Development setup

Set up an Akron checkout, build the Everest Celeste mod locally, and run the first focused verification commands.

This guide leads a contributor from an initial checkout to a local build and the first targeted test run.

Requirements

• .NET 8 SDK. The repository’s global.json accepts 8.0.100 or a later .NET 8 feature band.
• A Celeste/Everest install for live verification.
• Access to this repository checkout.
• Celeste references available through the normal Everest mod layout or an explicit CelestePrefix.

Build

dotnet build Source/Akron.csproj

Set CelestePrefix if the mod is not inside a normal Everest Mods/Akron/Source layout or if references live elsewhere.

dotnet build Source/Akron.csproj -p:CelestePrefix=/path/to/Celeste

Run tests

Use the focused test for the change when possible:

dotnet test tests/akron-tests.csproj --nologo --filter FeatureRegistryTests
dotnet test tests/akron-tests.csproj --nologo --filter ModuleSettingsTests
dotnet test tests/akron-tests.csproj --nologo --filter ArchiveTests

Run the full test project when the change affects shared behavior:

dotnet test tests/akron-tests.csproj --nologo

Formatting

Format changed C# project files before opening a pull request:

dotnet format Akron.sln --include Source/Core/AkronFeatureRegistry.cs tests/feature-registry-tests.cs

Replace the example file paths with the C# files changed by your pull request. Run the full formatter only when intentionally normalizing repository-wide style:

dotnet format Akron.sln

CI reference archive

GitHub Actions does not commit lib-stripped/ into the repository. CI build and test jobs need the AKRON_CELESTE_REFS_URL secret in the release-build environment to point at a zip or tar.gz archive containing a complete lib-stripped reference directory. The AKRON_CELESTE_REFS_SHA256 variable in that environment must contain the archive’s lowercase SHA-256 digest.

Set the optional AKRON_CELESTE_REFS_TOKEN secret in the same environment only when the archive URL requires bearer-token auth.

CI fails when either the URL secret or SHA-256 variable is missing. Release packaging uses the same verified archive and fails fast when its configuration is incomplete.

Safety

• Do not commit personal Celeste paths, local captures, .env files, or tokens.
• Use fixtures and focused tests before reaching for live host state.
• When live verification is required, record the map, visible policy/status state, setup state, command or interaction, and what the evidence proves.

First contribution loop

1. Read the relevant public docs

   Start with the user-facing page for the behavior you are changing.

2. Find the source layer

   Identify whether the change touches policy, overlay rows, settings, runtime behavior, persisted setup state, .akr archives, archive contracts, or tests.

3. Add or update tests

   Add focused tests for classification, defaults, clamps, archive shape, or non-trivial behavior.

4. Build and verify

   Run formatting checks, targeted tests, build, and live verification when the behavior is visual, timing-sensitive, input-driven, or map-dependent.

5. Update docs

   Update user-facing docs and contributor architecture notes when behavior, policy, or contracts change. Add a CHANGELOG.md entry when the change is notable and user-facing.