Plugin

This is the structure that brings all the others together, and forms the main component of a metadata file. It is a key-value map.

name

string

Required. Can be an exact plugin filename or a regular expression plugin filename. If the filename contains any of the characters :\*?|, the string will be treated as a regular expression, otherwise it will be treated as an exact filename. For example, Example\.esm will be treated as a regular expression, as it contains a \ character.

Regular expression plugin filenames are prefixed with ^ and suffixed with $ to ensure they match whole filenames, and are case-insensitive and Unicode-aware.

Note

Regular expression plugin filenames are currently expected to be written in a modified ECMAScript syntax. Notable differences include:

• Some \p{} and \P{} Unicode character class escapes are not supported.

• The functionality that is enabled by setting the v flag (a.k.a. unicodeSets) is not supported. Instead, the regexes are created as if the i and u flags are set.

The specific syntax and features supported are an implementation detail that may change without changing the masterlist syntax version, so it’s best to restrict regexes to the common subset that is supported across several regex flavours and implementations.

group

string

The name of the group the plugin belongs to. If unspecified, defaults to default.

The named group must be exist when LOOT sorts plugins, but doesn’t need to be defined in the same metadata file. If at sort time the group does not exist, a sorting error will occur.

The plugin should load after all the plugins in the groups its group is defined to load after, resolving them recursively. If enforcing that for a pair of plugins would cause a cycle, the relationship between the two plugins’ groups will be ignored.

after

file set

Plugins that this plugin must load after, but which are not dependencies. Used to resolve specific compatibility issues. If undefined, the set is empty.

Note: since an after entry uses a file structure, its name value can’t be a regex. This applies to req & inc entries too.

req

file set

Files that this plugin requires to be present. This plugin will load after any plugins listed. If any of these files are missing, an error message will be displayed. Intended for use specifying implicit dependencies, as LOOT will detect a plugin’s explicit masters itself. If undefined, the set is empty.

Note: if a condition is used in a req entry, a requirement message will only be displayed if the file isn’t present and the condition is true.

inc

file set

Files that this plugin is incompatible with. If any of these files are present, an error message will be displayed. If undefined, the set is empty.

msg

message list

The messages attached to this plugin. The messages will be displayed in the order that they are listed. If undefined, the list is empty.

tag

tag set

Bash Tags suggested for this plugin. If a Bash Tag is suggested for both addition and removal, the latter will override the former when the list is evaluated. If undefined, the set is empty.

url

location set

An unordered set of locations for this plugin. If the same version can be found at multiple locations, only one location should be recorded. If undefined, the set is empty.

dirty

cleaning data set

An unordered set of cleaning data structures for this plugin, identifying dirty plugins.

clean

cleaning data set

An unordered set of cleaning data structures for this plugin, identifying clean plugins. The itm, udr and nav fields are unused in this context, as they’re assumed to be zero.

Equality

The equality of two plugin data structures is determined by comparing the values of their name keys.

• If neither or both values are regular expressions, then the plugin data structures are equal if the lowercased values are identical.

• If one value is a regular expression, then the plugin data structures are equal if the other value is an exact match for it.

Merging Behaviour

Key	Merge Behaviour (merging B into A)
name	Not merged.
group	Replaced by B’s value only if A has no value set.
after	Merged. If B’s file set contains an item that is equal to one already present in A’s file set, B’s item is discarded.
req	Merged. If B’s file set contains an item that is equal to one already present in A’s file set, B’s item is discarded.
inc	Merged. If B’s file set contains an item that is equal to one already present in A’s file set, B’s item is discarded.
msg	Merged. B’s message list is appended to A’s message list.
tag	Merged. If B’s tag set contains an item that is equal to one already present in A’s tag set, B’s item is discarded.
url	Merged. If B’s location set contains an item that is equal to one already present in A’s location set, B’s item is discarded.
dirty	Merged. If B’s dirty data set contain an item that is equal to one already present in A’s dirty data set, B’s item is discarded.
clean	Merged. If B’s clean data set contain an item that is equal to one already present in A’s clean data set, B’s item is discarded.

Examples

name: 'Oscuro''s_Oblivion_Overhaul.esm'
req:
  - 'Oblivion.esm'  # Don't do this, Oblivion.esm is a master of Oscuro's_Oblivion_Overhaul.esm, so LOOT already knows it's required.
  - name: 'example.esp'
    display: '[Example Mod](http://www.example.com)'
    condition: 'version("Oscuro''s_Oblivion_Overhaul.esm", ==, "15.0")'
tag:
  - Actors.Spells
  - Graphics
  - Invent
  - Relations
  - Scripts
  - Stats
  - name: -Relations
    condition: 'file("Mart''s Monster Mod for OOO.esm") or file("FCOM_Convergence.esm")'
msg:
  - type: say
    content: 'Do not clean. "Dirty" edits are intentional and required for the mod to function.'