Object Reference Manager

Object Reference Manager is an editor extension that gives you a dedicated window for storing, organizing, and reusing GameObject references across your project. Instead of hunting through deep folder hierarchies or losing track of frequently used assets, you can keep them all in one dockable panel — complete with 64×64 thumbnail previews — and drag them directly into your scenes.

What sets Object Reference Manager apart is its automatic prefab variant workflow. When you drag a scene object into the manager, it detects that the object is not yet a persistent asset and automatically creates a prefab variant in a dedicated Prefabs subfolder. This means you never accidentally store a reference to a transient scene object that would break the next time you reload. Every reference in the manager is guaranteed to point to a real, saved asset.

The tool stores all its data in a single ScriptableObject asset, so your reference list persists across Editor sessions, domain reloads, and even source control operations. It uses self-resolving asset paths — the window locates its own data files at runtime based on where the script is installed, so it works regardless of where you place it in your project and is fully compatible with symlinks and custom folder structures.

Key Features

Persistent GameObject reference array stored in a ScriptableObject asset that survives Editor restarts and domain reloads
Automatic prefab variant creation — scene objects dragged into slots are automatically converted to prefab assets saved in a Prefabs subfolder
Drag-out support — drag objects from the manager window directly into the Scene view or Hierarchy via their thumbnail previews
64×64 asset preview thumbnails for every slot, providing quick visual identification
Row selection via checkboxes with bulk Clear Selected and Clear All operations
Resizable array with a confirmation dialog to prevent accidental data loss
Right-click context menu on thumbnails to clear individual object references
Self-resolving asset paths — uses MonoScript.FromScriptableObject to locate its own install directory at runtime; no hardcoded paths, fully symlink-safe
Zero configuration — data asset and Prefabs folder are created automatically on first use
Scrollable interface that handles arrays of any size