PalConfig

Utilities for parsing, merging, and serializing Palworld PalWorldSettings.ini config files.

This package focuses on:

• INI ➜ JSON conversion (lossless for values; preserves key order)
• JSON ➜ INI conversion (emits OptionSettings=(...))
• Merge: apply an old config onto a new default schema (new keys kept, old values override matching keys)
• JSON Schema generation from a reference config

Palworld uses an Unreal Engine-ish config format where most server settings live inside a single OptionSettings=(...) tuple. palconfig treats that tuple as the source of truth.

---

Install

Poetry (recommended)

poetry add palconfig

Editable install (local dev)

poetry install

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CLI

Once installed, you get the palconfig command.

Merge old values into new defaults (recommended workflow)

palconfig merge --old Old.ini --new New.ini --out-ini PalWorldSettings.ini --out-json merged.json

• Output INI contains the new schema + your old tuned values
• merged.json (optional) includes:
  • merged_option_settings
  • deprecated_or_unknown_from_old (keys that existed only in old)

Convert INI ➜ JSON

palconfig to-json --ini PalWorldSettings.ini --out settings.json

Output JSON shape:

{
  "section": "/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings",
  "option_settings": {
    "ExpRate": 5.0,
    "ServerName": "Tectonix GX S4",
    "CrossplayPlatforms": ["Steam", "Xbox", "PS5", "Mac"]
  },
  "order": ["ExpRate", "ServerName", "CrossplayPlatforms"]
}

Convert JSON ➜ INI

palconfig from-json --json settings.json --out PalWorldSettings.ini

This emits:

• [/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]
• A single OptionSettings=(...) line

Generate JSON Schema (from a reference INI)

palconfig schema --ref-ini NewDefaults.ini --out optionsettings.schema.json

Notes:

• The schema is generated from the parsed values in the reference file.
• It is strict about keys: additionalProperties: false
• Types are inferred (bool/int/float/string/array). Empty lists default to permissive item types.

---

Library usage

from palconfig.codec import (
    parse_optionsettings,
    serialize_optionsettings,
    merge_old_into_new,
)

old_text = open("Old.ini", "r", encoding="utf-8").read()
new_text = open("New.ini", "r", encoding="utf-8").read()

result = merge_old_into_new(old_text, new_text)

merged_ini = "[/Script/Pal.PalGameWorldSettings]\\n" + serialize_optionsettings(result.merged, order=result.order) + "\\n"
open("PalWorldSettings.ini", "w", encoding="utf-8").write(merged_ini)

print("Deprecated/unknown keys from old:", result.deprecated_or_unknown_from_old)

---

Parsing rules

palconfig aims to match Palworld’s format as it appears in real configs:

• None ➜ null in JSON
• True/False ➜ booleans
• Numbers:
  • 8211 ➜ int
  • 1.000000 ➜ float
• Quoted strings:
  • ServerName="Default Palworld Server" ➜ "Default Palworld Server"
• Tuple lists:
  • CrossplayPlatforms=(Steam,Xbox,PS5,Mac) ➜ ["Steam","Xbox","PS5","Mac"]
• Empty assignment:
  • DenyTechnologyList= ➜ ""

Commas inside quotes and commas inside nested tuples are handled correctly.

---

Merge behavior

When you run palconfig merge:

• All NEW keys are present in the merged output.
• If OLD has the same key, OLD overrides NEW (even if the old value is empty).
• Keys present only in OLD are captured in deprecated_or_unknown_from_old.

This keeps you aligned with upstream defaults while preserving your custom tuning.

---

Testing

poetry run pytest

The test suite covers:

• basic type parsing (None/bool/int/float/string)
• nested tuple parsing
• round-trip stability (INI ➜ JSON ➜ INI ➜ JSON)
• merge semantics + ordering
• schema generation shape

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Practical safety note

Palworld configs often contain credentials (e.g., AdminPassword, ServerPassword). If you're converting configs to JSON and sharing them, redact first — your future self will thank you.

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License

MIT