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A useful Unity preflight scanner should flag risks it can verify in project files, then hand checks that depend on Unity’s loaded settings or build context to the Editor. ShipCheck is a proposed design, not an established or tested product: Unity’s documentation supports the configuration model and build hooks it could use, but does not establish that a scanner can predict every build failure.
Why the selected Build Profile matters
In Unity 6, a Build Profile is a set of settings for building an application for a platform. Profiles are saved as project assets and can represent independent build configurations. Their scene lists can also differ, so a scanner must check the profile intended for the build rather than assume one universal list of scenes. Unity’s introduction to Build Profiles describes the configuration model.
The current Unity 6 window for creating build configurations and managing included scenes is called Build Profiles. Unity previously called it Build Settings; that older term remains familiar, but a Unity 6 guide should use the current label. Unity’s Editor build documentation covers the current workflow.
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What a static scan can check
A static stage would inspect version-controlled project files and configuration without claiming to launch Unity or build a Player. Its findings should be tied to the selected target and profile when that information can be read reliably. Each finding should identify the relevant file or setting, explain why it merits review, and offer a practical remediation path.
Examples of proposed rules include checking whether the intended profile’s scene list appears to include the scenes required for a release, or flagging an obviously inconsistent project configuration for review. These are design examples, not capabilities demonstrated by an existing ShipCheck implementation. File inspection alone should not be presented as proof of what Unity will build or as a guarantee that a Player build will succeed.
- Useful static result: a reproducible finding tied to a file, configuration value, target, and profile.
- Useful limitation: a clear indication when a conclusion depends on Unity interpreting project state rather than on a deterministic file check.
- Unhelpful result: an unqualified warning about “the scene list” that fails to say which profile was examined.
What requires Unity Editor or build context
Some checks depend on Unity’s interpretation of project settings or on the actual Player build workflow. Unity documents BuildPipeline.BuildPlayer for programmatic Player builds and provides IPreprocessBuildWithReport as a callback interface that runs before a Player build. Those are integration points for an Editor-backed validation stage, not evidence that ShipCheck already implements or accurately performs particular checks. See the BuildPipeline.BuildPlayer API and OnPreprocessBuild API.
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The callback has a specific boundary: Unity documents that IPreprocessBuildWithReport.OnPreprocessBuild is not called for AssetBundle builds. A ShipCheck integration using it should describe itself as Player-build preflight, not a hook that runs for every kind of Unity build operation.
Unity also documents IProcessSceneWithReport for scene processing. A design could use this stage for validations that need scenes as Unity processes them, while keeping file-only checks separate. Whether any proposed rule is reliable still requires implementation and testing; the API’s existence does not validate a rule’s accuracy.
How to combine the two stages
- Choose the intended target and Build Profile. Make those explicit inputs to the scan instead of inferring a single project-wide configuration.
- Run deterministic file and configuration checks. Report paths, relevant values, and remediation suggestions. Label assumptions where project files do not establish Unity’s effective build state.
- Run Editor-backed checks when needed. Use an Editor script, a Player pre-build callback, or scene-processing integration for checks that rely on Unity’s loaded project or build context.
- Keep findings attributable. Include the target, profile, and validation stage in each report so static findings are not confused with build-context findings.
- Use the actual Player build as the final validation step. Preflight can organize checks and surface risks; it should not be described as a substitute for a build or as a guarantee of success.
Static-only versus Editor-integrated preflight
| Question | Static-only stage | Editor-integrated stage |
|---|---|---|
| Can it run without launching Unity? | Yes, if its rules rely only on files and configuration it can inspect. | No for checks that require the Editor or build workflow. |
| Can it evaluate a profile-specific scene list? | Only if it can reliably identify and interpret the intended profile and its scene data. | Can validate in Unity’s interpreted context; profile selection still needs to be explicit. |
| Can it run during the Player pre-build callback? | No; that requires the Unity build workflow. | Yes, through IPreprocessBuildWithReport. |
| Can it be invoked in batch-mode automation? | Potentially, as an independent file-scanning step. | Yes; Unity documents command-line batch mode for invoking custom Editor build scripts. |
| What does it establish? | Findings about the inspected files and configuration, subject to the scanner’s rules. | Findings available in Unity’s loaded project or Player-build context, subject to implementation and testing. |
Automating the Editor-backed stage
For continuous integration or another automated build workflow, Unity’s custom build-script guidance describes command-line Editor automation using batch mode, a project path, an active profile, and an execute method. A ShipCheck-style validation stage could be invoked from such a script, then report findings or stop the build according to the project’s own policy. The exact command and method depend on that project’s script; Unity’s documentation does not prescribe a ShipCheck command. See Unity’s custom build script guidance.
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What ShipCheck should not promise
Unity’s documented profiles, build APIs, callbacks, and automation options make a layered preflight design plausible. They do not establish ShipCheck’s coverage, speed, adoption, or ability to prevent failures. Until a real implementation has been tested against defined projects and build scenarios, describe specific checks as proposed rules and treat their results as warnings or validations within their stated scope—not as proof that a build will succeed.
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