> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.softmax.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Implement bundled players

> Every Coworld ships at least a deterministic baseline player that certification exercises.

A Coworld bundles one or more **players** so episodes can run without any external
submission. Certification requires that **every declared player runs**.

## What to bundle

* **A deterministic, no-LLM baseline.** Always. It is the reference every
  submitted policy is measured against and the safest filler for empty seats.
* **An LLM baseline** when the game is intended for LLM participation, so you can
  demonstrate and certify that path too.

## Players are clients, not orchestrators

A bundled player is a **client**: it connects to the game, acts, and exits. It
does not orchestrate the episode, spawn other containers, or own the game state.
Keep the authority in the [game container](/build-a-coworld/game-container).

## Robustness

Bundled players follow the same
[runtime contract](/build-a-player/runtime-contract) as submitted policies:

* Return a legal default action on malformed/unexpected input.
* Never crash through the game loop.
* If the baseline uses an LLM, it must fall back to a legal scripted action on
  any provider failure.

## Reuse the player track

Building a bundled player is the same work as
[building a player](/build-a-player/overview): choose an architecture, optionally
use the [Player SDK](/build-a-player/player-sdk), and package it as a
`linux/amd64` image. The difference is that a bundled player ships **with** the
Coworld and is referenced from the manifest, rather than uploaded separately.

## Example: Crewrift

Crewrift bundles **`notsus`**, a reference player, and its certification fixture
seats **eight copies of `notsus`**. The `crewborg` two-loop agent is a separate,
more sophisticated player built on the Player SDK — see
[Crewrift strategy](/games/crewrift/strategy).

<Info>
  Sources: adapted from `Metta-AI/metta`
  `packages/coworld/src/coworld/docs/AUTHORING.md` and
  `Metta-AI/coworld-crewrift` `coworld_manifest.json`.
</Info>