steam-bug-report-template

name	steam-bug-report-template
description	Generate structured bug report templates for Steam games. Covers report structure, Steam system info integration, crash dump guidance, known issues tracking, and forum integration. Use when setting up bug reporting workflows or helping players submit useful reports.
standards-version	1.10.0

Steam Bug Report Template

Trigger

Use this skill when the user:

• Needs a bug report template for their Steam game
• Wants to set up a bug reporting workflow
• Asks about crash dump collection or analysis
• Needs to organize known issues tracking
• Wants to integrate bug reporting with Steam Discussion forums
• Asks about Steam system info for debugging

Required Inputs

• Game name or App ID - the game to create templates for
• Platform (optional) - which platforms the game supports

Workflow

1. Bug Report Template

Provide a structured template players can use:

## Bug Report

**Game Version:** [e.g., 1.2.3]
**Platform:** [Windows / macOS / Linux / Steam Deck]
**Bug Severity:** [Critical / Major / Minor / Cosmetic]

### Description
[Clear, concise description of the bug]

### Steps to Reproduce
1. [First step]
2. [Second step]
3. [Third step]

### Expected Behavior
[What should happen]

### Actual Behavior
[What actually happens]

### Frequency
[Always / Sometimes / Rarely / Once]

### Screenshots / Video
[Attach screenshots or video if applicable]

### System Information
[Paste output from Steam > Help > System Information, or use steam://sysinfo]

### Additional Context
[Save file attached? Mods installed? Controller or keyboard?]

2. Steam System Info

Players can access detailed system information through Steam:

How to get system info:

1. Open Steam client
2. Go to Help > System Information
3. Copy all text
4. Paste into bug report

Or use the protocol link:

steam://sysinfo

System info includes:

• OS version and architecture
• CPU model and speed
• RAM amount
• GPU model, driver version, VRAM
• Display resolution and refresh rate
• Steam client version
• Installed Steam games and sizes

Developer-side system info collection:

// Get user's OS via Steamworks
const char* os = SteamUtils()->GetSteamUILanguage();
uint32 ram = SteamUtils()->GetSystemRAM(); // in MB

3. Crash Dump Collection

Windows minidumps:

Configure your game to write minidumps on crash:

#include <DbgHelp.h>

LONG WINAPI CrashHandler(EXCEPTION_POINTERS* pExceptionInfo) {
    HANDLE hFile = CreateFileA("crash.dmp", GENERIC_WRITE, 0,
        nullptr, CREATE_ALWAYS, FILE_ATTRIBUTE_NORMAL, nullptr);

    MINIDUMP_EXCEPTION_INFORMATION mei;
    mei.ThreadId = GetCurrentThreadId();
    mei.ExceptionPointers = pExceptionInfo;
    mei.ClientPointers = FALSE;

    MiniDumpWriteDump(GetCurrentProcess(), GetCurrentProcessId(),
        hFile, MiniDumpWithDataSegs, &mei, nullptr, nullptr);

    CloseHandle(hFile);
    return EXCEPTION_EXECUTE_HANDLER;
}

// Register at startup
SetUnhandledExceptionFilter(CrashHandler);

Unity crash logs:

• Windows: %USERPROFILE%\AppData\LocalLow\{Company}\{Product}\Player.log
• macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Unity/Player.log
• Linux: ~/.config/unity3d/{Company}/{Product}/Player.log

Unreal Engine crash reports:

• {Project}/Saved/Crashes/ directory
• UE4/5 Crash Reporter sends reports automatically if configured

Steam Error Reporting:

• Steamworks provides crash reporting via ISteamUtils
• Steam client can show crash dialogs with upload option
• Configure in Steamworks Partner > Technical Tools

4. Known Issues Tracking

Steam Discussion forum pinned thread template:

# Known Issues — [Game Name] v[X.Y.Z]

Last updated: [date]

## Critical
- [ ] [Issue description] — workaround: [if any]

## Major
- [ ] [Issue description] — fix in progress
- [ ] [Issue description] — investigating

## Minor
- [x] [Issue description] — fixed in v[X.Y.Z+1] (pending release)

## Workarounds
- **[Issue]**: [step-by-step workaround]

---
Please report new bugs using the Bug Reports forum with the template pinned there.
Do NOT report bugs in this thread — use it as a reference only.

5. Forum Integration

Setting up a Bug Reports sub-forum:

1. Steamworks Partner > Community > Discussion Forums
2. Create a sub-forum named "Bug Reports"
3. Pin the bug report template as the first post
4. Pin the known issues thread
5. Set moderation: developer-monitored

Pinned template post:

# How to Report a Bug

Please use this template when reporting bugs. Well-structured reports help us fix issues faster.

[Paste the bug report template from Section 1]

**Before posting:**
- Check the Known Issues thread (pinned above)
- Search existing reports — your bug may already be reported
- Include your system info (Steam > Help > System Information)
- One bug per post, please

6. Severity Classification

Severity	Definition	Response time
Critical	Game crashes, data loss, save corruption, cannot progress	Hotfix ASAP
Major	Significant gameplay impact, broken features, frequent occurrence	Next patch
Minor	Cosmetic issues, rare edge cases, minor inconvenience	Planned fix
Cosmetic	Visual glitches, typos, UI polish	Low priority

7. Internal Bug Tracking Integration

For developers using external trackers:

Tracker	Integration approach
GitHub Issues	Link Steam forum posts, use labels for severity/platform
Jira	Create tickets from Steam reports, link back in forum reply
Trello	Board per release, cards from bug reports
Linear	Import from Steam, tag with App ID

Workflow: Steam forum report → Developer acknowledges → Creates internal ticket → Fixes → Updates forum thread → Closes internal ticket.

Key References

Resource	URL
Steam Discussions	https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/community#discussions
Steam Error Reporting	https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/features/error_reporting
ISteamUtils	https://partner.steamgames.com/doc/api/ISteamUtils

Example Interaction

User: "I need to set up bug reporting for my game. Players keep submitting vague reports."

Agent:

1. Provides the structured bug report template
2. Explains how to create a Bug Reports sub-forum with the template pinned
3. Shows how to direct players to steam://sysinfo for system info
4. Creates a known issues thread template
5. Recommends severity classification for internal triage
6. Advises: "Reply to every bug report with acknowledgment. Even 'Thanks, logged.' shows players you're reading."

MCP Usage

Step	MCP Tool	Auth	Purpose
Verify app	steam_getAppDetails({ appid })	None	Confirm game name and platforms for template customization

Bug reporting setup requires the Steamworks Partner site — not available via MCP.

Common Pitfalls

1. Not including steam://sysinfo in the template — this URL dumps the user's full system info (hardware, drivers, running processes) into a copyable format. Far more reliable than asking users to self-report specs.
2. Ignoring minidump files — players often don't know where crash dumps are. Include the default paths (%LOCALAPPDATA%\CrashDumps on Windows, ~/.steam/ on Linux) in your template.
3. Not separating bug reports from feature requests — mixing them in one template leads to triage chaos. Use separate templates or tags.
4. Asking for too many fields — long forms reduce submission rates. Keep required fields to ~5 and make the rest optional.

See Also

• Steam Community Management - forum setup and community engagement
• Steam Playtest Setup - feedback collection during playtests
• Steam Release Checklist - pre-launch QA validation