Installing, Updating & Removing OpenMod Plugins

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Installing, Updating & Removing OpenMod Plugins
Public Administrator Guide
GGU Public Technical Knowledge Base

Public Knowledge Base:
This article is written for both GGU administrators and the wider server-hosting community. General instructions are platform-neutral where possible; GGU-specific practices are identified separately.

 

Applies To

• OpenMod server operators

 

Prerequisites

• OpenMod is already installed
• Console or panel access
• A known plugin package/source

 

What You’ll Accomplish

Install, update, remove, reload, and verify OpenMod plugins safely.

 

Before Installing a Plugin

• Identify the plugin ID/package name and authoritative download source.
• Check whether it targets your game/platform and OpenMod environment.
• Read dependency requirements and configuration notes.
• Back up production configuration before replacing an existing plugin.
• Prefer a test server for major updates or plugins that alter persistence/data.

 

Install from NuGet

OpenMod's documented package workflow installs plugins with the OpenMod command interface.

openmod install <package-id>

To request a specific package version:

openmod install <package-id>@<version>

The upstream documentation also supports pre-release installation with the appropriate pre-release option. Use pre-release builds deliberately; they may be less stable.

 

Manual Installation

For a manually distributed plugin, place the plugin DLL and any required libraries in the OpenMod plugins area according to the plugin author's package structure. Do not scatter DLLs through unrelated directories.

 

Apply the Change

The OpenMod plugin documentation states that installation, update, or removal changes require an OpenMod reload before they take effect.

openmod reload

 

Verify

1. Watch the console during reload.
2. Check for dependency or load errors.
3. Confirm the plugin appears to initialize.
4. Run a harmless plugin command or status check.
5. Inspect the plugin's configuration directory.
6. Check logs for warnings that may not be obvious in-game.

 

Updating

For NuGet-installed plugins, running the install command again is the documented update path. For manually installed plugins, replace the plugin binary according to the author's instructions, then reload OpenMod.

 

Removing

NuGet-installed packages can be removed through OpenMod's remove command. Manually installed plugins are removed by deleting their plugin files. Back up configuration/data first if you may need to restore the plugin.

 

Common Mistakes

• Forgetting `openmod reload` after installing/updating/removing.
• Installing a plugin for the wrong game/platform.
• Updating a plugin without checking configuration changes.
• Deleting plugin data during an otherwise routine update.
• Assuming a successful download means a successful plugin load.

 

GGU Implementation Notes

On GGU production servers, treat plugin updates as production changes: preserve the current plugin/configuration, know the rollback version, watch startup/reload logs, and validate commands/permissions after deployment. In-house plugin binaries should come from the approved GGU build/release workflow rather than an arbitrary local copy.

 

Upstream References

• OpenMod Plugins

 

Golden Gamers United — Public Technical Knowledge Base
General guidance first. GGU implementation details second.