In the context of Cyberpunk modding, the core mods are often interchangeable called "(core) frameworks".
If you are trying to troubleshoot your core mods, you can run the log file utility.
TL;DR: What do I download?
For an explanation of what the individual core mods do, see below.
ArchiveXL – TweakXL –Codeware – Equipment-EX
What is a core mod?
While the game natively supports mods, this would have had us limited to replacing already existing items, but we wanted flying cars. So a bunch of brilliant people drilled deep into the code of Cyberpunk 2077 and created a bunch of tools that let us do more.
The most prominent example of a core mod is the Skyrim Script Extender — fortunately, Cyberpunk 2077 is rather more stable.
Since this kind of mod interacts with the game on such a fundamental level, they are prone to breaking whenever CDPR changes their API. This is the reason why game updates break mods — we recommend to turn off auto-update and manually upgrading once the core mods you need have been brought up-to-date.
Existing core mods
Redscript
Redscript (Nexus | GitHub) is an open-source programming language and toolkit (currently includes a compiler, a decompiler and a disassembler), natively working with Cyberpunk 2077's scripting runtime.
The scripts are compiled into a binary format recognizable by the game engine. The final blob includes original game scripts with all changes from the mods, and replaces original r6/cache/final.redscripts or r6/cache/modded/final.redscripts.
Redscript supports importing native types and functions registered by mods based on RED4ext.SDK, allowing modders to extend scripting runtime functionality.
Some examples for existing mod include, but are not limited to
changing combat balance
editing NPC behaviour
altering the interface
adding or removing UI widgets
Cyber Engine Tweaks (CET)
Requires RED4ext.
Cyber Engine Tweaks (Nexus | GitHub) is a framework with a LUA wrapper, which will let you access anything exposed via RTTI, i.e. all scripted and native types and functions, including those added using redscript and RED4ext. On top of that, it lets you bind hotkeys for custom functions and interact with the game's TweakDB database at runtime.
Changes made via CET's Tweak Browser are not persistent, because the TweakDB gets changed at run-time. You can use TweakXL or create a CET mod to apply your changes each time the TweakDB is initialized.
Lots of mods and scripts run on top of CET, tweaking the game in various ways from changing the weather to adding a wardrobe system before CDPR added one.
The perhaps most prominent example is Appearance Menu Mod (wiki | Nexus), which turns Cyberpunk 2077 into The Sims: Capitalist Dystopia.
RED4ext
RED4ext (Nexus | GitHub) is Cyberpunk 2077's equivalent to Skyrim Script Extender. It consists of two parts:
RED4ext Loader – Loads and manages .dll plugins from red4ext/plugins. Provides essential functions such as game version checking, logging, hooking, and some REDengine 4 specific helpers for plugins.
RED4ext.SDK – Contains the reversed engineered types and helpers to extend the engine. It can also be used independently of RED4ext loader. Originally written in C++, but there's also a Rust binding.
With RED4ext >= 1.13, you no longer need cybercmd. Make sure to uninstall it!
ArchiveXL
Requires RED4ext.
ArchiveXL (Nexus | GitHub) allows modders to load custom resources into Cyberpunk 2077. Working under the hood, it is the essential tool to add and extend rather than replace. It also includes script extensions to, for example, load UI widgets from any resources than only those available to the current context.
For ArchiveXL specific documentation, check the corresponding sub-page.
TweakXL
Requires RED4ext.
TweakXL (Nexus | GitHub) allows modders to modify TweakDB in the form of .yaml or .tweak files. It also adds a scripting API allowing redscript mods to apply changes during TweakDB initialization or dynamically.
Codeware
Requires RED4ext.
Codeware (Nexus | GitHub) is a library and framework for redscript and Cyber Engine Tweaks mods. It exposes many engine types and functions that are not available by default and adds new functionalities regarding many aspects of the game, such as:
game events and life cycle
spawning game objects
manipulating world states
building UI widgets
accessing type information
... and much more.
Equipment-EX
Equipment-EX (Nexus | GitHub) makes use of every single one of the frameworks mentioned above to overhaul CDPR's wardrobe system. Extending it from 6 slots to more than 30, it lets you save an unlimited number of outfits and supports modded items.
RedFileSystem
Requires RED4ext.
RedFileSystem (Nexus | GitHub) is a library for redscript and Cyber Engine Tweaks mods. It exposes functions to read / write with the file system. It supports UTF8 text and Json formats. Modders can create, read and write files within game's directory. It can be useful to store custom data, for example in a mod's directory.
Log files for core mods
Logs: Cyber Engine Tweaks
Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks\cyber_engine_tweaks.logThis will tell you what mods and scripts CET is loading, and if there have been any errors in the process.
