Configuration File

GemShell saves all settings to gemshell.config.json in your game folder.

File Location

my-game/
├── index.html
├── game.js
└── gemshell.config.json    <-- Configuration file

Full Schema

{
  "title": "My Game",
  "appName": "my-game",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  
  "window": {
    "width": 1280,
    "height": 720,
    "resizable": true,
    "fullscreen": false,
    "frame": true,
    "alwaysOnTop": false
  },
  
  "build": {
    "architectures": [
      "mac-universal",
      "windows-x64",
      "linux-x64"
    ],
    "singleExecutable": true
  },
  
  "steamworks": {
    "enabled": false,
    "appId": "480"
  },
  
  "optimization": {
    "minifyJs": true,
    "minifyCss": true,
    "minifyHtml": true,
    "bundleCdn": false
  },
  
  "excludeFiles": [
    "*.psd",
    "*.ai",
    "node_modules/**",
    "*.map"
  ],
  
  "plugins": {
    "debug-tools": {
      "enabled": true,
      "values": {
        "fpsCounter": true,
        "memoryUsage": false,
        "position": "top-left"
      }
    }
  }
}

Properties

Project Settings

Property	Type	Default	Description
title	string	-	Display name in title bar
appName	string	-	Unique identifier (no spaces)
version	string	"1.0.0"	Semantic version

Window Settings

Property	Type	Default	Description
window.width	number	1280	Window width in pixels
window.height	number	720	Window height in pixels
window.resizable	boolean	true	Allow window resizing
window.fullscreen	boolean	false	Start in fullscreen
window.frame	boolean	true	Show window frame
window.alwaysOnTop	boolean	false	Keep above other windows

Build Settings

Property	Type	Default	Description
build.architectures	string[]	[]	List of architectures to build
build.singleExecutable	boolean	true	Use single file format (EXE/AppImage)

Available Architectures

Value	Description
mac-universal	macOS Universal (Intel + Apple Silicon)
mac-arm64	macOS Apple Silicon only
mac-x64	macOS Intel only
windows-x64	Windows 64-bit
windows-arm64	Windows ARM
windows-ia32	Windows 32-bit (legacy)
linux-x64	Linux 64-bit
linux-arm64	Linux ARM

Package Formats

singleExecutable	Windows	Linux	macOS
true (default)	Portable .exe	AppImage	.app bundle
false	Directory	Directory	.app bundle

Steam Distribution

Set singleExecutable: false for Steam. Directory format enables delta patching for smaller updates.

Steamworks

Property	Type	Default	Description
steamworks.enabled	boolean	false	Enable Steam integration
steamworks.appId	string	"480"	Steam Application ID

Optimization

Property	Type	Default	Description
optimization.minifyJs	boolean	true	Minify JavaScript files
optimization.minifyCss	boolean	true	Minify CSS files
optimization.minifyHtml	boolean	true	Minify HTML files
optimization.bundleCdn	boolean	false	Bundle external CDN resources

File Exclusion

Property	Type	Default	Description
excludeFiles	string[]	[]	Glob patterns for files to exclude

Plugins

Property	Type	Default	Description
plugins	object	{}	Per-game plugin configuration
plugins.[id].enabled	boolean	false	Enable plugin for this game
plugins.[id].values	object	{}	Plugin setting overrides

Example Configurations

Minimal

{
  "title": "My Game",
  "appName": "my-game",
  "version": "1.0.0"
}

Steam Release

{
  "title": "My Steam Game",
  "appName": "my-steam-game",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "window": {
    "width": 1920,
    "height": 1080,
    "fullscreen": true
  },
  "build": {
    "architectures": [
      "mac-universal",
      "windows-x64",
      "linux-x64"
    ],
    "singleExecutable": false
  },
  "steamworks": {
    "enabled": true,
    "appId": "123456"
  },
  "optimization": {
    "minifyJs": true,
    "minifyCss": true,
    "minifyHtml": true
  }
}

itch.io / Direct Distribution

{
  "title": "My Game",
  "appName": "my-game",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "build": {
    "architectures": [
      "mac-universal",
      "windows-x64",
      "linux-x64"
    ],
    "singleExecutable": true
  }
}

Development

{
  "title": "My Game (Dev)",
  "appName": "my-game-dev",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "window": {
    "width": 1280,
    "height": 720
  },
  "build": {
    "architectures": ["mac-arm64"],
    "singleExecutable": false
  },
  "optimization": {
    "minifyJs": false,
    "minifyCss": false,
    "minifyHtml": false
  },
  "plugins": {
    "debug-tools": {
      "enabled": true,
      "values": {
        "fpsCounter": true,
        "memoryUsage": true
      }
    }
  }
}

Auto-Save

GemShell automatically saves settings when you:

• Change any setting in the UI
• Navigate between steps
• Close the application

Changes are debounced (500ms delay) to prevent excessive writes.

Manual Editing

You can edit gemshell.config.json directly:

1. Close GemShell (or it will overwrite your changes)
2. Edit the JSON file
3. Reopen the game in GemShell

Version Control

Add gemshell.config.json to your Git repository to share build settings with your team.

# .gitignore - Do NOT ignore config
# gemshell.config.json  <-- Keep this tracked