Is AutoModpack server-side or client-side?
Both. It needs to be installed on the server and on every client.
How do I add client-only mods to the pack?
Put them in automodpack/host-modpack/main/mods/ on the server. They ship to clients without the server loading them. The full guide is building the modpack.
How do I keep a server mod from reaching clients?
Add it to exclude in the server config, for example mods/the-server-mod.jar. Jars that declare themselves server-side drop out of that group when auto-exclude-server-side-mods is METADATA (the default). Client-only mods go the other way, into automodpack/host-modpack/main/mods/. The full steps, including a complete server/client split, are in which files reach clients.
How do I give players default keybinds and settings?
Put a prepared options.txt into automodpack/host-modpack/main/ on the server. It ships editable, so players own their changes afterwards. Mods like Default Options cannot do this job, because the pack files are written before mods load. The recipe is in default settings and keybinds.
How do I ship resource packs, and can they enable automatically?
Put them in automodpack/host-modpack/main/resourcepacks/. AutoModpack does not enable them: players tick them in Options once, or you ship an options.txt that lists them, or you ship Paxi alongside the packs. Both ways are in resource packs and shader packs. Shader packs are always picked in the shader mod's own menu.
How do I restrict access to my modpack?
Keep validate-secrets on in the server config, set online-mode=true in server.properties, and use the whitelist or bans as usual. Downloads then require a secret issued through the Minecraft login. See security.
Does it work on a LAN or a single-player world opened to others?
Yes. Generate the pack with /automodpack generate and start the host with /automodpack host start.
Does it work with single-player worlds shared through Essential, World Host, or e4mc?
Yes, since AutoModpack version 5, they should work just fine.
Can I use extra mods alongside the pack?
Yes. Put any mod in the instance's standard mods folder as usual.
Can I play on two AutoModpack servers with one instance?
Yes. One pack is active at a time. When you join a server whose pack differs, the mod offers the switch through a review screen, and nothing changes until you confirm it there. The other pack stays in the "Modpacks" list, and each pack keeps its own group selections. Switch back by joining the other server, or by activating the pack in the "Modpacks" list.
My friend already has one of the pack's mods. What happens?
Their own jar stays where it is. AutoModpack resolves the duplicate at update time and may ask them to remove the pack's duplicate copy, so only one version loads. A player who wants to keep their own version of a mod pins it in the client config.
Does AutoModpack add keybinds or chat commands for players?
No. Players get screens and buttons, like the "Modpacks" button on the multiplayer screen. Chat commands exist for server operators only and need permission level 3; see commands.
How do I delete files from the pack?
Delete them from the server, or add them to the exclude list. Both are described in building the modpack. Clients remove their copy on the next update when the ownership ledger proves the file was removed.
Can the pack delete arbitrary files from my computer?
The pack can only remove files it can prove it delivered: the path and the exact hash and size must match the pack's ownership ledger, and the file's bytes are kept on your side before deletion. Files you created or changed survive, and saves/, screenshots/, logs/, and automodpack/ are always off limits. The details are in client updates.
Will the pack overwrite my players' settings?
On the very first install, yes, once: the pack's copy of options.txt and any packed config replaces the file the player already had, and the player's previous version is kept on the instance timeline. From then on, files on the default editable list (options.txt, config/**) are the player's own: their edits survive every update, and only a real content change on the server replaces them again, exactly once. Non-editable files are kept identical to the pack. The full policy is in client updates.
A file came back after I deleted it. Why?
If the file is editable, the deletion holds until the server changes that file's content or removes the path from the editable list; either one brings the new version back exactly once. If the file is not editable, the pack resets it on the next launch. Both cases are covered in the editable policy.
My edit to a pack file vanished. Why?
The file was not on the editable list, so the pack reset it to the server's bytes. Your version is kept on the instance timeline and can be restored from there. To keep edits, add the path to editable in the server config.
Does it work on a hosting provider?
Yes, when the panel lets you add a jar to the server's mods folder and open a console. With the default settings the pack republishes on every server start, so restarting the server through the panel publishes changes without a console command. The default HOLEPUNCH mode needs no extra port; see hosting.
Do I have to open a port on my router?
Usually not. The default HOLEPUNCH mode carries the modpack connection through the Minecraft login, so it needs nothing beyond the already open Minecraft port. The modes and their port behavior are in hosting.
Can players still use the pack when the server is offline?
At game launch, an unreachable pack server is normal: the local pack keeps working, and the game starts with it. A pack host that is down while the Minecraft server is up fails the join handshake with a clear disconnect message.
What happens when the server updates AutoModpack itself?
Clients follow the version the server runs: they update or downgrade through Modrinth to match it. See AutoModpack's own updates.
Why does the pack live under host-modpack/main/?
Each group has a directory under automodpack/host-modpack/<group>/, and main is the default group. File rules live on each group in the modpack section of the server config.
What are groups?
Parts of a modpack that players pick in-game, like a shader bundle or a platform-specific mod set. The server admin declares them under a category in the modpack section of the server config. Each group is REQUIRED, RECOMMENDED, or OPTIONAL. Players pick the ones they want in the "Group Selection" screen, and the choice sticks across updates. They are covered in groups.
Is my launcher supported?
All standard launchers should just work; for wider compatibility, see the launcher list.
What happens to my pack if I move Minecraft to another computer?
The downloaded bytes and the saved certificate pins live in a per-user data root outside the instance folder, so they stay behind on the old computer. On the new computer the instance downloads the pack again on the first connection, and verification treats the server like a first contact. An instance whose store lives inside its own folder carries its bytes and pins with it, so nothing changes. The store locations are in files on disk.
Does AutoModpack update my mods to their latest versions?
AutoModpack keeps clients identical to the server, and updating the server's mods stays your job.
My players are stuck on the certificate verification screen.
That screen is the no-setup default: every player sees it on their first join until the server sets up silent verification. The player-side fix is one paste, and the screen never returns for that player. The server-side fix is one of the silent setups on the security page; with no domain, /automodpack host fingerprint share <address> is the one command that works for every server.
The join fails, or the verification screen rejects my fingerprint
Check the pasted fingerprint for typos, make sure the address matches what the admin shared, and ask the admin whether the certificate changed. Then check latest.log; see where the logs are.
My antivirus flagged a modpack file during an update.
Windows Defender cloud scans can pause file writes for tens of seconds. AutoModpack retries and finishes the update. When it does pause, close programs holding the modpack folder, including File Explorer windows, and start the game again.
Where are the logs?
In the standard Minecraft log, latest.log. When the detached update helper runs, its report is in automodpack/helper/last-helper-run.log.
I found a bug. What should I do?
Report it on the issue tracker. Include the Minecraft version, loader, and the log from the side that misbehaved.
I found a security vulnerability. What should I do?
Report it privately to the author on Discord.
Does AutoModpack collect any data about me?
No. The mod has no analytics and no telemetry. It contacts only the endpoints listed on the security page: file hash lookups, pack downloads, certificate record checks, and its own updates.
How do I remove AutoModpack?
On the server, delete the AutoModpack jar and the automodpack folder. Keep a backup first. On a client, open the "Modpacks" screen, remove the pack there (this deletes the pack's files), then delete the mod jar.