# Deploy Scene > Deploy a Decentraland scene to Genesis City (LAND-based). Use when the user wants to deploy or publish to parcels they own, or reduce the deployed scene size. Do NOT use for Worlds deployment (see deploy-worlds). - Skill: `decentraland/deploy-scene` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add decentraland/deploy-scene` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/decentraland/deploy-scene/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: DevOps & Infra - Author: decentraland (https://skillmd.com/u/decentraland) - Updated: 2026-09-17 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/decentraland/deploy-scene --- # Deploying to Genesis City Deploy to specific parcels you own or have permission to deploy to. **Use the `/deploy` command** to deploy. It runs `npx @dcl/sdk-commands deploy` and handles the full process: 1. Build the scene 2. Upload assets to IPFS 3. Deploy to the specified parcels 4. Requires a wallet with LAND or deployment permissions > **Deploying to a World instead?** See the `deploy-worlds` skill for Worlds deployment (personal spaces using DCL NAMEs or ENS domains). ## Pre-Deployment Checklist Before deploying, verify: 1. **scene.json is valid**: - `ecs7: true` and `runtimeVersion: "7"` - Correct `parcels` matching your LAND (for Genesis City) - Valid `base` parcel - `main: "bin/index.js"` 2. **Discovery metadata is complete** — these four fields decide whether anyone finds and enters the scene, and they are frequently left at template defaults. Check each one and fill in what you can infer from the scene itself; ask the user only for what you can't: - `display.title` — the scene name, shown under the minimap in-world and in the map modal - `display.description` — one or two sentences on what the scene is - `tags` — root-level array, 1-3 Places-dApp categories from the predefined list: `"art"`, `"game"`, `"casino"`, `"social"`, `"music"`, `"fashion"`, `"crypto"`, `"education"`, `"shop"`, `"business"`, `"sports"`, `"parkour"`. Infer them from the scene's theme (see the **create-scene** skill, "Tags (scene categories)") - `display.navmapThumbnail` — see **Thumbnail image** below 3. **Code compiles**: ```bash npx tsc --noEmit ``` 4. **Scene previews correctly**: Use the `preview` tool to verify the scene works (or `npx @dcl/sdk-commands start` manually, optionally with `--web` to preview in the Bevy Web browser client). Test with multiple browser tabs to verify multiplayer behavior. 5. **Dependencies installed**: ```bash npm install ``` 6. **Assets are within limits** — see the **optimize-scene** skill for full limit formulas per parcel count (triangles, entities, materials, textures, height). Keep scene load time under 15 seconds by optimizing assets. 7. **`.dclignore` covers all working files** — Blender/FBX sources, concept art, spreadsheets, markdown docs, etc. must not be uploaded. See the `.dclignore` section below. ## Deployment Process ### Using CLI ```bash # Build first npx @dcl/sdk-commands build # Deploy (will open browser for wallet connection) npx @dcl/sdk-commands deploy ``` ### Using Creator Hub 1. Open Creator Hub 2. Select your scene 3. Click "Publish" 4. Connect wallet 5. Confirm transaction ## scene.json for Deployment ```json { "ecs7": true, "runtimeVersion": "7", "display": { "title": "My Awesome Scene", "description": "A description for the marketplace", "navmapThumbnail": "images/thumbnail.png" }, "tags": ["art", "social"], "scene": { "parcels": ["0,0", "0,1"], "base": "0,0" }, "main": "bin/index.js" } ``` `tags` is root-level, not under `display`. See the checklist item above for the valid category values. ### Thumbnail image `display.navmapThumbnail` is the image players see in the map modal when they select the scene's parcels, and in the confirmation screen when another scene teleports them there. Always provide one. Spec: - `.png`, recommended **228x160 px**, minimum **196x143 px** - Non-matching proportions are stretched, so crop to 228:160 rather than letting the client distort the image - Value is a path inside the project (e.g. `images/thumbnail.png`) or a URL to an externally hosted image — an external host must serve permissive CORS headers To produce one: if the **unity-explorer MCP** is available (see the **unity-explorer-mcp** skill), run the scene in preview, frame a shot that shows what the scene is about, and capture a UI-less PNG with the bundled script — `{baseDir}/../unity-explorer-mcp/scripts/screenshot.sh --world-only --png -o images/thumbnail.png`. Then crop and resize to 228x160: ```bash # macOS, no extra tooling: center-crop 1280x720 to 228:160, then resample sips -c 720 1026 images/thumbnail.png --out images/thumbnail.png sips -z 160 228 images/thumbnail.png # or with ImageMagick, in one step magick images/thumbnail.png -resize 228x160^ -gravity center -extent 228x160 images/thumbnail.png ``` Point `display.navmapThumbnail` at the resulting path. If the MCP isn't available, ask the user for an image instead of shipping the scene without one. Make sure `.dclignore` doesn't exclude the thumbnail — it must be uploaded with the scene. ### Spawn Points Configure where players appear when entering the scene: ```json { "spawnPoints": [ { "name": "spawn1", "default": true, "position": { "x": [1, 5], "y": [0, 0], "z": [2, 4] }, "cameraTarget": { "x": 8, "y": 1, "z": 8 } } ] } ``` Position ranges (e.g., `[1, 5]`) spawn players randomly within the range. Use `cameraTarget` to orient the player's camera on spawn. ## .dclignore — Exclude Files from Upload The `.dclignore` file, always at the **project root**, lists files and patterns that are **NOT uploaded** to the content server when deploying. Everything in the project folder that isn't matched by `.dclignore` gets uploaded, and the uploaded total counts against the per-parcel MB limits — so only files the running scene actually needs should be deployed. Format: one glob pattern per line. The default from scene templates: ``` .* package-lock.json yarn-lock.json build.json export tsconfig.json tslint.json node_modules *.ts *.tsx .vscode Dockerfile dist README.md *.blend *.fbx *.zip *.rar *.md src ``` **Keep it up to date as the project grows.