Steam Workshop Packaging & Publishing

Once your MOD is done, here is how to turn it into a Workshop item players can subscribe to. Follow what the current client actually supports and avoid unimplemented CLIs.

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1. Pre-publish Checklist

• [ ] Valid mod.json at the root with a unique id
• [ ] entrypoint points at a real file (and class name)
• [ ] Provide icon.svg / icon.png (recommended)
• [ ] Data files saved as UTF-8
• [ ] No local absolute paths, API keys, or private data
• [ ] Enabled and verified in the local Extension Workshop
• [ ] Glossary-type: text separator is = or Tab (not ->)

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2. Export a Zip in the Client

1. Launch TransBox → Settings → Extension Workshop

2. Find your local MOD card
3. Click Export
4. You get a file named like:
   transbox_mod_<id with dots replaced by underscores>_v<version>.zip
   (for example myteam.mt.demo → transbox_mod_myteam_mt_demo_v1.0.0.zip)

The export packs the plugin directory contents for Workshop upload.

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3. Upload to Steam Workshop

1. Open the Steam client and go to the TransBox Workshop (AppID 1316080).
2. Use the Steam Workshop publish entry to upload your zip / files (or use the Steamworks backend per official instructions).
3. Fill in title, description, screenshots, and preview image.
4. Set visibility to Public.
5. After players click Subscribe in the Workshop, TransBox Extension Workshop → Refresh loads it.

The Settings page also has a Browse Steam Workshop shortcut.

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4. Outdated Commands You Must Not Use

From older docs:

python -m transbox.plugins.steam_ugc --upload path/to/mod.zip

This CLI and upload API do not exist in the current code (steam_ugc.py has no __main__, no argparse, and no ISteamUGC upload).

What the module actually does:

• Probe the Steam environment and Workshop install path
• discover_workshop_mod_paths() scans subscribed MODs
• export_mod_for_workshop(source_dir, output_zip) creates the zip
• AppID defaults to 1316080 (override with env var TRANSBOX_STEAM_APP_ID)

Upload through Steam’s official Workshop flow. If a future client adds an upload button or CLI, follow the new version’s manual.

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5. Player-side Subscription Instructions (paste into Workshop description)

1. Subscribe to this item in Steam Workshop;
2. Launch TransBox;
3. Open Settings → Extension Workshop;
4. Confirm the MOD appears in the list and turn the switch on;
5. Engine types: select the corresponding engine under Speech Recognition / Machine Translation / Speech Synthesis;
6. Themes / language packs: take effect immediately on enable (may be mutually exclusive with other full themes/language packs).

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6. Safety & Compliance

• Do not include trojans, miners, disk-damaging code, or unauthorized upload of private data;
• Do not tamper with the host application’s global configuration;
• Script-type plugins run with the same permissions as the host; document permissions and network behavior in the description;
• Violating content may be removed from the Workshop.

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7. Version Upgrades

1. Increment version in mod.json
2. Re-export the zip
3. Upload the new version on Steam (update the original item)
4. Remind subscribers to refresh in the client or restart TransBox