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Write Access

This is the part that isn’t obvious: a brand-new account can browse, buy, favorite, and comment, but it can’t publish shaders yet. Publishing requires write access — a one-time approval that flips your account from read-only to contributor.

Write access is separate from being an author (a seller). You need write access to publish at all; you need author status on top of that to sell.

Why it works this way

New accounts are read-only by default so the public shader galleries stay free of spam and junk uploads. Approval is a light, human check — not a paywall.

How to request it

  1. Try to create a shader — click Create plugin on the plugin list, or go to /plugin/new.

  2. If you don’t have write access yet, you’ll see a “Write access required” panel instead of the editor:

    Your account is read-only. New accounts require approval before publishing content. Request access and you’ll be notified when it’s granted.

  3. Click Request write access. That notifies the admins, and you’ll get a confirmation that your request is in. (Requests are de-duplicated, so clicking again within a day won’t send duplicates.)

  4. When an admin approves you, you get a notification — “Write access granted — you can now publish content” — and /plugin/new opens the real editor.

You can still use the editor and export shaders while you wait; only saving/publishing to the site is gated.

What it unlocks

With write access you can publish shaders as plugins — save them, choose their visibility, version them, and share them.

Keeping it

Write access can be suspended by moderation for serious content violations, or if your karma stays persistently negative. If that happens you’ll get a notice explaining why and how to appeal. Normal, good-faith use never triggers this.

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