Godot Engine Mandates Human-Authored Code to Stop AI 'Slop'

The open-source indie game engine Godot has officially updated its contribution policy to mandate that "all code be human-authored." The move comes after months of frustration within the developer community, where maintainers were overwhelmed by a massive influx of AI-generated pull requests.

Back in February, the engine's GitHub repository became a focal point for this tension. With over 5,000 unresolved pull requests currently sitting in the queue, project manager Rémi Verschelde publicly addressed the issue on Bluesky, describing the AI-generated "slop" as both draining and demoralizing for those volunteering their time to maintain the engine. The resulting bottleneck significantly slowed down the approval process for legitimate contributions.

New Rules for AI and Communication

Under the new policy, the Godot team is drawing a firm line. While the engine previously discouraged AI usage, the updated rules explicitly forbid "vibe coding" and require that all code submitted to the repository comes directly from human contributors.

There is a small caveat for those who rely on AI assistants: the team still permits the use of AI for menial tasks, such as autocompleting lines of code or performing find-and-replace operations. However, any use of these tools must be accompanied by a proper disclosure. Furthermore, the policy mandates that all communication on GitHub—including issue descriptions and pull request notes—must be written by humans. The update notes that maintainers volunteer their time to mentor new developers, and "they do not want to talk to a machine."

"If your feedback on PRs is just being absorbed by a machine and not going towards mentoring a potential future maintainer, it becomes much harder to justify spending your free time on PR review," the policy update reads.

A Welcome Change for Developers

The decision to enforce these rules has received positive feedback from the community, with many users on platforms like Reddit expressing relief that the maintenance bottleneck might finally be addressed. For those who track gaming news, this shift highlights the growing divide between engines that integrate generative AI and those that prioritize human-led development.

Godot has grown in popularity among independent developers, particularly as other industry heavyweights like Unity and Unreal have faced criticism for incorporating generative AI tools or implementing policies that many developers find alienating. By doubling down on its commitment to human effort, the Godot team hopes to preserve the engine's collaborative spirit and ensure that the time spent by its volunteer maintainers remains both rewarding and effective.