CK Git Bridge

CK Git Bridge is a small Windows tool I originally made because I wanted my Creation Kit projects automatically backed up to GitHub without having to remember to manually copy everything after every session.

You configure which files belong to your project, launch the Creation Kit through the bridge, do your work, and close the editor when you’re finished. CK Git Bridge then gathers the files belonging to that project, commits them to a Git branch, and optionally pushes the backup to GitHub.

In other words: it just works™.

What it does

• []Automatically creates a Git snapshot when a Creation Kit session ends[/]

  []Supports manual snapshots whenever you want an extra checkpoint[/]

  []Pushes backups to GitHub or another normal Git remote[/]

  []Creates optional restore tags for individual sessions[/]

  []Generates a readable backup history[/]

  []Keeps unrelated game and mod files out of the repository[/]

  []Supports additional exclusions for public repositories[/]

  []Uses Git LFS for large binary assets[/]

  []Remembers multiple project profiles[/]

  []Can place several related projects inside separate folders in one repository[/]

  []Automatically detects common Steam installations[/]

  []Keeps authentication inside Git Credential Manager rather than storing your password or token[/]

  []Continues creating local commits if a push fails, so it can be retried later[/]

Supported editors

CK Git Bridge includes presets for:

• []Starfield Creation Kit[/]

  []Skyrim Special Edition / Anniversary Edition Creation Kit[/]

  []Skyrim Legendary Edition Creation Kit[/]

  []Fallout 4 Creation Kit[/]

  []Fallout 3 GECK[/]

  []Fallout: New Vegas GECK[/]

  []Custom editor executables (Oblivion and Morrowind Construction Sets, etc)[/]

It is mainly designed around Bethesda’s editors, but the custom preset can be used with other programs that follow a similar file-based workflow.

Grouped projects

Several projects can share one GitHub repository while remaining inside their own folders.

For example:

Starborn Faction Skip

├── Freestar Rangers

├── UC Vanguard

└── CK-PROJECTS.mdEach project receives its own CK Git Bridge profile, file rules, repository subfolder, metadata, history, and restore tags. The profiles share the same local repository, remote URL, and backup branch.

This is intended more for backups and public viewing than large-scale collaborative development. Git can collaborate, obviously, but CK plugins generally have opinions about being edited by several people at once.

Installation

• []Download and extract the archive.[/]

  []Run "CKGitBridge.exe".[/]

  []Create an empty repository on GitHub or another Git provider.[/]

  []Create a new project profile in CK Git Bridge.[/]

  []Select your editor preset and use Auto-detect or Browse.[/]

  []Choose the folder containing your live mod files.[/]

  []Choose a separate local folder for the Git repository.[/]

  []Paste your remote repository URL.[/]

  []Configure the included files under the Files tab.[/]

  []Click Test setup.[/]

  []If everything passes, click Launch editor.[/]

When the editor closes, CK Git Bridge creates the session backup and pushes it if automatic pushing is enabled.

The first push may open a browser so Git Credential Manager can sign you into your Git account.

Requirements

• []Windows 10 or Windows 11, 64-bit[/]

  []Git for Windows[/]

  []Git LFS[/]

  []A local Creation Kit, GECK or Construction Set installation[/]

  []A GitHub account or another Git-compatible remote if you want online backups[/]

The application itself is self-contained, so a separate . NET installation should not be required.

Important: configure your file rules

CK Git Bridge does not blindly upload the entire game Data folder. That would be an impressive way to accidentally publish half of Bethesda’s files, several unrelated mods, and probably something embarrassing from your desktop.

Instead, every project has an explicit list of included paths.

For example:

StarbornFactionSkip_Freestar.esm

StarbornFactionSkip_Freestar.esp

Scripts/SFS_FreestarSkipQuest.pex

Scripts/SFS_AutumnBreezeEffectScript.pex

Scripts/SFS_AutumnBreezeDistributorQuest.pex

Scripts/SFS_AutumnBreezeQuestScript.pex

Scripts/Fragments/Quest/SFS_FreestarSkipQuest_*.pexPaths are relative to the configured source folder. If the source folder is the game's Data directory, a compiled script in "Data\Scripts"