Unity Prefab Skills
Overview
BATCH-FIRST: Use
prefab_instantiate_batchwhen spawning 2+ prefab instances.
Common Mistakes
DO NOT (common hallucinations):
prefab_create_from_objectdoes not exist → useprefab_create(takes scene object name/instanceId and savePath)prefab_spawndoes not exist → useprefab_instantiateprefab_edit/prefab_modifydo not exist → useprefab_set_property(edit prefab asset directly) or instantiate, modify, thenprefab_applyprefab_savedoes not exist → useprefab_apply(applies instance changes to source prefab)
Routing:
- To modify components on a prefab instance in scene → use
componentmodule skills, thenprefab_apply - To set a property directly on the prefab asset →
prefab_set_property(this module) - To find all instances of a prefab →
prefab_find_instances(this module)
Skills Overview
| Single Object | Batch Version | Use Batch When |
|---|---|---|
prefab_instantiate |
prefab_instantiate_batch |
Spawning 2+ instances |
No batch needed:
prefab_create- Create prefab from scene objectprefab_apply- Apply instance changes to prefabprefab_unpack- Unpack prefab instanceprefab_get_overrides- Get instance overridesprefab_revert_overrides- Revert to prefab valuesprefab_apply_overrides- Apply overrides to prefabprefab_create_variant- Create a prefab variantprefab_find_instances- Find all instances of a prefab in sceneprefab_set_property- Set a property on a component inside a Prefab asset (supports basic types, vectors, colors, and asset references)
Skills
prefab_create
Create a prefab from a scene GameObject.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name |
string | No* | Source object name |
instanceId |
int | No* | Instance ID |
path |
string | No* | Object path |
savePath |
string | Yes | Prefab save path |
Returns: {success, prefabPath, sourceObject}
prefab_instantiate
Instantiate a prefab into the scene.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
prefabPath |
string | Yes | - | Prefab asset path |
name |
string | No | prefab name | Instance name |
x, y, z |
float | No | 0 | Local position (relative to parent if set) |
parentName |
string | No | null | Parent object name |
parentInstanceId |
int | No | 0 | Parent instance ID |
parentPath |
string | No | null | Parent hierarchy path |
Returns: {success, name, instanceId, path, prefabPath, position}
prefab_instantiate_batch
Instantiate multiple prefabs in one call.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
items |
array | Yes | Array of instantiation configs |
Item properties: prefabPath, name, x, y, z, rotX, rotY, rotZ, scaleX, scaleY, scaleZ, parentName, parentInstanceId, parentPath
Returns: {success, totalItems, successCount, failCount, results: [{success, name, instanceId, prefabPath, position}]}
Recipe path rule: ../../recipes/prefab/<command>.md
prefab_apply
Apply instance changes back to the prefab asset.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name |
string | No* | Prefab instance name |
instanceId |
int | No* | Instance ID |
path |
string | No* | Object path |
Returns: {success, gameObject, prefabPath}
prefab_unpack
Unpack a prefab instance (break prefab connection).
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
name |
string | No* | - | Prefab instance name |
instanceId |
int | No* | - | Instance ID |
path |
string | No* | - | Object path |
completely |
bool | No | false | Unpack all nested prefabs |
Returns: {success, gameObject, mode}
prefab_get_overrides
Get list of property overrides on a prefab instance.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name |
string | No* | Prefab instance name |
instanceId |
int | No* | Instance ID |
Returns: {success, overrides: [{type, path, property}]}
prefab_revert_overrides
Revert all overrides on a prefab instance back to prefab values.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name |
string | No* | Prefab instance name |
instanceId |
int | No* | Instance ID |
prefab_apply_overrides
Apply all overrides from instance to source prefab asset.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
name |
string | No* | Prefab instance name |
instanceId |
int | No* | Instance ID |
prefab_create_variant
Create a prefab variant from an existing prefab.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
sourcePrefabPath |
string | Yes | - | Path to the source prefab asset |
variantPath |
string | Yes | - | Save path for the new variant |
Returns: { success, sourcePath, variantPath, name }
prefab_find_instances
Find all instances of a prefab in the current scene.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
prefabPath |
string | Yes | - | Prefab asset path to search for |
limit |
int | No | 50 | Maximum number of instances to return |
Returns: { success, prefabPath, count, instances: [{ name, path, instanceId }] }
prefab_set_property
Set a property on a component inside a Prefab asset file (without instantiating it). Supports basic types, vectors, colors, enums, and asset references.
| Parameter | Type | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
prefabPath |
string | Yes | - | Path to the prefab asset |
componentType |
string | Yes | - | Component type name |
propertyName |
string | Yes | - | Serialized property name |
value |
string | Cond. | null | Value for basic types (int/float/bool/string/enum/vector/color) |
assetReferencePath |
string | Cond. | null | Asset path for Object reference fields (Material, Texture, AudioClip, ScriptableObject, etc.) |
gameObjectName |
string | No | null | Child object name inside prefab (defaults to root) |
Provide either
value(basic types) orassetReferencePath(asset references).
Returns: { success, prefabPath, gameObject, component, property, valueSet }
Best Practices
- Organize prefabs in dedicated folders
- Use prefabs for repeated objects
- Apply changes to update all instances
- Unpack only when unique modifications needed
- Use batch instantiation for level generation