Files and Data

Each mod has two folders: its installation folder, for the files it ships, and a data folder, for files it writes at runtime.

	Location	Purpose	On update
Info.Directory	Mods/<id>/	The mod's assemblies and shipped files: asset bundles, data tables, translations.	Replaced by the new version.
Info.DataDirectory	Lustral/data/<id>/	Files the mod writes at runtime: caches, saved data, downloads.	Preserved.
Config.FilePath	Lustral/config/<id>.toml	The mod's settings, edited by users.	Preserved.

Shipped Files

Every project file copied to the build output is deployed to the mod's folder under the same relative path. To include all files in an Assets folder:

<ItemGroup>
  <None Include="Assets\**" CopyToOutputDirectory="PreserveNewest" />
</ItemGroup>

The build copies Assets\names.json to Mods/<id>/Assets/names.json in the game, and release packages contain it at the same location. To read it:

var path = Path.Combine(Info.Directory, "Assets", "names.json");
var names = File.ReadAllText(path);

Asset bundles are loaded with Assets.LoadBundle, which accepts a path relative to the mod's folder.

Runtime Data

Do not write to the mod's installation folder: updates replace it entirely, and any files written there are lost. Use the data folder instead, which Lustral creates on first access:

var history = Path.Combine(Info.DataDirectory, "history.json");
File.WriteAllText(history, json);

Settings

For values users are expected to change, use settings rather than a custom file. Lustral generates the settings file with descriptions, adds settings introduced by updates, and reports invalid entries to the user.