If all goes well, it will look like this:
[2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Options] [3004] Cyber Engine Tweaks is starting...[2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Options] [3004] CET version v1.24.1 [HEAD][2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Options] [3004] Game version 1.6202[2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Options] [3004] Root path: "C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64"[2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Options] [3004] Cyber Engine Tweaks path: "C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks"[2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Options] [3004] Lua scripts search path: "C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\bin\x64\plugins\cyber_engine_tweaks\mods"[2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [StateTickOverride] [3004] Main thread function CBaseInitializationState::OnTick hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [StateTickOverride] [3004] Main thread function CInitializationState::OnTick hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [StateTickOverride] [3004] Main thread function CRunningState::OnTick hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [StateTickOverride] [3004] Main thread function CShutdownState::OnTick hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [HookGame] [3004] CRenderNode_Present_InternalPresent function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [HookGame] [3004] CRenderGlobal_Resize function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [HookGame] [3004] CRenderGlobal_Shutdown function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] RealRunScriptFunction function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] RealCreateFunction function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] CScript::Log function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] CScript::LogChannel function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] CScript::TDBIDConstructorDerive function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] CScript::ToStringDEBUG function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] CScript::TranslateBytecode function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] CScript::TweakDBLoad function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] PlayerSystem::OnPlayerSpawned function hook complete![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [Hook] [3004] Hook mouse clip function![2023-04-21 23:23:30 UTC+01:00] [info] [OptionsInitHook] [3004] Hidden options hook: success[2023-04-21 23:23:31 UTC+01:00] [info] [InitializeTweakDBMetadata] [15668] CDPRTweakDBMetadata::Initalize() - Primary TweakDB initialization successful!Logs: Redscript
Cyberpunk 2077\r6\logs\redscript_rCURRENT.logIt will tell you which .reds files it has been loading, and if any of them failed.
Please note the warning in the log:
If the mod is working, ignore it
If the mod isn't working, this tells you what to check. You can't have mods installed twice!
If all goes well, it will look like this:
[INFO - Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:08:08 +0100] Using defaults for the script manifest (manifest not present)[INFO - Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:08:08 +0100] Compiling files: C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\r6\scripts\a-bunch-of-stores-atelier-store.reds, C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\r6\scripts\virtual-atelier\vendor-preview\GarmentItemPreview.reds[WARN - Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:08:08 +0100] At C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\r6\scripts\appearanceChangeUnlocker\mirrorUnlocker.reds:38:1:@addField(inkScrollArea)^^^field with this name is already defined in the class, this will have no effect(a bunch of these warnings)[INFO - Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:08:08 +0100] Compilation complete[INFO - Sat, 22 Apr 2023 10:08:08 +0100] Output successfully saved in C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\r6\cacheLogs: RED4ext
Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext\logs\red4ext.logIt will tell you which of the plugin DLLs it has been loading.
If all goes well, it will look like this (version numbers are fake):
[2023-04-22 10:08:05.698] [RED4ext] [info] RED4ext (v4.7.11) is initializing...[2023-04-22 10:08:05.698] [RED4ext] [info] Game patch: 4.511 Hotfix 999[2023-04-22 10:08:05.698] [RED4ext] [info] Product version: 4.511[2023-04-22 10:08:05.698] [RED4ext] [info] File version: 4.7.11.13361[2023-04-22 10:08:05.717] [RED4ext] [info] RED4ext has been successfully initialized[2023-04-22 10:08:05.816] [RED4ext] [info] RED4ext is starting up...[2023-04-22 10:08:05.816] [RED4ext] [info] Loading plugins...[2023-04-22 10:08:05.816] [RED4ext] [info] Loading plugin from 'C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext\plugins\ArchiveXL\ArchiveXL.dll'...[2023-04-22 10:08:05.874] [RED4ext] [info] ArchiveXL (version: 4.7.11, author(s): psiberx) has been loaded[2023-04-22 10:08:05.874] [RED4ext] [info] Loading plugin from 'C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext\plugins\Codeware\Codeware.dll'...[2023-04-22 10:08:06.180] [RED4ext] [info] Codeware (version: 5.7.11, author(s): psiberx) has been loaded[2023-04-22 10:08:06.180] [RED4ext] [info] Loading plugin from 'C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext\plugins\RedHotTools\RedHotTools.dll'...[2023-04-22 10:08:06.262] [RED4ext] [info] RedHotTools (version: 1.6.11, author(s): psiberx) has been loaded[2023-04-22 10:08:06.263] [RED4ext] [info] Loading plugin from 'C:\Games\Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext\plugins\TweakXL\TweakXL.dll'...[2023-04-22 10:08:06.291] [RED4ext] [info] TweakXL (version: 4.8.12, author(s): psiberx) has been loaded[2023-04-22 10:08:06.291] [RED4ext] [info] 4 plugin(s) loaded[2023-04-22 10:08:06.291] [RED4ext] [info] RED4ext has been started[2023-04-22 10:09:13.572] [RED4ext] [info] RED4ext is shutting down...[2023-04-22 10:09:14.297] [RED4ext] [info] ArchiveXL has been unloaded[2023-04-22 10:09:14.322] [RED4ext] [info] TweakXL has been unloaded[2023-04-22 10:09:14.353] [RED4ext] [info] RedHotTools has been unloaded[2023-04-22 10:09:14.468] [RED4ext] [info] Codeware has been unloaded[2023-04-22 10:09:14.469] [RED4ext] [info] 4 plugin(s) unloaded[2023-04-22 10:09:14.488] [RED4ext] [info] RED4ext has been shut downLogs: ArchiveXL
Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext\plugins\ArchiveXL\ArchiveXL.logTells you which .xl files have been found and processed and what it has been adding into the game files upon startup.
