Gameplay AutoStage

[Maxi]

AutoStage automatically activates the next sequence whenever active engines run out of propellant, and drops burnt-out boosters while the rest of the stage keeps firing.

Works during auto-burns (continues the burn instead of aborting) and manual burns. Cascades through multiple empty stages if needed.

Toggle via the AUTOSTAGE button on the BurnControl gauge panel.

Features

• AUTOSTAGE toggle on the BurnControl gauge panel.
• Drops spent boosters as soon as they burn out, so a stage that mixes solid boosters with a liquid core does not carry empty casings until the core runs dry.
• Cascades through empty / decoupler-only stages so the engine on the next live stage lights without manual intervention.
• Configurable engine ignition and decoupler delays per part variant (Settings > Mods > AutoStage Settings) with per-vehicle overrides via the Part Window.
• On-screen countdowns (Decouple in X.Xs, Ignition in X.Xs) during a delayed stage so you can see what is about to happen.

License: MIT
Source: GitHub | SpaceDock
Download: Releases
Dependencies: StarMap, KittenExtensions

 

[Maxi]

AutoStage v0.2.1 - Ignition Delays​

Previously, AutoStage would fire decouplers and ignite the next stage's engines immediately after the last stage was spent.

v0.2.1 adds configurable ignition delays. After staging, decouplers fire immediately but engines wait before igniting, simulating realistic engine spool-up time.

You can configure the delay per engine variant in Settings > Mods > AutoStage Settings, or override it per-sequence on a specific vehicle by right-clicking an engine and opening the Part Window.

The per-engine delay Config is stored in the mod's own folder, so removing the mod won't mess with your saves.

Download: https://github.com/Maximilian-Nesslauer/KSA-AutoStage/releases/tag/v0.2.1

 

[Maxi]

Stock	With AutoStage

 

[Kiwi Shark]

Graphic design is my passion.

I kid, easy fix I'm sure, but a cool feature to have until it gets baked in! Thanks!

 

[Maxi]

View attachment 1466
Graphic design is my passion.

I kid, easy fix I'm sure, but a cool feature to have until it gets baked in! Thanks!

haha yeah i will try to fix it soon-ish

I am not sure where to place it tbh.
It is close to the "Auto(burn)" button and i did squeeze it in the lower half because did not want to make the entire panel bigger just for that one button.

I will try to either make the button a bit wider, or the text a bit smaller so that it fits properly within the buttons bounderies

Pls let me know if you have any further reccomendations.

 

[Maxi]

haha yeah i will try to fix it soon-ish

I am not sure where to place it tbh.
It is close to the "Auto(burn)" button and i did squeeze it in the lower half because did not want to make the entire panel bigger just for that one button.

I will try to either make the button a bit wider, or the text a bit smaller so that it fits properly within the buttons bounderies

Pls let me know if you have any further reccomendations.

@Kiwi Shark fixed

The UI does not let you make the rectangle wider because it would collide with its neighbors, but i am able to shrink the text.
I dont like that the text is smaller than the text in the other buttons but it is better than the text colliding with its buttons boundaries

 

[Maxi]

AutoStage v0.2.3 - AUTOSTAGE button sizing fix

Small visual update: the AUTOSTAGE label on the BurnControl gauge panel now fits inside the button properly.

No functional changes.

Download: https://github.com/Maximilian-Nesslauer/KSA-AutoStage/releases/tag/v0.2.3

 

[Kiwi Shark]

Quick work!

 

[Maxi]

AutoStage v0.2.4 - Fix Auto button disabled after auto-staging

Fixes a bug where the Auto burn button stayed disabled with "Burn duration is empty" for any burn planned after AutoStage had cycled through stages during a previous burn.

Tested against KSA v2026.4.17.4184.

Download: https://github.com/Maximilian-Nesslauer/KSA-AutoStage/releases/tag/v0.2.4

 

[Maxi]

AutoStage v0.3.0 - Decoupler delays​

Adds independently configurable decoupler delays alongside the engine ignition delays, on-screen countdowns during a delayed stage, and fixes a wasted 2-second wait when auto-staging the launch stage.

Highlights:​

- Per-decoupler-template delays (default 0) with per-sequence vehicle overrides. Both the Mod Settings tab and the part window expose the new dimension.
- "Decouple in X.Xs" / "Ignition in X.Xs" alerts at the top of the screen during a delayed stage so you can tell what is about to happen.
- Already-active engines (e.g. the launch engine that just ran out) no longer go into the ignition pending list, so the cascade fires the next decoupler immediately instead of waiting the engine delay for a no-op.
- Synchronous IActivate buffer drain so VehicleConfig sees the new IsActive state right away and Auto burns stay armable across consecutive stagings.
- Code polish

Tested against KSA v2026.4.17.4184.

Download: https://github.com/Maximilian-Nesslauer/KSA-AutoStage/releases/tag/v0.3.0

 

[Maxi]

I decided to also upload the mod to SpaceDock: https://spacedock.info/mod/4254/AutoStage

 

[Maxi]

To run AutoStage on KSA 2026.5.7.4397 or newer you need at least AutoStage v0.3.4.

KSA 2026.5.7.4397 reworked how decoupling integrates with the vehicle update task.
If you try to use the new KSA version with earlier builds of this mod it will crash the game with InvalidOperationException: Collection was modified the moment a stage decouples.

Download v0.3.4: GitHub | SpaceDock

 

[Maxi]

StageInfo v0.4.0 - Drag-and-drop staging editing

Changes

• The Stage Sequence panel now supports the drag-and-drop staging editing that KSA added to the stock window in 2026.5.12.4510: drag parts between sequences and stages, drag a sequence or stage to reorder, and right-click to add or delete sequences and stages.
• Empty sequences and stages are now shown, so you can drop parts into them or remove them.

Tested against KSA build version 2026.5.12.4510.

Download

• GitHub
• SpaceDock

 

[Maxi]

AutoStage v0.4.0 - Drop spent boosters early

A launch stage that mixes solid boosters with a liquid core does not run out of propellant all at once.
In most configs, the boosters burn out first and get dropped while the core stages continues burning.
Until now AutoStage waited for every active engine to go dry, so burnt-out boosters rode along as dead mass until the core quit too. It now drops them as soon as they are spent, while the rest of the stage keeps firing.

Changes

• Spent boosters are now dropped as soon as they burn out, instead of riding along as dead mass until the whole stage runs dry. When the next sequence would separate nothing but burnt-out engines and something else is still firing, AutoStage stages it. Vehicles that do not mix engine types never see this and stage exactly as before.
• Fixed AutoStage silently doing nothing for the rest of a flight on a vehicle whose flight computer still holds a finished burn. Such a burn target can survive in a save even with an empty burn plan, and it made every staging check read the burn as already complete.
• Staging delays now count down in simulation time, so pausing the game no longer drains them and a delayed decoupler or ignition still fires at the configured moment after unpausing.
• New "Drop spent stages early" checkbox in Settings > Mods > AutoStage Settings, on by default, persisted as drop_spent_stages in autostage.toml.

Compatibility
Validated against KSA build version 2026.7.9.5018.

Installation
Extract into Documents\My Games\Kitten Space Agency\mods\AutoStage\.
Requires StarMap.

Download: GitHub | SpaceDock