4bc878c0c78e6d.

BEGIN THIRD-PARTY FILE ad4bc878c0c78e6d
```text
---
name: roblox-datastores
description: >
  Persist player data in Roblox with DataStoreService: GetDataStore, GetAsync/
  SetAsync/UpdateAsync/IncrementAsync wrapped in pcall, load-on-join and
  save-on-leave plus BindToClose, retries, and OrderedDataStore leaderboards. Use
  when saving or loading persistent data in a Roblox experience — when the user
  mentions DataStore, DataStoreService, GetAsync, SetAsync, UpdateAsync, save player
  data, or leaderboards. For general Luau scripting use roblox-luau.
---

# Roblox DataStores

Persist data across sessions in Roblox with `DataStoreService`: loading on join,
saving on leave and shutdown, safe updates, retries, and ordered stores for
leaderboards. Server-side only.

## When to use

- Use to save/load player progress (coins, inventory, levels), build persistent
  leaderboards, or fix data loss, overwrites, and throttling.
- Use when server code calls `DataStoreService`, `GetDataStore`, `GetAsync`,
  `SetAsync`, `UpdateAsync`, or `GetOrderedDataStore`.

**When *not* to use:** general scripting, services, remotes, the client/server
split → `roblox-luau`. High-frequency temporary state (matchmaking, per-round) →
memory stores (a different service). Engine-agnostic persistence theory →
`save-systems`.

## Core workflow

1. **Enable Studio access once.** In a published place, File → Experience Settings →
   Security → *Enable Studio Access to API Services* (use a separate test place; Studio
   hits the same live data as players). DataStores work only from server `Script`s,
   never `LocalScript`s.
2. **Get a store, then read/write by key.** `DataStoreService:GetDataStore("Name")`;
   key per player is usually `"Player_" .. player.UserId`.
3. **Wrap every call in `pcall`.** `GetAsync`/`SetAsync`/`UpdateAsync` are network
   calls that can fail; an unguarded failure errors the thread and risks data loss.
4. **Load on `PlayerAdded`, save on `PlayerRemoving`, and also `BindToClose`.** A
   leaving player and a shutting-down server both need a final save.
5. **Prefer `UpdateAsync` for read-modify-write** (multi-server safe) over `SetAsync`
```
END THIRD-PARTY FILE ad4bc878c0c78e6d

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