Basic Concepts

Before diving into godot-bevy development, it's important to understand the key concepts that make this integration work.

The Hybrid Architecture

godot-bevy creates a bridge between two powerful systems:

Godot Side

Scene tree with nodes
Visual editor for level design
Asset pipeline for resources
Rendering engine
Physics engine

Bevy Side

Entity Component System (ECS)
Systems for game logic
Components for data
Resources for shared state
Schedules for execution order

The Bridge

godot-bevy seamlessly connects these worlds:

Godot nodes ↔ ECS entities
Node properties ↔ Components
Signals → Events
Resources ↔ Assets

Core Components

Entities

In godot-bevy, Godot nodes are automatically registered as ECS entities:

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
// When a node is added to the scene tree,
// it becomes queryable as an entity
fn find_player(
    query: Query<&Name, With<GodotNodeHandle>>,
) {
    for name in query.iter() {
        if name.as_str() == "Player" {
            // Found the player node!
        }
    }
}
}

Components

Components store data on entities. godot-bevy provides several built-in components:

GodotNodeHandle - Reference to the Godot node
Name - Node name
Groups - Godot node groups

For collision detection, use the Collisions system param (see Plugins).

Systems

Systems contain your game logic and run on a schedule:

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
fn movement_system(
    time: Res<Time>,
    mut query: Query<&mut Transform, With<Player>>,
) {
    for mut transform in query.iter_mut() {
        transform.translation.x += 
            100.0 * time.delta_seconds();
    }
}
}

The #[bevy_app] Macro

The entry point for godot-bevy is the #[bevy_app] macro:

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
#[bevy_app]
fn build_app(app: &mut App) {
    // Configure your Bevy app here
    app.add_systems(Update, my_system);
}
}

This macro:

Creates the GDExtension entry point
Sets up the Bevy app
Integrates with Godot's lifecycle
Handles all the bridging magic

Configuring Core Behavior

The #[bevy_app] macro accepts configuration attributes to customize godot-bevy's core behavior:

godot-bevy mirrors Godot's scene tree with a custom ECS relationship: GodotChildOf / GodotChildren. This avoids conflicts with Bevy's built-in ChildOf / Children relationship (used by many plugins for their own hierarchies).

By default, despawning a parent entity will also despawn its Godot children. You can disable that behavior with the scene_tree_auto_despawn_children attribute:

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
#[bevy_app(scene_tree_auto_despawn_children = false)]
fn build_app(app: &mut App) {
    // Children can outlive their parents (useful for pooling or custom lifetimes)
    app.add_plugins(PhysicsPlugins::new(PhysicsUpdate));
}
}

When to use this:

✅ When you want entities to outlive their Godot nodes
✅ When you manage lifetimes manually (pooling, reuse, gameplay-driven despawns)
❌ When you rely on automatic child cleanup on parent despawn

Default behavior (when not specified): scene_tree_auto_despawn_children = true

Data Flow

Understanding how data flows between Godot and Bevy is crucial:

Godot → Bevy

Node added to scene tree
Entity created with components
Signals converted to events
Input forwarded to systems

Bevy → Godot

Transform components sync to nodes
Commands can modify scene tree
Resources can be loaded
Audio can be played

Key Principles

1. Godot for Content, Bevy for Logic

Design levels in Godot's editor
Write game logic in Bevy systems
Let each tool do what it does best

2. Components as the Source of Truth

Store game state in components
Use Godot nodes for presentation
Sync only what's necessary

3. Systems for Everything

Movement? System.
Combat? System.
UI updates? System.
This promotes modularity and reusability

4. Leverage Both Ecosystems

Use Godot's assets and tools
Use Bevy's plugins and crates
Don't reinvent what already exists

5. The Godot Boundary (Main Thread Only)

Any call into Godot (via GodotAccess, Gd<T>, Input::singleton, etc.) must run on the main thread
Systems that include GodotAccess are forced onto the main thread and run sequentially, so keep them small and push heavy work to parallel systems
Treat GodotNodeHandle as an ID; resolve to Gd<T> only via GodotAccess
See Thread Safety and Godot APIs for details and patterns

Common Patterns

Finding Nodes by Name

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
fn setup(
    mut query: Query<(&Name, Entity)>,
) {
    let player = query.iter()
        .find_entity_by_name("Player")
        .expect("Player node must exist");
}
}

Reacting to Signals

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
#[derive(Message, Debug, Clone)]
struct ButtonPressed;

fn handle_button_press(
    mut events: MessageReader<ButtonPressed>,
) {
    for _ in events.read() {
        // Button was pressed!
    }
}
}

Spawning Godot Scenes

#![allow(unused)]
fn main() {
use bevy::app::{App, Plugin, Startup, Update};
use bevy::asset::{AssetServer, Handle};
use bevy::prelude::{Commands, Component, Res, Resource, Single, Transform, With};
use godot_bevy::bridge::GodotNodeHandle;
use godot_bevy::prelude::{GodotResource, GodotScene};

struct EnemyPlugin;

impl Plugin for EnemyPlugin {
    fn build(&self, app: &mut App) {
        app.add_systems(Startup, load_assets);
        app.add_systems(Update, spawn_enemy);
    }
}

#[derive(Resource, Debug)]
struct EnemyScene(Handle<GodotResource>);

#[derive(Component, Debug)]
struct Enemy {
    health: i32,
}

#[derive(Component, Debug)]
struct EnemySpawner;

fn load_assets(mut commands: Commands, server: Res<AssetServer>) {
    let handle: Handle<GodotResource> = server.load("scenes/enemy.tscn");
    commands.insert_resource(EnemyScene(handle));
}

fn spawn_enemy(
    mut commands: Commands,
    enemy_scene: Res<EnemyScene>,
    enemy_spawner: Single<&GodotNodeHandle, With<EnemySpawner>>,
) {
    commands.spawn((
        GodotScene::from_handle(enemy_scene.0.clone())
            .with_parent(enemy_spawner.into_inner().id()),
        Enemy { health: 100 },
        Transform::default(),
    ));
}
}

Next Steps

Now that you understand the basic concepts:

Try the examples
Read about specific systems in detail
Start building your game!

Remember: godot-bevy is about using the right tool for the right job. Embrace both Godot and Bevy's strengths!

The godot-bevy Book 👾