Git and Arma Reforger

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If you are creating a mission and have not used Git, start here to keep a history of your project changes.

Git keeps a history of changes to your project. If an edit breaks the mission, you can review what changed and undo the faulty edit. GitHub stores a copy of the repository online; GitHub Desktop lets you work with it using windows and buttons.

This guide uses a practice addon called Triad Desert Storm. The same steps work for your own mission. Install GitHub Desktop and sign in to your GitHub account. You also need Arma Reforger and Arma Reforger Tools to create the addon.

Create a repository

A repository is a project folder together with its change history. In GitHub Desktop, choose File → New repository.

Creating a repository in GitHub Desktop.Open original image

Enter triad-desert-storm-ar in Name. Use lowercase Latin letters and separate words with hyphens:

• triad identifies a Triad Tactics project;
• desert-storm is the mission name;
• ar stands for Arma Reforger.

For a mission outside Triad Tactics, you could use desert-storm-ar or silent-port-ar. Consistent names make missions easier to find and identify the game they belong to. This is the naming convention used in our projects.

For Local path, choose the parent folder:

Documents\My Games\ArmaReforgerWorkbench\addons

GitHub Desktop creates the triad-desert-storm-ar folder inside it. Check the full path at the bottom of the window. You can add a short mission description in Description. Leave the remaining options as shown for now, then click Create repository.

The repository name and the folder where it will be created.Open original image

Create the addon inside the repository

Launch Arma Reforger Tools. In the launcher, choose Add Project → Create New Project.

Creating a project in Workbench.Open original image

Enter Triad Desert Storm in Project Name. Click the folder button beside Location, select the triad-desert-storm-ar folder you created, then click Select Folder.

Select the repository root for Location.Open original image

Check the name and path, then click Create. Workbench creates the addon folder Triad Desert Storm inside the repository.

The addon name uses spaces; the repository name uses lowercase words separated by hyphens.Open original image

The folder structure will be:

triad-desert-storm-ar/
├── .git/
└── Triad Desert Storm/
    └── addon.gproj

The .git folder stores the repository history. Mission files belong in the addon folder beside addon.gproj and in its subfolders.

Further setup is covered in How to create a mission. Here we will continue with Git. The following screenshots already include a world called DemoWorld; the files of the new project are enough for your first commit. You can add the world later.

Your first commit

A commit records selected changes in the project history. Save your files in Workbench, then open the repository in GitHub Desktop. New and modified files appear in Changes.

Ignore the resource database

resourceDatabase.rdb is Workbench’s resource database. It does not need to be stored in Git. Right-click the file and choose Ignore file (add to .gitignore).

Excluding resourceDatabase.rdb from the changes list.Open original image

GitHub Desktop creates a .gitignore file with a rule for this path. Include .gitignore in the commit so the rule stays with the project. Ignored files remain on your computer. The rule applies to files that have not already been added to Git history.

Keep addon.gproj, worlds, layers, prefabs, and their .meta files in the repository. The .meta files contain resource data, including identifiers; do not exclude all files with this extension.

Record the changes

1. Review Changes. Select a file to inspect its changes on the right. Checked files will be included in the commit.
2. Describe the result briefly in Summary. The screenshot uses Add Demo World. If you have only created the addon, Create mission project is suitable.
3. Click Commit … files to main. The file count depends on your project; main is the current branch, where this history is recorded.

Recording the project files in a commit.Open original image

Your commit appears in History. It is still stored only on your computer.

Commit often, in small steps

After adding a group, configuring a trigger, or fixing equipment, check the result and make a commit. Commit the working state before experimenting. If you collect an entire evening’s changes into one commit, finding the cause of an error and undoing just that edit becomes harder.

Commit messages

Say what changed. Messages such as update, fix, or done tell someone reviewing the history a week later very little.

Change	Example message
Added the mission world	Add mission world
Fixed the radio operator’s radio	Fix radio operator equipment
Configured port capture	Configure port capture

You can also use your team’s language. Choose one language for the project. Use Description to explain why you made the change when the title does not make that clear; leave it empty for a simple edit.

Publish the repository on GitHub

Click Publish repository at the top of the window.

The commit is saved; now publish the repository on GitHub.Open original image

Check Name and Description. Keep this code private controls access: checked means private; unchecked lets other people view the files and history. The screenshot selects a public repository. Leave Organization → None to publish under your own account, then click Publish repository.

Publishing the repository and choosing its visibility.Open original image

Open Repository → View on GitHub and check that the files are on the website.

Save your ongoing work

After each small step, repeat these three actions:

1. Save files in Workbench. Git can only see changes written to disk.
2. Commit in GitHub Desktop. Review the files and write a clear message.
3. Click Push origin. This sends the commits to your repository on GitHub.

Remember to push

A commit is not sent to GitHub automatically. Push after finishing a step and always before ending your work session. You can commit offline and send the commits later. Until you click Push origin, the new version exists only on your computer.

If you work on several computers or with other authors, click Fetch origin before starting to check for changes on GitHub. If Pull origin appears, download those changes before editing the mission. Commit your own work and close Workbench before pulling, then reopen the project.

Revert a faulty commit

If an error appeared after a particular commit, you can reverse that commit’s changes. Git records the reversal in a new commit and keeps the original in the history.

An optional demonstration of reverting

The screenshots below revert Add Demo World, which added all the practice project’s files. Reverting it removes those files from the working folder. In your mission, select the commit with the faulty edit; there is no reason to undo the creation of a working project.

Commit your current changes separately and close Workbench. In History, select the faulty commit and review its changes. Right-click the commit and choose Revert changes in commit.

Reversing the selected commit's changes.Open original image

A Revert "…" commit appears in the history. Check the result in Workbench, then click Push origin to send the reversal to GitHub.

The reversal is recorded as a new commit, ready to push.Open original image

This reverses the selected commit, not every action after it. If you later changed the same lines, a conflict may occur: Git will ask which version to keep. Read the error message before proceeding.

Get help from AI

If you get stuck with Git, give an AI assistant a link to this guide and a screenshot of GitHub Desktop or the full error message. Explain what you wanted to do and which changes you need to keep.

For example: “I want to undo the radio edit but keep the group I added afterward. Here is the commit history. Explain which commit to select and what reverting it will change.”

A coding agent can inspect the files and repository history, help resolve a conflict, or suggest a commit message based on the changes. Ask it to explain the steps and their effects first. Before deleting files or changing history, check that the work you need is saved.

Example repository

The Triad Shooting Star repository follows the conventions described here. Use it as a reference: look at its name, folder structure, and .gitignore, then compare them with your project.

To explore the mission in Workbench, follow Open an existing mission.

You can now continue creating your mission.