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If Vintage Story says a mod cannot load, or your dedicated server starts without showing any mods, check the mod’s modinfo.json side value first, then verify the zip root, game-version compatibility, and the server’s ModPaths. Those checks resolve most cases without reinstalling the game. If the cause is still unclear, read the server log and bisect the mod set until one file fails by itself.
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Use this order when server mods are missing
Work through the checks in sequence. Stop when the server lists the mod or the log identifies a specific file; changing several variables at once makes the eventual fix difficult to verify.
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- Stop the server and make a backup of its data directory and current
serverconfig.json. - Confirm the mod is intended for a server. Open the zip and inspect
modinfo.json, especially itssideproperty. - Check the zip root.
modinfo.jsonand the mod’s assets directory should be directly inside the archive, not hidden inside an extra enclosing folder. - Match versions. Compare the server build, the mod’s supported game version, and the clients connecting to the server.
- Verify the folder path. The zip files must be in a directory named by the server’s
ModPathssetting. - Restart with one known-good mod. This separates a path problem from a faulty or incompatible mod.
- Read the newest server log. Look for the mod ID, a malformed
modinfo.json, duplicate IDs, or a version error.
The Server Config documentation was last verified for Vintage Story 1.22.0. If your server is newer, confirm that the same configuration keys and folder behavior still apply to your build.
Check the modinfo.json side property
The side value determines when Vintage Story loads a mod. The documented default is Universal. A universal mod is loaded only when the relevant installation also uses it, so a client-only package cannot be made server-compatible simply by copying its zip to the server.
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What the side values imply
| Side setting | Where it belongs | Typical symptom when wrong |
|---|---|---|
Client |
Player’s game installation | The dedicated server ignores it or reports that it cannot be loaded on the server. |
Server |
Dedicated server’s Mods directory | Players may connect only when the server has the package; installing it only on a client does not provide server behavior. |
Universal (documented default) |
Both sides when the mod requires both | The mod is absent if the other side does not also use it. |
Open the archive with a zip utility and find the property in modinfo.json. Do not change a mod’s side value casually: the author may have deliberately limited it to code that can run on one side. If the file is not valid JSON, the server can display the generic “Unable to load mod. Check log files” message instead of a useful in-game explanation.
Confirm the zip has the right structure
A community forum report describes a server that began recognizing a mod only after modinfo.json and the assets folder were moved to the top level of the zip. This is a reported case, not an official rule that every mod must follow, but it is a fast check and costs nothing.
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modinfo.json
assets/
A problematic archive often looks like this instead:
MyMod-1.2.0/
modinfo.json
assets/
If an extra folder surrounds the files, recreate the archive with the contents selected rather than the enclosing folder. Keep the downloaded .zip extension; do not leave a nested zip inside another zip. After replacing the file, stop and start the server so it scans the archive again.
Match the server, mod and player game versions
Mods that have not been updated for the server’s current Vintage Story version may fail to appear or may be rejected during startup. A forum report specifically notes that an outdated mod can be missing from the loaded list. Treat the server, every mod, and every connecting player as one version set:
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- Read the server’s version in its startup log.
- Check the version range or release note supplied with each mod.
- Make sure clients are on the same game version as the server before testing multiplayer.
A version mismatch can look like a path error because the zip is in the correct directory but is skipped during loading. Test with a release of the mod explicitly supporting your server build. If no compatible release exists, the safe choices are to run the game version the mod supports or remove the mod; editing metadata cannot make incompatible code work.
Verify the server’s Mods path
The server only scans directories listed by its ModPaths configuration. The official Server Config page gives this form:
"ModPaths": [
"Mods",
"/absolute/path/to/Mods"
]
The accompanying comment is: “Where server should look for mods.” Put each mod’s .zip file in one of those directories and keep the setting pointed at that directory.
Relative versus absolute paths
The documented example says a relative Mods entry resolves against the server’s data directory. The page does not define the complete resolution rule for every launch environment, so treat a non-default location as a testable configuration rather than assuming how a host will interpret it. An absolute path removes that ambiguity when you control the filesystem.
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Change modPaths only while the game is closed
The official troubleshooting guidance identifies a second path setting in clientsettings.json and serverconfig.json. The user-mods path is absolute and can include a user name. If that account name changes, the game continues looking at the old location and silently ignores files in the new one.
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- Shut down the client and the dedicated server.
- Open the applicable
clientsettings.jsonorserverconfig.jsonin a text editor. - Find the
modPathskey and replace the stale absolute path with the current Mods directory. - Save valid JSON, then start the server and inspect its log for the path it scans.
Do not edit a live configuration while the game is running; the process can overwrite your change on exit. Keep a backup so a syntax error can be rolled back quickly.
Find the correct Mods folder on a dedicated server
When you launch the server with a custom data path using the --dataPath argument, the official dedicated-server guide places both the Mods folder and serverconfig.json inside that data path. This is the directory to inspect, not an unrelated client installation.
- Identify the exact value passed to
--dataPathin the server’s launch command or service definition. - Open that directory and locate (or create) its
Modssubdirectory. - Copy the mod
.zipfiles into that folder. - Ensure
ModPathsincludesModsor the matching absolute path. - Restart the server and confirm the startup log reports the mod being discovered.
