What belongs in the archive's readme

Write a readme that tells someone what your mod needs, how to install and remove it, and whose work is in it.

Applies to
  • V
  • Multiplayer
  • Legacy
Last checked

The readme travels with the file. The mod's page can change, and people keep archives for years, so the readme has to stand on its own. Put it at the top level of the archive as plain text, named README.txt or README.md.

The site doesn't refuse an upload for having no readme. Reviewers do send versions back when the files and the page don't agree, or when credits are missing, and a readme is where both are easiest to get right.

What to put in it

  1. The mod's name, its version and your name. Use the same version label you give the upload, so someone can tell which release they have.
  2. What it is, in two or three sentences. Which game it's for, and whether it adds something or replaces something.
  3. What it needs. Every other mod, plugin or tool it depends on, with the version where that matters. For GTA V that usually means things like ScriptHookV, RAGE Plugin Hook, LSPDFR or ELS. For FiveM, name the framework and any resources it expects.
  4. How to install it. Numbered steps, with full paths. Say exactly which file goes where.
  5. How to remove it. Which files to delete and which lines to take back out.
  6. Known problems. Anything that doesn't work yet, and conflicts with other mods you know of.
  7. Credits and permissions. Who made each part that isn't yours, and that you have permission to include it. See Credits and permissions.
  8. What others may do with it. Whether people may edit it, reupload it, or use it on their own server.
  9. Where to reach you. A link to the mod's page here is enough.

Write paths out in full

"Put it in your mods folder" loses people. Give the whole path, in a code block if the readme is Markdown:

Grand Theft Auto V/mods/update/x64/dlcpacks/lspdexplorer/dlc.rpf

If a step edits a game file, name the file and show the exact line to add:

<Item>dlcpacks:/lspdexplorer/</Item>

Tell people to back up any file before they edit it.

Keep it in step with the page

The readme and the mod's description should say the same thing about what the mod needs and how it installs. When you put out a new version, update both. A changelog belongs on the version itself, where everyone can see it before downloading. See Versions and changelogs.

What to leave out

  • Links to download the mod somewhere else. The file people have is the file that was checked.
  • Passwords, license keys or anything paid.
  • Other people's readmes with their names removed. If you include someone's work, keep their credit.