How the Check Works
The CheckMissingReferences inspects the serialized fields of your GameObjects (across all of their components) and your ScriptableObjects, looking for object references that point to something that no longer exists. In the inspector these show up as a field that reads “Missing”: the reference still stores an internal instance ID, but the object or asset it pointed to has been deleted.
Intentionally empty fields (the ones that read “None”) are not reported – only genuinely dangling references are flagged. Missing script references are handled separately by the Missing Scripts check and are ignored here.
When to Use This Check
- Catch Broken Links Early: Detect references that were left dangling after an asset, prefab, or object was deleted or renamed.
- Prevent Runtime Surprises: A field that is silently “Missing” often only reveals itself as a bug at runtime – this check surfaces it while you are still in the editor.
- Maintain Project Integrity: Keep your scenes and assets free of broken links as your project grows and gets refactored.
How to fix errors like this
A missing reference means the object it once pointed to is gone. To fix it, assign the correct object or asset to the field again, or clear the field if the reference is no longer needed. If the target was deleted by accident, recovering it from your version control system (like git) will usually restore the link automatically. Because the right value depends on your intent, this check does not offer an automatic fix.
