Why are my C# List edits lost when I save the scene?

List isn't a Godot variant. Edits in the inspector don't serialize back to the scene because Godot doesn't know how to write them. Use Godot.Collections.Array instead.

What's NotifyPropertyListChanged?

Call it after structurally changing a collection from script to refresh the inspector. For runtime mutations not persisting, this isn't the issue — the type itself must be a Godot collection.

Can I expose a Dictionary?

Godot.Collections.Dictionary works the same way. List a dict in the editor; serializes properly. .NET's System.Collections.Generic.Dictionary doesn't.

Fix: Godot 4 C# List Property Edits Lost After Save

Quick answer: Use Godot.Collections.Array<T> (or Dictionary) for inspector-edited collections. .NET’s List doesn’t serialize through Godot’s variant system.

Edit a List<EnemyDef> in the inspector. Save scene. Reopen — edits are gone. List wasn’t serialized.

The Symptom

Inspector-edited C# List property reverts on save/reload. Other [Export] properties save normally.

The Fix

using Godot.Collections;

[Export]
public Array<EnemyDef> Enemies { get; set; } = new();

[Export]
public Dictionary<string, int> Scores { get; set; } = new();

Godot.Collections types serialize through Godot’s variant system; inspector edits persist.

Element Type

Element type must be a variant: primitive, Resource, or Godot.Object. Custom data classes need to subclass Resource or be wrapped.

Verifying

Edit array, save, reopen. Edits persist. Without Godot.Collections: edits lost.

“Godot.Collections.Array. Variant element types. Edits persist.”

Related Issues

For C# Export Array, see Export Array. For exported Resource Array, see Resource Array.

Right collection type. Saves persist.