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),
.envfiles. - 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.jsonllists 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.