Steam Publish

Steam Publish (Steamworks + SteamPipe)

Take a finished build to a live Steam store page. Two tracks run in parallel and both must be

approved before release: the store page (presence) and the build (SteamPipe upload +

the release checklists). This skill is the operational checklist; deep build-script,

CI/CD, and troubleshooting detail lives in references/steampipe-build-scripts.md.

When to use

• Use when setting up a Steam app, building/editing the store page, configuring depots and

packages, uploading a build via SteamPipe/steamcmd, managing beta branches, or releasing

and updating a Steam title.

• Triggers: steam_appid.txt, the Steamworks SDK tools/ContentBuilder, app_build_*.vdf,

steamcmd, "publish on Steam", "depot", "set build live".

When *not* to use: publishing on itch.io (use itch-publish); writing the

Steamworks API in-game (achievements/cloud/overlay live in engine SDK integrations, not

here); store/financial *advice* (pricing strategy, tax) — direct the user to Steamworks docs

and their own counsel.

Prerequisites (do these once, in order)

• Partner account + Steam Direct fee. Each new app requires the Steam Direct recoupable

fee (USD $100 per app at time of writing). You receive an App ID — find it on your

Steamworks homepage. Treat the App ID as the key to everything below.

• A dedicated build account with least privilege. Builds require a Steam account in your

partner group with Edit App Metadata and Publish App Changes To Steam. Create a

*separate* build account with only those permissions (not your admin login). Releasing the

app additionally needs Manage pricing and discounts.

• Download the Steamworks SDK on the upload machine. The SteamPipe tools are under

tools/ContentBuilder/.

> Security note: never commit account passwords or the config.vdf login token to the repo.

> See the CI/CD section in the reference for the supported token workflow.

Core workflow

• Configure the app (App Admin).
• Set launch options (executable path + args per OS) under *Installation*. For a

sub-folder exe, put the sub-folder in the Executable field — no leading slashes/dots.

• Add depots on the *Depots* page (a depot is a bucket of files). Name each depot

("Base Content", "Windows Content"). Leave *[All languages]* / *[All OSes]* unless the

depot is genuinely OS- or language-specific.

• Grant yourself the depots: add them to your Developer Comp package on the

*Associated Packages & DLC* page, or you won't own the content you upload.

• Publish the configuration. Unpublished config is the most common cause of upload

failures.

• Build the store page (presence track). Fill graphical assets, description, tags,

trailers, system requirements. When complete, click Mark as ready for review. Store

review takes ~3-5 business days; submit at least 7 days before you want it live. It

must be in Coming Soon for at least 2 weeks before release.

• Create your build scripts. Start with the simple app-build .vdf in Patterns below;

for multi-depot/multi-platform apps use depot scripts (see the reference). The script maps

local files into depots and names where build output/logs go.

• Bootstrap steamcmd and upload. Run steamcmd once to self-update, then run the build

(Patterns). steamcmd chunks files (~1 MB), uploads only changed chunks, and registers a

global BuildID.

• Set the build live on a branch. Go to https://partner.steamgames.com/apps/builds/<AppID>,

pick the build, Preview Change, then Set Build Live Now for a branch. Test on a

beta branch first (see references/steampipe-build-scripts.md for branch setup).

• Run the Game Build checklist and Mark as ready for review (store presence must be

submitted *before* the build review). Both tracks must be approved.

• Release manually. When approved and Coming Soon has run its time, use the green

Release App button → Publish Now → Release Now. Approved titles do not

release themselves.

• Update later by uploading a new build and setting it live on default (manually) or

shipping to a beta branch first. See references/steampipe-build-scripts.md.

Patterns

1. SteamPipe ContentBuilder layout (Steamworks SDK)

tools/ContentBuilder/
  builder/         steamcmd.exe (Windows)   <- run once to bootstrap
  builder_linux/   steamcmd (Linux)
  builder_osx/     steamcmd (macOS)
  content/         <- your final, runnable build goes here (the files players get)
  output/          build logs + chunk cache (safe to delete; speeds up re-uploads)
  scripts/         <- your *.vdf build scripts live here

2. Minimal app build script — scripts/app_build_1000.vdf

// AppID 1000 with one depot (1001): upload everything under ../content recursively.
// VDF is Valve KeyValues: "key" "value", braces for nesting. Adjust IDs to your app.
"AppBuild"
{
    "AppID"       "1000"                 // your App ID
    "Desc"        "1.0.0 launch build"   // internal only; visible in Your Builds

    "ContentRoot" "..\content\"          // root of files to upload (relative to this file)
    "BuildOutput" "..\output\"           // logs + chunk cache

    "Depots"
    {
        "1001"                           // your Depot ID
        {
            "FileMapping"
            {
                "LocalPath"  "*"         // all files from ContentRoot
                "DepotPath"  "."         // mapped to the depot root
                "recursive"  "1"         // include subfolders
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Upload the build (Windows; substitute the platform builder elsewhere)

REM Run from the SDK. Bootstrap once, then build. Use a build account, not your admin login.
tools\ContentBuilder\builder\steamcmd.exe ^
  +login <build_account> <password> ^
  +run_app_build ..\scripts\app_build_1000.vdf ^
  +quit

What happens: steamcmd self-updates -> logs in -> for each depot, hashes files into ~1 MB
chunks -> uploads only NEW chunks -> writes a depot manifest -> finishes with a global
BuildID. The build is NOT live yet; set it live per the workflow above.

4. Iterate safely with a preview build (uploads nothing)

// Add to the AppBuild block to validate file mappings without uploading:
"Preview" "1"     // outputs logs + a file manifest into BuildOutput only
// And to auto-set live on a BETA branch after a successful build (never 'default'):
"SetLive" "beta-qa"

Pitfalls

• The default branch cannot be set live automatically. SetLive only works for a

*beta* branch; you must set the default (customer) build live by hand in App Admin. Plan

releases around this.

• Store page must be approved before the build. You cannot submit the build for review

until store presence is submitted; both must pass, and Coming Soon must run ~2 weeks.

• Titles never auto-release. Even after approval, a human must click Release App at

the chosen moment.

• Mac/Linux install nothing. Almost always: the OS-specific depots aren't in the package.

Add every depot to the package on *Associated Packages & DLC*.

• Unpublished app config. "Failed to get application info" / build errors usually mean

depots, launch options, or the App ID config were never Published.

• status = 6 on build. The build account lacks permission for the App ID, or

ContentRoot/LocalPath points at the wrong (empty) path.

• Committing the login token. The config.vdf Steam Guard token and account password are

secrets. Keep them out of the repo; use the CI workflow in the reference.

• Released-app safety delay. Changing the build account's email/phone forces a 3-day

wait before you can set a build live for a *released* app — don't reconfigure the account

right before launch.

References

• For advanced multi-depot/multi-platform build scripts, FileExclusion/FileProperties,

beta-branch setup, the CI/CD login-token workflow, and the SteamPipe troubleshooting table,

read references/steampipe-build-scripts.md.

• Primary docs: Steamworks "Uploading to Steam" (partner.steamgames.com/doc/sdk/uploading),

"Release Process" (/doc/store/releasing), "Branches (Betas)" (/doc/store/application/branches),

"Depots" (/doc/store/application/depots).

Related skills

• itch-publish — the same game shipped on itch.io with butler (often done alongside Steam).
• game-jam / prototype-fast — earlier stages of the same project's lifecycle.