Godot "Project export failed" in CI

By Daniel Zoghalchali·Latchkey

Godot ran the export but reported failure. Common headless causes are an export preset name that does not match export_presets.cfg, a GDScript error that aborts export, or an unwritable output path.

What this error means

A headless export step ends with "Project export failed" or "Unknown export preset", and no packaged binary appears at the output path.

ERROR: Project export failed.
ERROR: Unknown export preset: "Linux/X11"
ERROR: Cannot create file at path "build/game.x86_64".

Common causes

The preset name does not match

The name passed to --export-release must match a preset in export_presets.cfg exactly, including spacing and case.

A script error or missing output directory

A GDScript error during export, or an output directory that does not exist or is not writable, makes the export fail.

How to fix it

Match the preset and create the output dir

1. Read the exact preset name from export_presets.cfg.
2. Create the output directory before exporting.
3. Pass the matching preset name to the export command.

mkdir -p build
godot --headless --export-release "Linux/X11" build/game.x86_64

Resolve script errors before export

Run the project once headless to surface and fix any GDScript errors that abort the export.

How to prevent it

• Keep export_presets.cfg committed and reference exact preset names.
• Create output directories before export steps.
• Validate scripts headless before exporting in CI.

Frequently asked questions

Related guides

References

• GitHub Actions documentation