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Valve Data Format (VDF) files are the build manifests that SteamCMD reads when uploading your game to Steam. Onyx generates these files automatically when you run the setup wizard, but understanding their structure helps you customize builds, add depots, and troubleshoot upload failures.

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File naming and location

VDF files live inside your ContentBuilder scripts/ directory. Onyx expects exactly this naming convention:
FilePatternExample
App manifestapp_<APPID>.vdfapp_1234560.vdf
Depot manifestdepot_<DEPOTID>.vdfdepot_1234561.vdf
App files that do not match the app_<integer>.vdf pattern are silently ignored. If no apps appear on the Onyx main screen, verify the filenames in your scripts/ folder.
Your ContentBuilder directory should look like this:
ContentBuilder
builder
content
output
scripts
app_1234560.vdf
depot_1234561.vdf
depot_1234562.vdf

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App VDF structure

The app VDF tells SteamCMD which depots to include, where to write build output, and metadata about the build. Onyx generates this file from a template during setup.
app_1234560.vdf
"appbuild"
{
    "appid"       "1234560"
    "desc"        "Generated with SteamBuildUploader by Silver Demon Studios"
    "buildoutput" "D:\SteamSDK\tools\ContentBuilder\output"
    "contentroot" ""
    "setlive"     ""
    "preview"     "0"
    "local"       ""
    "depots"
    {
        "1234561" "depot_1234561.vdf"
    }
}

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Field reference

FieldDescriptionManaged by
appidYour Steam App ID. Must match the filename.Onyx (setup wizard)
descHuman-readable label for this build. Shown in the Steamworks partner dashboard.Onyx (editable in UI, written before each upload)
buildoutputAbsolute path where SteamCMD writes build logs and manifests.Template (edit manually to match your SDK path)
contentrootRoot path prepended to all depot content roots. Leave empty if depot VDFs use absolute paths.Template
setliveBranch name to set live after upload (e.g. beta). Leave empty to upload without going live.Manual
previewSet to "1" to do a dry-run upload that does not publish to Steam.Manual
localPath to a local content server. Leave empty for standard Steam distribution.Manual
depotsMaps Depot IDs to their corresponding depot VDF filenames.Onyx (setup wizard)
The desc field is the only app VDF value Onyx modifies after initial setup. Whatever you type in the build description field in the UI is written to desc immediately before SteamCMD runs.
To add a depot after initial setup, add a new entry to the depots block and create the corresponding depot_<DEPOTID>.vdf file. Onyx will detect the new depot on the next launch.

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Depot VDF structure

Each depot VDF describes what files to include for one depot, and where those files live on disk.
depot_1234561.vdf
"DepotBuildConfig"
{
    "DepotID"     "1234561"
    "contentroot" "C:\MyGame\build\win64"
    "FileMapping"
    {
        "LocalPath" "*"
        "DepotPath" "."
        "recursive" "1"
    }
    "FileExclusion" "*.pdb"
}

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Field reference

FieldDescriptionManaged by
DepotIDThe Steam Depot ID this file configures.Onyx (setup wizard)
contentrootAbsolute path to the directory containing files to upload. Onyx reads this to display the content root in the UI.Onyx (setup wizard) / manual edits
FileMapping.LocalPathGlob pattern of files to include relative to contentroot. * means all files.Template
FileMapping.DepotPathDestination path inside the depot. . means the depot root.Template
FileMapping.recursive"1" includes subdirectories recursively. "0" uploads only the top level.Template
FileExclusionGlob pattern of files to skip. The default excludes .pdb debug symbol files.Manual

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Changing FileExclusion

The default exclusion rule (*.pdb) drops Windows debug symbols, which are large and unnecessary for players. You may want to adjust this if:
  • You ship a Linux build where .pdb files don’t exist (the rule is harmless but you can remove it for clarity).
  • You want to exclude additional file types, such as editor metadata or source assets.
  • You intentionally ship debug symbols for a developer branch.
Multiple exclusion rules require multiple FileExclusion lines: 
"FileExclusion" "*.pdb"
"FileExclusion" "*.map"
"FileExclusion" "editor_data/*"

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Fields Onyx reads vs. fields you manage manually

Managed by Onyx

  • appid — read to identify the build
  • desc — written before every upload
  • depots block — parsed to list and count depots
  • DepotID — read per depot
  • contentroot (depot) — displayed in the depot list

Edit manually in the VDF

  • buildoutput — must point to your actual SDK output folder
  • setlive — set the branch name when you want auto-promotion
  • preview — set to "1" for dry-run testing
  • contentroot (app) — set if depots use relative paths
  • FileMapping rules — customize inclusions per depot
  • FileExclusion rules — add or remove file filters

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