deploy

name	deploy
description	Build and deploy a mod from this repo into the live Unreal editor — import its source assets, run its Blueprint build steps in order, then verify. Argument is the mod folder name under mods/ (or a path), e.g. mounted-followers.
argument-hint	<mod-name>
disable-model-invocation	true

Deploy the mod named in $ARGUMENTS as a smart process: get it built and verified, adapting on failure rather than just reporting one. $py = bpkit.config.BUNDLED_PYTHON (or $env:BPKIT_PYTHON).

1. Pre-flight

• Channel up: & $py ue_run.py bpkit/ops/ping.py (ENGINE_VERSION printed). If dead, point the user at /setup.
• The deployer itself refuses to run during Play (authoring compiles Blueprints, which breaks live instances) — if it prints ABORT: Play-in-Editor is running, ask the user to stop Play, then re-run.

2. Deploy

& $py ue_run.py bpkit/ops/deploy.py $ARGUMENTS

This reads mods/$ARGUMENTS/manifest.py, imports any source ASSETS, then runs each BUILD step (an ordinary editor-side payload) in order in one editor session. Each step prints its own result (e.g. BUILD OK). Ends with === DEPLOY <mod>: OK === or N STEP(S) FAILED.

3. On failure — adapt, don't just report

• A step that printed a compile/orphan problem: scan with & $py ue_run.py bpkit/ops/compile_errors.py (wildcard / bOrphanedPin / ErrorMsg), fix the offending node in that step's builder, re-deploy. Remember "compiled" ≠ "no errors".
• NOT DEPLOYABLE: no manifest.py: the mod folder needs a manifest.py declaring BUILD = [...] (ordered step files) — model it on mods/mounted-followers/manifest.py.
• An asset -> FAILED: check the src path in the manifest (relative to the mod folder) and that the source file exists; UE import factories are picky about extensions.

4. Report

Mod name → output package, which steps ran, asset imports, and the final verdict. If you fixed something to get it green, say exactly what.

5. Shipping ≠ deploying

/deploy only authors into the editor (/Game/<Mod>) for PIE testing; it does NOT package. The real game runs a separate cook → pak from the Dev Kit mod tool (e.g. ...\UE4\Saved\Mods\<Mod>\Output\<Mod>.pak). If the user says "works in editor but not in the real/packaged game," it's almost always packaging, not the graph:

• The controller (any mods/*/02_manager-style logic) must cook as a (Mod Asset) — i.e. be authored under /Game/Mods/<ModName>/ — or the packaged game culls it as [1]Invalid class (works in PIE, dead packaged). Confirm in the cook dialog. (bRequiresLoadOnStartup is NOT required — verified in the cooked game 2026-06-10.)
• Verify the cooked pak (don't trust it): UnrealPak.exe <Mod>.pak -List → extract → UnrealPak.exe <Mod>-Windows.utoc -List for the inner asset list (IoStore .ucas is Oodle-compressed — use -List, never grep). Shipping strips PrintString/GetAll; use HUDShowFIFO / ClientHUDShowNotification for visible diagnostics. Full write-up: docs/CONAN-NOTES.md §Packaging.