Move editable projects with .vf

A .vf file is a portable snapshot of one editable Vifu project. Use it to move a project between Vifu deployments, keep an offline copy, or share an editable game with another creator.

Choose .vf when someone needs to continue editing. Choose a runtime release bundle when a game host needs the exact behavior of one published release.

Export a project

Open Canvas or Short Drama, wait for the editor to report Saved, and select Export project from the editor toolbar. Both editors export the same shared project source. Exporting from Canvas does not create a Canvas-only file, and exporting from Short Drama does not create a timeline-only file.

The downloaded file uses the project slug and .vf extension:

last-train-to-the-moon.vf

What the file contains

The project snapshot includes:

the project name and description;
the editable Canvas graph and Short Drama timeline;
presentation settings and localization;
every Agent Profile and the versions used by the current project;
current structured resources and any older versions still referenced by the project;
managed media, including the latest and referenced media versions and their bytes;
non-secret provider requirements; and
SHA-256 hashes for the project document and embedded media.

The file preserves everything needed to reconstruct the current editable game. It does not preserve old versions that are no longer active or referenced. For example, if a background has three versions and the project uses only the latest one, the unused two versions are not included. This keeps a project file portable while preserving every version needed by its current design.

Import a project

Open the project menu in the Dashboard header, select Import .vf project, and choose the file. Vifu verifies the archive and media hashes before creating a new project. It then recreates the Agents, resources, media, and shared game source with new deployment-local identifiers.

Import does not overwrite an existing project. When the original slug already exists, Vifu assigns a related unused slug to the imported project. If an import step fails, Vifu removes the incomplete project.

Reconnect providers

Provider credentials never enter a project file. Import creates the required provider records in Needs configuration state. Open Providers and add the credential for each provider before testing or publishing the imported project.

A .vf file also excludes API keys, Agent Gateway credentials, users, sessions, logs, analytics, published releases, and database connection details. Those records belong to the deployment where they were created.

Choose the right file

Use .vf when the recipient needs to edit the project. Use an immutable .vifu-game.json bundle when a runtime needs the compiled output of a published release. Read Runtime releases for the release bundle contract.