Add UI option to save Godot Editor output/logs to a file

[chorlick]

Add UI Option to Save Godot Editor Output/Logs to a File

Summary

Add an optional setting in the Godot Editor to automatically write the editor’s output (parse errors, import errors, and other console messages) to a log file.
This would complement the existing Project → Settings → Debug → File Logging feature, which currently only logs runtime output.

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Describe the project you are working on

I am developing tools and workflows that integrate AI-assisted code generation (such as GitHub Copilot, OpenAI Codex, and Anthropic Claude) into the Godot development workflow.

AI systems can automatically create or modify .gd scripts, .tscn scenes, and .tres resource files. However, small syntax or whitespace errors frequently appear — for example, indentation issues or misnamed variables. These are displayed in the editor’s Output dock, but they are not written to disk anywhere.

This makes it difficult for AI systems (or any automated tool) to detect and correct such errors automatically, slowing iteration and onboarding for new developers.

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Describe the problem or limitation you are having in your project

Currently:

• Editor output (the red parse/import errors shown in the Output panel) is not logged to a file.
• The built-in File Logging setting only captures logs during runtime, not during editing or parsing.
• The only workaround is to run the editor from a terminal with output redirection, e.g.:

  godot4 --editor > editor.log 2>&1

  which works but is not discoverable for most users, especially on Windows and macOS.

This limits automation tools, continuous integration systems, and AI-assisted development environments that rely on reading structured logs.

Example:
When an AI tool generates a script with incorrect whitespace, the editor prints:

ERROR: Failed parse script res://player.gd

But no file contains that output. The AI agent cannot see it — only a human can copy it manually from the Output dock.

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Describe the feature / enhancement and how it helps to overcome the problem

Add a new editor-level logging feature accessible from the Editor Settings panel:

Editor → Editor Settings → Interface → Editor Logs
  [x] Enable Editor Log File
  Log Path: user://editor_logs/editor.log
  Max Log Files: 5
  Max Log File Size: 4096 KB

Behavior

• When enabled, all messages printed to the editor console (the same ones shown in the Output dock) are mirrored to the configured file.
• Each session rotates logs automatically using the same logic as runtime logs.
• The feature uses the same timestamped format as runtime logging:

  [2025-10-26 00:03:15] ERROR: Failed parse script res://scripts/player.gd
  

• The setting is stored in EditorSettings, not ProjectSettings, since it’s per-user.

Benefits

• Makes the editor’s behavior consistent with runtime logging.
• Enables automated tools and AI agents to monitor parse/import errors in real time.
• Improves debugging for plugin developers and educators.
• Increases accessibility for new users who might not know how to launch from terminal.

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Describe how your proposal will work, with code, pseudo-code, mockups, or diagrams

Implementation Outline

1. Extend EditorLog (or equivalent editor logging class) to write to a secondary file output when the new setting is enabled.
2. Add new entries to EditorSettings:
   • interface/editor_logs/enable (bool)
   • interface/editor_logs/log_path (string)
   • interface/editor_logs/max_log_files (int)
   • interface/editor_logs/max_log_size (int)
3. Append to the log file in EditorLog::add_message().
4. Implement simple file rotation based on size and count.
5. Add a small “📂 Open Log Folder” button to the Output dock for quick access.

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If this enhancement will not be used often, can it be worked around with a few lines of script?

It can be worked around by launching the editor from a terminal and redirecting stdout/stderr:

godot4 --editor > editor.log 2>&1

However:

• Not accessible when launching via GUI shortcuts.
• Not discoverable for most users.
• No control over rotation, log size, or storage location.
• No built-in formatting consistency.

Therefore, a proper UI-integrated setting is more robust and user-friendly.

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Is there a reason why this should be core and not an add-on in the asset library?

Yes.
Editor output originates from deep within the editor process itself — including GDScript parser errors, resource import messages, and initialization logs.
Add-ons are loaded after editor startup and do not have access to these systems early enough to capture all relevant messages.
To ensure consistent behavior and reliability, this must be implemented in core.

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Use cases and benefits for the wider community

• New developers: can retain logs even after closing the Output dock or restarting Godot.
• Educators: can collect error logs for debugging student projects.
• Tool developers: can analyze logs for custom integrations or build systems.
• AI-assisted workflows: allow external agents (e.g., Codex, Claude, Copilot) to automatically detect, explain, and fix parse or import errors, improving learning speed and iteration.
• CI/CD pipelines: can run Godot in batch mode and still capture structured logs for QA or automated code review.

This small change would make Godot more professional, accessible, and automation-friendly, without increasing complexity.

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Proposed Settings Summary

Setting	Type	Default	Description
interface/editor_logs/enable	bool	false	Enables editor output logging
interface/editor_logs/log_path	string	user://editor_logs/editor.log	File path for editor logs
interface/editor_logs/max_log_files	int	3	Number of rotated log files to keep
interface/editor_logs/max_log_size	int	4096	Max file size in KB before rotation

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Example Output

[2025-10-26 00:03:15] INFO: Editor started - Godot v4.5.1.stable
[2025-10-26 00:03:15] INFO: Loading project: res://
[2025-10-26 00:03:16] ERROR: Failed parse script res://scripts/player.gd: Invalid indentation
[2025-10-26 00:03:17] WARNING: Missing texture: res://assets/missing_icon.png

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Implementation Difficulty

Low to moderate.
The editor already maintains a message bus for console output and has an existing runtime file logging system.
The feature would mainly reuse this existing infrastructure, requiring minimal additional logic.

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Interested Contributors

I have a deep C/C++ background and I am available to collaborate on or assist in implementing this feature once consensus is reached.

Summary

This proposal introduces a simple but powerful enhancement:

A built-in Editor Log-to-File option that captures the Godot editor’s output to disk for later review or external automation.

It aligns with Godot’s goals of accessibility, education, and empowering developer tooling — while also enabling new AI-assisted workflows that can dramatically speed up debugging and iteration for all users.

[sockeye-d]

Please do not copy-paste AI generated output into the form. It is disrespectful to project maintainers and other people who need to read and implement features.

Also, I believe a custom Logger tool script could accomplish this, but I haven't tried it yet

[chorlick]

I think its respectful to have a concise, well edited, spellchecked, grammatically correct and properly templated submission. I didn't just chuck an idea into gpt and had it spit out what it thinks I wanted...

Also if you read the whole thing I stated that I am a developer and willing to do the coding work for this feature.

[sockeye-d]

You don't gain anything by submitting LLM-generated content. If the ideas are yours why would you dilute your ideas by passing them through an LLM? All it does is make them less credible and more likely to be dismissed.

Also, your response doesn't sound AI generated, yet it is concise, well edited, spellchecked, and grammatically correct, so it is in fact possible to do such a thing. In fact, an LLM will more likely than not reduce the concision of your text.

[chorlick]

I think its disrespectful to get into a flame war about using a computer to edit a post on the godot discussion board. Im done discussing this topic.

I'm only here to ask if the godot devs would be open to accepting a PR for this feature.

[theraot]

You can connect to the language server, it will tell you about the errors.

[chorlick]

Oh? I did not know that. Ill have to check the documentation. I wasn't aware. Thanks.

[chorlick]

@theraot pointed out that there already is a solution by connecting to the language server. Thanks again.