README

DevModManager Dependency Checker — DMMDeps

DMMDeps is a dependency discovery and archive-list generation tool for Starfield mods.

It scans a Starfield plugin and follows its referenced assets to produce complete, reviewable file lists for packaging and archive creation. It is designed to help mod authors identify the meshes, materials, textures, scripts, terrain data, interface assets, voices, animations, and other resources required by a plugin.

Download

Download the latest release here:

Download the latest DMMDeps release

Two Windows x64 builds are provided:

• dmmdeps.zip — Slim, framework-dependent single-executable build. Requires the .NET 10 Runtime to be installed.
• dmmdeps-fat.zip — Self-contained single-executable build. Includes the required .NET 10 runtime and does not require a separate .NET installation.

Extract the selected ZIP and run dmmdeps.exe.

What DMMDeps Does

DMMDeps scans Starfield .esm and .esp plugins and discovers referenced assets including:

• Meshes and external geometry
• Materials and textures
• PC, Xbox, and PS5 asset paths where applicable
• Papyrus scripts and imported script dependencies
• Terrain data, biome data, overlay masks, and source TIF files
• Inventory, Ship Builder, and Workshop interface icons
• Voice assets
• Animations, behaviors, morphs, rigs, particles, and Havok assets
• Additional plugin-defined resources recognized by the dependency readers

NIF dependency discovery uses structured Bethesda-family parsing and typed Starfield block fields where available, with diagnostic fallback handling for incomplete or unsupported files.

Basic Usage

dmmdeps.exe "C:\Path\To\Starfield\Data\YourMod.esm"

DMMDeps writes its output files beside the plugin.

Example:

YourMod.achlist
YourMod.achlist_warn
YourMod.achlist_discard
YourMod_deps.csv
YourMod_deps.json

Output Files

.achlist

The primary asset list.

It contains verified PC file paths that should normally be included in the mod package or passed to the archive-management workflow.

.achlist_warn

Assets that were discovered but also exist in an allowed parent archive.

These entries may be valid parent dependencies, intentionally overridden files, or items that require manual review.

.achlist_discard

High-probability false positives or invalid paths discovered while decoding source assets.

These entries are normally excluded from packaging but are retained for review and troubleshooting.

_deps.csv

A detailed spreadsheet-friendly dependency report containing file paths, asset types, platform paths, discovery sources, and related metadata.

_deps.json

The full dependency manifest in JSON format.

This file is omitted when using --silent.

Common Examples

Automatic discovery

dmmdeps.exe "C:\Games\Starfield\Data\YourMod.esm"

Custom development layout

dmmdeps.exe "G:\ModDev\YourMod.esm" --gameroot "C:\Games\Starfield" --tifroot "G:\Source\TGATextures"

Include Papyrus source files

dmmdeps.exe "C:\Games\Starfield\Data\YourMod.esm" --include-psc

Preserve parent .mat files

dmmdeps.exe "C:\Games\Starfield\Data\YourMod.esm" --preserve-parent-mat

This keeps matching parent-archive material files in the generated asset list without recursively packaging the textures referenced by those parent materials.

Seed from an existing .achlist

dmmdeps.exe "C:\Games\Starfield\Data\YourMod.esm" --smartclobber

This preserves useful manually added entries from an existing asset list while rebuilding discovered dependencies.

Force a parent-archive cache rebuild

dmmdeps.exe "C:\Games\Starfield\Data\YourMod.esm" --rebuildcache

This is intended for troubleshooting. DMMDeps normally detects parent-archive changes automatically.

Quiet CI/CD execution

dmmdeps.exe "C:\Games\Starfield\Data\YourMod.esm" --silent

Command-Line Options

dmmdeps.exe <pluginPath> [options]

Options:
  --gameroot <path>        Override the game root directory
  --xboxdata <path>        Override the Xbox Data root
  --ps5data <path>         Override the PS5 Data root
  --tifroot <path>         Override the source TIF root
  --scriptsroot <path>     Override the Scripts directory
  --test                   Write a test achlist instead of replacing the normal output
  --quiet                  Suppress routine skipped-file messages
  --silent                 Suppress output except startup and completion information
  --verbose                Emit detailed dependency and diagnostic information
  --smartclobber           Seed candidates from an existing achlist
  --rebuildcache           Force rebuilding the parent-archive cache
  --include-psc            Include Papyrus source files
  --preserve-parent-mat    Keep matching parent material files without walking their textures

Run the executable without arguments to see the authoritative option list for the installed version.

Parent-Archive Cache

DMMDeps maintains a local SQLite index of files found in allowed parent BA2 and ZIP archives.

The cache is stored beneath:

%LOCALAPPDATA%\ZeeOgre\dmmdeps\

Cache validation uses a two-stage process:

1. File length and UTC last-write metadata are checked first.
2. Same-length archives with changed timestamps are verified using XXH128 content fingerprints.

Unchanged archives normally require no archive read or content hash. Changed archives are rescanned and their stored fingerprint is refreshed.

Use --rebuildcache only when troubleshooting or when a manual rebuild is specifically desired.

Archive Manager Wrapper

The repository also includes a PowerShell-based Starfield Archive Manager workflow that can:

• Run DMMDeps
• Generate archive lists
• Build PC and Xbox BA2 archives
• Preserve selected parent material files
• Force rebuilding the parent-archive cache
• Manage archive-related backup and publishing operations

The wrapper exposes the commonly used DMMDeps settings through its Archive Management interface.

Requirements

Slim build

The slim dmmdeps.zip build requires:

• Windows x64
• .NET 10 Runtime
• Starfield or a configured Starfield development layout

Self-contained build

The dmmdeps-fat.zip build requires:

• Windows x64
• No separate .NET installation

Release Notes

Version-specific changes are maintained in:

CHANGELOG.md

The latest packaged release and its release notes are always available here:

Latest DevModManager release

License

DevModManager and DMMDeps are licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 only.

See the repository license and THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md for full licensing and attribution information.