Here's a step-by-step guide to disable specific command-line arguments in game builds, without affecting the Godot editor:

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1. Understand the Goal

We want to:

• Retain full functionality in the Godot editor binary for development.
• Customize and rebuild export templates so that the exported game binaries do not include debug-related command-line options like --help or --debug.

This is achieved by modifying the export template code paths and compiling templates with tools=no.

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2. Prerequisites

Follow the Godot official guide for compiling on Windows and ensure you have installed:

1. Visual Studio 2022 with the "Desktop Development with C++" workload.
2. Python 3.8+ with SCons:

   python -m pip install scons

3. Git to clone the Godot repository.

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3. Modify the Command-Line Parsing Code

1. Open the Godot source code:

   git clone https://github.com/godotengine/godot.git
   cd godot
   git checkout 4.3-stable

2. Open main/main.cpp in your code editor.

3. Locate the section responsible for parsing command-line arguments. Typically, it looks like this:

   for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
       String arg = argv[i];
       if (arg == "--help") {
           print_help();
           return 0;
       }
       // Other arguments like debug options
   }

4. Comment out unwanted arguments only in export templates.

   for (int i = 1; i < argc; i++) {
       String arg = argv[i];
   
       // Disable debug-related options in exported builds.
       //if (arg == "--help") {
       //    print_help();
       //    return 0;
       //}
   
       // Retain essential or custom arguments like --fullscreen
       if (arg == "--fullscreen" || arg.begins_with("--")) {
           OS::get_singleton()->set_fullscreen(true);
       }
   }

5. Save the changes.

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4. Compile the Export Templates

1. Open the x64 Native Tools Command Prompt from Visual Studio.

2. Navigate to the Godot source directory:

   cd path\to\godot

3. Compile the export templates with tools=no:

   • Debug template:

     scons platform=windows target=release_debug tools=no -j8

   • Release template:

     scons platform=windows target=release tools=no -j8

4. The compiled templates will appear in the bin/ directory:

   • godot.windows.opt.debug.64.exe (debug export template).
   • godot.windows.opt.release.64.exe (release export template).

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5. Replace Default Export Templates

1. Locate the export templates in your Godot installation:
   • Default location: C:\Users\<YourName>\AppData\Roaming\Godot\templates\4.x-stable.
2. Replace the default Windows templates with your custom-built binaries.

Alternatively:

• Use Editor > Manage Export Templates to configure a custom path for your templates.

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6. Test the Exported Game

1. In Godot, export your project using the custom templates.
2. Run the exported binary and test:
   • Verify that debug options like --help or --debug are no longer functional.
   • Confirm that essential options (e.g., --fullscreen) still work as expected.

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7. Notes

• These changes affect only the exported game binaries, leaving the editor binary fully functional.
• If you ever update Godot or use a newer version, you'll need to reapply these changes and rebuild the export templates.

This approach ensures a clean separation between the development environment and production builds, enhancing security for your shipped games.