publish-mod

Publish a mod

1. Lint

um publish check ./MyMod --game "<game install folder>"

• FAIL: files byte-identical to game files, leaked keys (fal/Anthropic/OpenAI/GitHub/AWS), .env files.
• WARN: decompiler fingerprints in source (FUN_/DAT_/sub_ names, "Decompiled with" headers), large engine archives, absolute user paths, a missing README, fal assets without credit.

Fix every FAIL. Resolve each WARN deliberately. For example, AoE2 data mods do ship a modified .dat, which is the platform's norm.

2. Package the way the platform expects

Platform / loader	Package
tModLoader	Build → .tmod; publish from the in-game Mod Sources menu (Steam Workshop)
BepInEx / Thunderstore	zip with manifest.json, icon.png (256×256), README.md, plugins/<Mod>.dll; dependency strings like BepInEx-BepInExPack-5.4.2100
Nexus Mods	zip laid out as it installs (Data/... for Bethesda, BepInEx/plugins/..., ue4ss/Mods/..., ~mods/*.pak)
AoE2 DE	the official mod site (ageofempires.com/mods) or the in-game uploader; data mods include resources/_common/dat/...
Steam Workshop	the game's own uploader or SDK tool
Minecraft	Modrinth / CurseForge jar with fabric.mod.json / neoforge.mods.toml
ROM hacks / GameMaker	patches only (BPS/IPS/xdelta), never the modified game file

A Nexus mod with options gets a FOMOD installer: see the FOMOD tutorial and STEP's FOMOD guide. Nexus Mods' own modding wiki covers the rest of their site's conventions.

3. README (in the zip and on the page)

• What it adds: bullets, a GIF or the showcase video.
• Requirements: game version, the loader and its version, dependencies.
• Install, uninstall and troubleshooting (where the log is).
• Compatibility: multiplayer? Known conflicts?
• Credits:
  • the loader and libraries;
  • references you learned from;
  • "Art/audio generated with fal (fal.ai) using " (fal_manifest.jsonl lists them);
  • honest AI disclosure (which agent and model built it).
• License for your code (MIT/Apache is common). Your assets' terms follow the models' licenses.

4. Version and changelog

Use semver in the manifest/build file, name the supported game version, and keep a changelog. When the game updates, re-run the in-game test scene before bumping.

5. The post

• Lead with the video: the showcase-video skill; 20-45 s, gameplay within 2-3 s.
• Post text: the hook, what it is, the "how" credit (which agent + fal built it), a link.
• If the video uses anyone else's footage, credit them by handle and ask first.
• Publishing is always the user's call. Draft it, show them, and let them press the button.