** Whenever working files exist in the project — Blender or other 3D source files, draft models, concept art, PSDs, spreadsheets, markdown notes, reference photos — add them (or their extensions) to `.dclignore` so the deployed scene stays as light as possible. When creating or editing a scene, add these patterns proactively; don't wait for the deploy to fail. Common additions: ``` *.blend *.blend1 *.fbx *.psd *.kra *.xcf *.md *.csv *.xlsx drafts concept-art reference ``` If a deploy fails with **"Scene is too large"**, checking `.dclignore` is the first step: working files are often the bulk of the excess, and excluding them reduces upload size with zero impact on the scene. **Never ignore files the scene needs at runtime:** `bin/index.js`, `scene.json`, `assets/` (composites, .glb models, textures, sounds, video), thumbnails referenced in `scene.json`, or any file path referenced in code. Note the default ignores `*.ts`/`src` — only the compiled `bin/index.js` runs, so source code is never needed in the upload. ## Post-Publish: Asset Bundle Conversion After every publish, the content servers compress all `.gltf`/`.glb` models to asset bundles — a significantly lighter format. The conversion starts immediately but is queued per platform (Windows, Mac). While it runs, players are deliberately served the **last fully-working version** of the scene. - **Typical time:** ~15 minutes, but plan for **30-60 minutes** until the new version is reliably playable by everyone. - **Before a live event:** publish your final version **at least 2 hours** in advance. Avoid republishing while waiting — each publish restarts the queue. - **Check conversion status** in a browser: - `https://asset-bundle-registry.decentraland.org/entities/status/` — replace `` with a scene coordinate (e.g. `20,-34`) or the deployment entity ID. Shows per-platform status under `assetBundles` and LOD status under `lods`. For a World, append `?world_name=myname.dcl.eth`. - `https://asset-bundle-registry.decentraland.org/queues/status` — lists all scenes currently queued for conversion, per platform. - **`/detectabs` chat command:** in-world, tints models green (converted) or red (not yet converted). - **Reloading the scene is not enough** to pick up a new version — reload restarts the scene's code but doesn't fetch newly published content. After conversion completes, fully quit and relaunch Decentraland, then re-enter via jump link or `/goto`. You can also catch conversion issues **before** publishing by enabling local asset bundles in preview — see the **optimize-scene** skill ("Local Asset Bundle Preview"). ## Troubleshooting | Error | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | "You don't have permission to deploy" | Wallet doesn't own the target LAND/parcels | Verify LAND ownership on the marketplace, or get deployment permissions from the LAND owner | | "Scene is too large" | Assets exceed parcel size limits | First add all working files (Blender/FBX sources, concept art, docs) to `.dclignore` — see the `.dclignore` section above. Then check triangle count, file sizes, and texture counts against the limits. See **optimize-scene** skill | | Wallet connection fails | Browser popup blocked or MetaMask locked | Allow popups, unlock MetaMask, refresh and try again | | "Invalid scene.json" | Missing required fields or malformed JSON | Verify `ecs7: true`, `runtimeVersion: "7"`, valid `parcels` array, and `main: "bin/index.js"` | | Deploy succeeds but scene is empty | `main` field doesn't point to compiled output | Ensure `main` is `"bin/index.js"` and run `npx @dcl/sdk-commands build` first | | Catalyst rejection | Content violates Decentraland content policies | Review content guidelines at docs.decentraland.org | | Scene looks broken right after deploy | Asset bundle conversion not done yet | Type `/detectabs` in chat — red-tinted models are not yet converted. Check conversion status (see above) and wait | | Some players see old version, others see new | Per-platform conversion finishes at different times + client caching | Check both `windows` and `mac` under `assetBundles` in the conversion status endpoint. Once both are `complete`, affected players must fully restart Decentraland | | Publication stuck on Converting stage | Scene queued behind other conversions, or conversion failed | Check the queue status URL for your entity ID. If not queued, check conversion status — if a platform shows `failed`, republish. If it fails again, report the bug with the entity ID | | 3D models missing, black, or untextured after deploy | Conversion still in progress, or textures exceed 512x512 cap | `/detectabs` to check; textures in 3D models are capped to 512x512 during conversion | | Scene looks fine up close but broken from a distance | LOD generation (final publish stage) not done yet | Check the `lods` values in the conversion status endpoint; LODs don't block close-range testing | ### Genesis City vs Worlds | | Genesis City | Worlds | |-|-------------|--------| | **Requirement** | Own LAND parcels | Own DCL NAME or ENS domain | | **Parcel limits** | Enforced (entity/triangle budgets per parcel) | Not constrained by LAND | | **Visibility** | Shown on the Genesis City map | Listed on Places page (opt-out available) | | **Deploy target** | Default Catalyst network | `--target-content https://worlds-content-server.decentraland.org` | | **Best for** | Permanent installations, high-traffic scenes | Testing, personal spaces, events | > **Deploying to a World instead?** See the **deploy-worlds** skill. ## Scene Tipping Let visitors send MANA tips to the scene creator. Add a `creator` field to `scene.json`: ```json { "creator": "0x1234567890123456789012345678901234567890" } ``` When set, a **piggy bank icon** appears in the top-left for visitors. Clicking it opens a MANA tip modal. If the address is linked to a Decentraland NAME, the name is shown in the modal. Creators receive an in-app notification for each tip. Can also be configured via Creator Hub → scene Settings → Details → **Creator wallet address**.