Unity Prefab Workflow

Prefab Workflow

Create, open, edit, and instantiate prefab assets via unity-cli. This skill owns the prefab edit-mode lifecycle; scene-instance edits belong to unity-gameobject-edit.

Use When

• The user wants to create or update a prefab asset.
• The task requires entering prefab edit mode and saving changes back to the asset.
• The user wants to instantiate prefab assets into a scene with specific transforms.

Do Not Use When

• The request edits ordinary scene objects with no prefab asset involved; use unity-gameobject-edit.
• The task is bootstrapping a fresh scene; use unity-scene-create.
• The request is about asset import settings or materials; use unity-asset-management.

Preferred Flow

1. open_prefab to enter edit mode (or create_prefab from a scene object).
2. Apply edits via add_component, modify_component, or set_component_field.
3. save_prefab to persist changes back to the asset.
4. exit_prefab_mode to return to scene authoring.

unity-cli raw create_prefab --json '{"gameObjectPath":"/Player","prefabPath":"Assets/Prefabs/Player.prefab"}'
unity-cli raw open_prefab --json '{"prefabPath":"Assets/Prefabs/Player.prefab"}'
unity-cli raw save_prefab --json '{}'
unity-cli raw exit_prefab_mode --json '{}'
unity-cli raw instantiate_prefab --json '{"prefabPath":"Assets/Prefabs/Player.prefab","position":{"x":0,"y":0,"z":0}}'

Examples

• "Create a prefab from /Player and save it under Assets/Prefabs/Player.prefab."
• "Open an existing prefab, change a field, save it, and exit prefab mode."
• "Instantiate a prefab at the origin for a test scene."

References

• runtime-checklist.md: connection and instance prerequisites.
• prefab-edit-mode.md: safe sequence for edit mode, scene handoff, and instantiation checks.