Creator Companion and Package Manager Guide
A guide for using VRChat Creator Companion and authoring packages compatible with VRChat Package Manager

Terminology
"VCC", "VPM", "Repo", "Package"? - This page is for giving you an overview of what everything means
VRChat Creator Companion (VCC)
Standalone application developed by VRChat for managing Unity projects for world and avatar creation and the packages in those projects: https://vcc.docs.vrchat.com/
Creator Companion also includes sections for accessing learning material and other tools developed by VRChat.
VRChat Package Manager (VPM)
Core feature of VRChat Creator Companion for managing VPM packages in your projects (VRCSDK, ClientSim, UdonSharp, etc.)
https://vcc.docs.vrchat.com/vpm/
Repository Listing / Repo
JSON file which contains a list of packages and available versions for VRChat Package Manager to download and add into a project.
Repository listings are used to receive information new versions for packages.
https://vcc.docs.vrchat.com/vpm/repos
CreationInfo
The repository listing stub JSON for initializing the full repository listing file.
Example:
{
  "CreationInfo": {
    "url": "https://vpm.varneon.com/editor-extensions"
  }
}
CreationInfo property containing the URL which points to the full repository listing is the only thing required to be present in the JSON file in VRChat Creator Companion's appdata folder in order to create the full listing
VPM Package
A package used to add assets into a project for world or avatar creations.
Based on Unity Package Manager packages with few additions for added functionality specific to VPM.
Generally identified by the UPM compatible name (e.g. "com.vrchat.udonsharp"), not to be mixed with the Display Name, which is the user-friendly name for viewing the package in Package Manager window or Creator Companion.
Package Manifest (package.json)
A JSON file for managing information about a UPM/VPM package: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/upm-manifestPkg.html
The package manifest is the only file required to be present in order to add it into a project using Unity Package Manager
Local User Package
A package that a user has manually downloaded in form of the r/aw package contents and linked to VRChat Creator Companion:
Local user packages can be added to a project by selecting "Local User Packages" in the repository listing dropdown:
https://vcc.docs.vrchat.com/vpm/packages#user-packages

VPM Package

Package Manifest
VPM Package Manifest
Package manifest is a JSON file contained at the root of the package and is used to define the properties of the package, such as name, version, author, dependencies, etc.
UPM Properties
Unity UPM package manifest documentation: https://docs.unity3d.com/Manual/upm-manifestPkg.html
Property
JSON Type
Description
name *
String
The officially registered package name. (e.g. com.vrchat.udonsharp)
version *
String
The package version number. Documentation
displayName
String
User-friendly name displayed in VRChat Creator Companion, Unity Package Manager and Project Window
description
String
Brief description of the package
author
Object
The author of the package.
name * - Name of the author
email - Email of the author
url - URL to author's page (e.g. GitHub, GitLab, Booth)
unity
String
Lowest compatible Unity version version for this package, e.g. 
2019.4. (In case of VPM packages, recommended to set to current version used by VRChat.)
unityRelease
String
Lowest compatible release of the Unity version defined in 
unity, e.g. 
29f1
dependencies
Object
A map of package dependencies. Keys are package names, and values are specific versions. They indicate other packages that this package depends on.
Note: The Package Manager doesn’t support range syntax, only SemVer versions.
keywords
String[]
An array of keywords used by the Package Manager search APIs. This helps users find relevant packages.
samples
Object[]
List of samples included in the package. Each sample contains a display name, a description, and the path to the sample folder starting at the Samples~ folder itself.
license
String
Identifier for an OSS license using the SPDX identifier format, or a string such as “See LICENSE.md file”.
licensesUrl
String
Custom location for this package’s license information specified as a URL.
changelogUrl
String
Custom location for this package’s changelog specified as a URL.
documentationUrl
String
Custom location for this package’s documentation specified as a URL.
* - Property required by UPM
Example package.json
{
    "name": "com.varneon.vpm-test-package",
    "displayName": "VPM Test Package",
    "version": "1.0.1",
    "unity": "2019.4",
    "unityRelease": "29f1",
    "description": "Test package for VPM.",
    "author": {
        "name": "Varneon",
        "email": "developer@varneon.com",
        "url": "https://github.com/Varneon"
    },
    "documentationUrl": "https://example.com/documentation.html",
    "changelogUrl": "https://example.com/changelog.html",
    "licensesUrl": "https://example.com/licensing.html",
    "license": "MIT",
    "keywords": [
        "vpm",
        "vrchat",
        "udon"
    ],
    "dependencies": {
        "com.vrchat.worlds": "3.1.9"
    },
    "samples": [
        {
            "displayName": "My Sample",
            "description": "Sample from the test package.",
            "path": "Samples~/MySample"
        }
    ]
}
VPM Additions
VPM manifest additions documentation: https://vcc.docs.vrchat.com/vpm/packages/#vpm-manifest-additions
Property
JSON Type
Description
url *
String
Direct download link to a zip file for a version of the package defined in the manifest (Typically appended by automated system, e.g. GitHub Action for repository listing)
vpmDependencies
Object
VPM-based dependencies your package requires. (Dependencies are required to be available in the repository listings in your Creator Companion).
legacyFolders
Object
Path-GUID properties for defining folders in the Assets directory used by old .unitypackage-based versions of this package. Matching folders will be removed when importing the new VPM package. (If no GUID is provided, only path will be matched).
legacyFiles
Object
Same as 
legacyFolders above, but for files.
* - Property required by VPM
Example package.json
{
    "url" : "https://packages.vrchat.com/com.vrchat.avatars-3.1.0.zip",
    "vpmDependencies" : {
        "com.vrchat.avatars" : "3.1.0"
    },
    "legacyFolders" : {
      "Assets\\FolderName" : "vr031f928e5c709x9887f6513084aaa51"
    },
    "legacyFiles" : {
      "ProjectVersion.txt" : "jf988739jfdskljf098323jjhf"
    }
}

VPM Package Authoring
How to author packages compatible with VRChat Package Manager