Addons

An addon is a folder with a swofty.json at its root, shared as a .swoftyaddon file and installed on the launcher's Addons page. The manifest lists what the addon ships:

• Data. Operations that change the game's database, text, archives and files. No code runs. An addon with only operations is a data addon.
• Code. An engine plugin, a DLL that runs inside F1 25, and a launcher plugin, a program that adds pages and commands to the launcher. An addon with either is a code addon.

One addon can ship data and code together. Content players drop on the Mods page (.serps packages, track zips) is a mod, not an addon; see Mods.

Make an addon

1. Create the folder and swofty.json. Give the addon an id, name, version and author; Your first addon walks through it, and the manifest lists every field.
2. Add operations, code or both. List data changes under operations (Data addons), name a DLL in operations.native (Engine plugins), or name a program in launcher (Launcher plugins). A template gives you a working start.
3. Add settings. Declare options so players can change your addon from the launcher and in game (Settings).
4. Build and test. Install the folder, run swofty build, read the warnings, then play with swofty run --apply (Build and test).
5. Package and publish. Zip the folder's contents as a .swoftyaddon and share it (Packaging and publishing).

The smallest addon installs and does nothing:

{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "id": "me.my-addon",
  "name": "My Addon",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "author": "Me",
  "compat": { "game": "f1_25" }
}

swofty addons install ./my-addon

Pick your path

You want to	Path	Manifest field	Start at
Change database values, in-game text, textures, models or loose files	Data addon	operations	Data addons
Run code in the game: hooks, telemetry, an overlay	Engine plugin	operations.native	Engine plugins
Add launcher pages, an importer, commands or a build step	Launcher plugin	launcher	Launcher plugins
Move or add elements on a menu screen, or add a screen	Menu edit	operations.erp, operations.screens	Menus and UI
Change the race's colours with a LUT	Shader pack	shader	Shader packs

One manifest can combine them. This one has a database operation, an engine plugin, a launcher page and a setting:

{
  "schema_version": 1,
  "id": "me.my-addon",
  "name": "My Addon",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "author": "Me",
  "compat": { "game": "f1_25" },
  "options": [{ "id": "verbose", "type": "toggle", "label": "Verbose", "default": false, "binds": "native" }],
  "operations": {
    "database": ["db/changes.json"],
    "native": [{ "dll": "native/my_plugin.dll" }]
  },
  "launcher": {
    "program": { "linux": "bin/helper", "windows": "bin/helper.exe" },
    "sections": [{ "id": "items", "title": "Items", "icon": "package" }]
  }
}

What's in this section

Page	What it covers
Your first addon	A complete addon with one setting and a launcher page, built and installed step by step
Templates	The two repository templates, what each file is and how to build them
Settings	Declaring options, reading them in operations, engine plugins and launcher plugins
Packaging and publishing	Building, testing in game, reading logs, packaging a .swoftyaddon and releasing it
Addon manifest	Every swofty.json field

What the launcher does with an addon

1. Install. swofty addons install <path> checks the manifest and copies the addon to $DATA/addons/<id>/.
2. Enable. Your profile lists the addons it uses, their load order and each addon's settings.
3. Build. Press Play (or run swofty build) and the launcher applies every enabled addon's operations to copies of the game's files, or queues them for the game to apply in memory. It also runs each launcher plugin's build step.
4. Launch. The launcher puts the build and the in-game loader into the game folder. The loader starts SwoftyMod, which loads each addon's engine plugin.
5. Play. Open ADDON SETTINGS in game to see each addon's options. Change one and its engine plugin receives the change right away.
6. Exit. Settings you changed in game are saved back to the profile, and the game folder returns to how it was.