If it loads correctly, you will see something like this:
Note that the example contains a bunch of warnings. That indicates problems with the modded files (which I ignore, since they are working),
[2023-04-22 10:08:06.654] [info] Scanning for archive extensions...[2023-04-22 10:08:06.654] [info] Reading "something.xl"...[2023-04-22 10:08:06.667] [info] Configuration completed.[2023-04-22 10:08:11.443] [info] |Localization| Initializing voiceover index...[2023-04-22 10:08:11.444] [info] |Localization| No voiceover maps to merge.[2023-04-22 10:08:11.469] [info] |Localization| Initializing translations for "en-us" language...[2023-04-22 10:08:11.469] [info] |Localization| Processing "something.xl"...[2023-04-22 10:08:11.469] [info] |Localization| Merging entries from "your\mod\name\translations.json"...[2023-04-22 10:08:11.474] [warning] |Localization| Some translations merged with issues.[2023-04-22 10:08:11.512] [info] |Localization| Initializing subtitles for "en-us" language...[2023-04-22 10:08:11.512] [info] |Localization| No subtitles to merge.[2023-04-22 10:08:17.489] [info] |Journal| Journal tree is initializing...[2023-04-22 10:08:17.489] [info] |Journal| No entries to merge.[2023-04-22 10:08:18.381] [info] |FactoryIndex| Initializing factory index...[2023-04-22 10:08:18.382] [info] |FactoryIndex| Processing "something.xl"...[2023-04-22 10:08:18.382] [info] |FactoryIndex| Adding factory "your\mod\name\factory.csv"...[2023-04-22 10:08:29.926] [info] |FactoryIndex| All factories added to the index.[2023-04-22 10:08:29.863] [info] |Streaming| World streaming is initializing...[2023-04-22 10:08:29.863] [info] |Streaming| Processing "your_streaming_sector.xl"...[2023-04-22 10:08:29.863] [warning] |Streaming| Streaming blocks merged with issues.[2023-04-22 10:08:35.585] [info] |Localization| Initializing lipsync maps for "en-us" language...[2023-04-22 10:08:35.585] [info] |Localization| No lipsync maps to merge.Logs: TweakXL
Cyberpunk 2077\red4ext\plugins\TweamXL\TweakXL.logTells you which tweaks have been read and processed, pointing out errors and warnings in the process. If your custom item additions don't work, you might find a hint here.
If it loads correctly, you will see something like this:
[2023-04-22 10:08:16.150] [info] Scanning for tweaks...[2023-04-22 10:08:16.150] [info] Reading "something.yaml"...[2023-04-22 10:08:16.416] [error] Items.a_wip_mod.your_item.icon.atlasPartName: Invalid value, expected CName.[2023-04-22 10:08:16.416] [warning] Items.a_wip_mod_appearance: Cannot clone Items.a_wip_mod_appearance, the record doesn't exists.[2023-04-22 10:08:16.416] [info] Importing tweaks...[2023-04-22 10:08:17.064] [info] Import completed.[2023-04-22 10:08:17.066] [info] Executing scriptable tweaks...[2023-04-22 10:08:17.066] [info] Executing "EquipmentEx.PatchOriginaltems"...[2023-04-22 10:08:17.307] [info] Executing "EquipmentEx.PatchCustomItems"...[2023-04-22 10:08:17.422] [info] Executing "EquipmentEx.RegisterOutfitSlots"...[2023-04-22 10:08:17.450] [info] Executing "EquipmentEx.RegisterAppearanceSuffixes"...[2023-04-22 10:08:17.451] [info] Execution completed.[2023-04-22 10:08:17.451] [warning] Items.aModdedItem.aTweak refers to a non-existent record or flat.