Do not confuse this server directory with a client-side folder used for mods downloaded from a server. The client cache behavior described by some hosting guides is not confirmed by the official documentation, so it should not be your first repair target.
Read the log instead of guessing
The in-game warning “Unable to load mod. Check log files” is deliberately generic. The server log is in the same Logs folder used for client logs, and normally names the failing mod or the reason it was rejected.
Malformed modinfo.json
Invalid JSON syntax, a missing required field, or an incorrectly typed value can stop a package before its code is examined. Re-open the file, check braces and quotation marks, and compare its field names with the mod author’s release. A JSON validator can identify a missing comma, but it cannot determine whether a field value is appropriate for your game version.
Duplicate mod IDs
Two archives sharing the same modid can trigger the same generic warning. This often happens when an old copy remains in the folder after installing an update. Search every zip’s modinfo.json, keep one intended release, and move the duplicate out of the scanned directory before restarting.
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Version and dependency errors
Search the newest log for the server version, the mod ID, dependency names, and phrases indicating an unsupported game version. Copy the complete error when asking the mod author for help; the first line alone may omit the dependency or path that caused the failure.
Bisect the mod collection to isolate one bad file
If the log is vague and several mods are installed, binary isolation is faster than checking archives one by one.
- Stop the server and move every mod zip to a temporary backup directory.
- Return roughly half of the zips to the server’s scanned Mods folder.
- Start the server and check whether the problem returns.
- If it does, the failing mod is in that half; if it does not, it is in the other half.
- Stop the server, replace the tested half with the suspect half, and divide it again.
- Repeat until one archive reproduces the error by itself.
- Inspect that mod’s side, version, zip root and
modinfo.json, then obtain a compatible release or remove it.
Leave a known-good mod enabled while testing a suspect one when possible. That proves the server is still loading from the intended path and prevents a false conclusion caused by an empty Mods directory.
Compare likely causes before changing settings
| Cause | How likely to check first | Test speed | Evidence status |
|---|---|---|---|
Wrong side value |
Highest priority | Minutes: inspect one JSON file | Official troubleshooting guidance |
| Server/mod/player version mismatch | High | Minutes: compare startup and release versions | Community report, with versions visible in logs |
ModPaths points elsewhere |
High | Minutes to verify; restart required | Official Server Config and troubleshooting pages |
| Extra folder inside zip | Medium | Minutes: inspect archive root | Community-reported case, not an official universal rule |
Malformed metadata or duplicate modid |
Medium | Minutes once the log is open | Official troubleshooting explanation of the generic load error |
| One incompatible mod among many | Unknown until isolated | Several restarts using bisection | Reliable diagnostic method |
Recovery paths for common symptoms
The server starts, but no mods appear
Check ModPaths, the custom --dataPath, and the archive root first. Then confirm that the mods are marked for the server and support the running game version. An empty or wrong directory produces no error because the server has nothing to scan.
Only one mod disappeared after an update
Compare that archive’s modinfo.json with the previous release, check its side, and look for a duplicate old zip. A single missing mod is more consistent with metadata, compatibility or duplicate-ID failure than with a global path problem.
The generic load warning appears after adding several mods
Use the bisection procedure, then read the log with the failing archive installed alone. This distinguishes a malformed file from an interaction or duplicate ID and gives you a mod name to report.
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Changing the folder did nothing
Confirm the server was fully stopped before editing configuration, that you changed the file belonging to the active data path, and that the JSON remains valid. If the launch command supplies --dataPath, a similarly named folder elsewhere may never be read.
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What not to rely on as a first fix
Some third-party hosting instructions describe a “Downloading Mods” loop, a client-side ServerMods cache, or an enabled flag in mod-list.json. Those behaviors are not confirmed by the official pages used here. Deleting a client cache may be low-risk when a download loop is specifically observed, but it cannot correct a server-side path, side or version error. Likewise, Linux default data paths and mod whitelist or blacklist commands vary by installation and should not be assumed without documentation for your build.
Keep a repeatable server-mod setup
- Store the launch command, including
--dataPath, in the service definition you actually run. - Keep a manifest listing each zip filename,
modid, release version and intended side. - Remove superseded zips rather than leaving multiple releases in the scanned directory.
- Back up
serverconfig.jsonbefore changing paths. - After every game or mod update, start the server once without players and read the log for load errors.
- Have players match the server’s game version before troubleshooting mod synchronization.
There is no published statistic establishing a server-mod failure rate, so treat the checklist as a diagnostic order, not a probability claim. In practice, side mismatch, version mismatch, an incorrect server path and one bad archive are the concrete conditions to eliminate first.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does reinstalling Vintage Story fix mods that are not loading?
Usually not. A reinstall does not change a server’s active --dataPath, ModPaths, archive structure or mod metadata. Verify those settings and the log before reinstalling.
Can I make a client-only mod work on a dedicated server by copying its zip?
No. A mod marked client-side is not intended to load on the server. Use a server or universal release from the mod author.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsWhere should I look when the server log says two mods have the same ID?
Open each zip’s modinfo.json, identify the repeated modid, and remove the obsolete or duplicate archive from every directory listed by ModPaths.
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