itch.io Publish (butler)

Get a build onto an itch.io page and keep it updated. The page is created in the browser; all uploads go through butler, itch.io's command-line tool, with one command you'll use forever: butler push. butler diffs against the previous build and uploads only what changed. Deep CI/CD and flag detail lives in references/butler-ci.md.

When to use

• Use when creating/updating an itch.io project page, installing or logging in to butler, uploading a build with butler push, choosing channel names, versioning uploads, or shipping a jam/demo/release build to itch.io.
• Triggers: butler push, butler login, channels, .itch.toml, "publish on itch", "upload to itch".

When not to use: publishing on Steam (use steam-publish); jam scope/planning (use game-jam — this skill is only the upload mechanics); building the game itself (engine skills).

Core workflow

1. Create the project page at itch.io/game/new. Set the Kind of project: keep Downloadable for native builds, or choose HTML for a browser-playable game (this is required for web builds — see Pitfalls). Set pricing/visibility (Draft until ready).
2. Install butler and log in. Download from itchio.itch.io/butler, add it to PATH, then butler login (opens a browser to authorize). Verify with butler version. For CI, use BUTLER_API_KEY instead — see the reference.
3. Prepare a portable build folder — the exact files a player runs, nothing extra. Push a folder (or a single .zip of that folder), not an installer and not a pre-compressed archive of archives (hurts patching; see Pitfalls).
4. Push to a channel: butler push <dir> <user>/<game>:<channel>. The channel name determines the platform tag (see Patterns). The first push uploads everything; later pushes to the same channel upload only the diff.
5. Set platform/HTML tags on the Edit game page if a channel wasn't auto-tagged correctly, then Save. For browser games also flip the page to HTML and tag the channel playable in browser.
6. Version your builds (optional but recommended): --userversion 1.2.0 or --userversion-file build.txt so you control the version string players and the update API see.
7. Update later by pushing to the same channel again. Use butler status <user>/<game> to see channels/builds and butler push-preview to see what a push would change before sending it.

Patterns

1. The one command you need — butler push

# butler push <directory-or-zip> <user>/<game>:<channel>
butler push ./build/windows leafy/my-game:windows
butler push ./build/mac     leafy/my-game:osx
butler push ./build/linux   leafy/my-game:linux
butler push ./web           leafy/my-game:html   # browser build (also set page Kind = HTML)

2. Channel naming controls the platform tag (kebab-case, lowercase)

Substring in channel name -> auto-applied tag:
  win / windows  -> Windows        linux -> Linux
  mac / osx      -> macOS          android -> Android
Multiple platforms in one channel are allowed: e.g. a Java jar:
  butler push ./jar leafy/my-game:win-linux-mac
Convention: lowercase words separated by dashes (windows-beta, osx-demo, soundtrack).
Tags are only the INITIAL guess — fix them anytime on the Edit game page (then Save).

3. Version, verify, and preview

butler version                              # print version; confirms install + PATH
butler login                                # authorize this machine (opens browser)

# Set an explicit version string instead of itch's auto-incrementing integer:
butler push ./build leafy/my-game:windows --userversion 1.2.0
butler push ./build leafy/my-game:windows --userversion-file build_number.txt

butler status leafy/my-game                 # list channels + latest builds/versions
butler push-preview ./build leafy/my-game:windows   # NEW/MODIFIED/DELETED/SAME, uploads nothing

4. First-time, hidden, and filtered pushes

# Hide a brand-new channel from the page until you're ready (NEW channels only):
butler push ./build leafy/my-game:windows-beta --hidden

# Exclude files from the upload without copying the folder (--ignore is repeatable):
butler push ./build leafy/my-game:windows --ignore '*.pdb' --ignore '*.dSYM'

# Preview exactly what would be sent, without sending it:
butler push ./build leafy/my-game:windows --dry-run

Pitfalls

• Pushing an installer. itch.io patches portable builds; an installer (.exe/.msi) defeats patching and the itch app's auto-update, and may need admin rights players don't have. Push the extracted, runnable folder instead.
• Pre-compressed builds. Pushing a heavily compressed archive (or an archive of archives) makes patches huge — a tiny change rewrites the whole compressed blob. Push uncompressed files; itch.io compresses on its side.
• A folder containing only one .zip. butler auto-unzips it and pushes the contents (to avoid a "zip in a zip"). Pass --no-auto-unzip only if you truly want the zip uploaded as one opaque file.
• HTML5 game shows as a download. Two switches are required: set the page Kind to HTML and tag the channel playable in browser on the Edit game page after the first push — neither happens automatically from the channel name.
• --hidden on an existing channel errors. It only applies when the push creates a new channel. Unhide later from Edit game.
• Channel typos make duplicate slots. windows and win-final are different channels and create separate downloads. Decide your channel names up front and reuse them.
• 30 GB cap. itch.io rejects builds whose total uncompressed size exceeds 30 GB.
• Secrets in CI logs. A BUTLER_API_KEY printed in a public log is compromised — revoke it immediately on the API keys page. See the reference for safe CI usage.

References

• For CI/CD (GitHub Actions/GitLab) with BUTLER_API_KEY, automated install via broth, the full flag list, and the update-check API, read references/butler-ci.md.
• Primary docs: the butler manual — itch.io/docs/butler (installing, login, pushing).

Related skills

• steam-publish — the same game on Steam via SteamPipe (often shipped alongside itch.io).
• game-jam — most jams are hosted on itch.io; this skill handles the upload step.
• prototype-fast — share an early prototype on a Draft/restricted itch page for playtesting.