Author FAQ

First-time Workshop authors. Tutorials → index; publishing → publish.

Who needs this?

You are…	Need SDK?
Subscribing to others’ items	No — Steam Workshop
Publishing themes, lyrics, visualizers, DSP, locale, sandbox plug-ins	Yes — index
Local `plugins/` plug-ins only	Plug-in authoring
Import custom theme JSON in Settings	AI theme guide

Does the SDK upload to Steam?

No. Only ECHO Workshop → Authoring Studio publishes after you confirm.

Can I author without ECHO?

Phase	ECHO required?
`init` / edit / `check` / `dev`	No (Node 20+)
Authoring Studio / Steam test	Yes (Steam build)

Local mock is useful but does not replace Steam download + Use.

vs plug-in authoring guide?

Plug-ins = local plugins/ folder, wider API.

Workshop sandbox plug-ins = community.echo + outer manifest, narrower permissions, SDK check required. Do not upload local plug-in folders as Workshop packs.

vs AI theme guide?

AI guide → echo-next.custom-theme for Settings import.

Workshop themes → theme.json (+ CSS/UI), Steam + Use. Migrate colors manually; do not upload custom-theme files as Workshop manifests.

Check passed but users see errors?

Subscribers did not click Use
ECHO below minEchoVersion
Production-only validation / isolated state
User denied permissions — no retry loops

Test with your own Steam account end-to-end.

Project id rules

Lowercase echo.my-name, 3–80 chars, letters/digits/./_/-, globally unique for your item.

version vs SDK package version?

Field	Meaning
SDK package (e.g. 1.11.0)	Toolchain
Workshop `version`	Your item version
`minEchoVersion`	Oldest supported ECHO client

Can AI help?

Yes — include index, the relevant tutorial, and snippet list; run check after each change; never ship platform scrapers or cookies.

networkHosts strictness?

Public domain or public IPv4 only — no protocol, port, wildcards, or private/loopback addresses. By design.