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LINKS

Mod Organizer 2 - https://github.com/ModOrganizer2/modorganizer/releases

SSEEdit - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/164?tab=files

FO4Edit - https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/2737/?tab=files

FO4 PACT - https://www.nexusmods.com/fallout4/mods/69413

SSE PACT - https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/86683

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BEFORE YOU ASK

Is it safe to clean plugins?

Short answer? Yes. Long answer? Yeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee... Though PACT won't clean official DLC plugins for now.

Sometimes, a mod author will open a plugin record simply to investigate a field or property and not change anything. But the CK will still flag that record as edited, even if it remains identical in every way. These are Identical To Master Records (ITMs) They will frequently overwrite valid changes made by other mods and should be cleaned whenever possible. Intentional ITMs are next to nonexistent.

Undisabled References (UDRs) are potentially more harmful. Mod authors will sometimes delete records they no longer wish to use. Depending on what record has been deleted, other mods may try to reference it. When they can't find this record, this can lead to broken quests to game crashes. These records need to be restored and properly disabled.

Cleaning plugins removes Identical To Master Records (ITMs) and Undisabled References (UDRs), which is what PACT will automate. While cleaning official DLC plugins is recommended for Skyrim, it is NOT recommended for Fallout 4 All other mod plugins, including Creation Club Content, can and should be cleaned.

If you know any better, feel free to enlighten me.

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CONTENTS & FILES

PACT Readme.md - The file that you're reading right now.

Plugin Auto Cleaning Tool.exe - Main exe / tool for batch cleaning plugins with XEdit (FO4Edit, SSEEdit). Simply run it, then set up the required file paths and click on the big CLEAN PLUGINS button.

PACT Settings.ini - Configuration file for the main exe / tool where some parameters can be adjusted. This file will be auto generated after running the exe for the first time. Remove it to reset settings.

PACT Journal.log - Logging file where PACT records all cleaned plugins and deleted navmeshes found during each session.

PACT Ignore.txt - Additional file where you can exclude plugins from cleaning, simply add one plugin name to each line. This file will be auto generated after running the exe for the first time. Remove it to reset the ignore list.

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HOW TO USE PACT (DO NOT RUN PACT THROUGH MO2, RUN THE EXE NORMALLY)

After running the PACT EXE, you'll have to set up file paths for either loadorder.txt or plugins.txt and XEdit.exe executable. All paths can be set directly through PACT EXE or by manually editing PACT Settings.ini after you run the PACT EXE at least once.

• plugins.txt file contains all currently active plugins for your game.
• loadorder.txt file contains all currently loaded plugins for your game.

Vortex -> Both plugins.txt and loadorder.txt can be found by selecting Open > Game Application Data Folder in Vortex.

MO2 -> Both plugins.txt and loadorder.txt can be found in your current MO2 profile folder. (MO2 / profiles / )

• XEdit.exe file is the main program that does the actual cleaning, where the X part of the name is different depending on the game. You should run your XEdit tool at least once before running PACT to ensure that both tools are properly configured before cleaning plugins. Both FO4Edit (Fallout 4) and SSEEdit (Skyrim Special Edition) are supported and can be downloaded form their respective Nexus sites, links on top.

• Mod Organizer 2 users also need to set the file path for the ModOrganizer.exe executable in PACT. Vortex and other mod manager users don't need to do this, simply leave the MO2 EXE line blank.

MAKE SURE THAT MO2 IS COMPLETELY CLOSED BEFORE YOU START CLEANING

Once you set each file path, the buttons will turn green to indicate that the required files are correct, though you can still change them. Once at least loadorder.txt file and XEdit.exe executable are set, the START CLEANING button will become colored blue and enabled.

Press START CLEANING to start the cleaning process, at which point STOP CLEANING button will be displayed instead until cleaning completes. You can either press STOP CLEANING or exit the EXE to terminate the cleaning process. All other programs should also close shortly after.

While cleaning, PACT will show the number of plugins it found that need to be processed, then auto run the cleaning command for each one.

• If anything gets cleaned, PACT will tell you about it and any ITMs, URDs and other records it found after the whole cleaning session completes.
• If NOTHING gets cleaned, PACT will automatically add that plugin name to the ignore / exclude list, which is the PACT Ignore.txt file.

You can add or remove plugin names from PACT Ignore.txt if you wish to include or exclude certain plugins from cleaning.

PACT will add to PACT Ignore.txt file any plugin which is already clean (no ITMs or UDRs found to clean). PACT will skip and add to ignore list any plugin that XEdit cannot load because of missing plugin requirements. PACT will also skip other invalid plugins, though it will take 5 minutes for the process to time out, unless you close XEdit manually.

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IF YOU WANT TO STOP PACT AND XEDIT POP-UPS FROM BOTHERING YOU

Simply press [ WIN ] + [ CTRL ] + [ -> ] keys on your keyboard to switch to another virtual desktop. Run PACT there and switch back to your main desktop with [ WIN ] + [ CTRL ] + [ <- ]

More info and complete guide here:

• Windows 11 - https://www.howtogeek.com/796349/how-to-use-virtual-desktops-on-windows-11/
• Windows 10 - https://www.howtogeek.com/197625/how-to-use-virtual-desktops-in-windows-10/

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KNOWN ISSUES

PACT SHOULD ONLY CLEAN ONE ( 1 ) PLUGIN AT A TIME AND ONLY HAVE ONE ( 1 ) INSTANCE OF FO4EDIT OPEN IF IT STARTS SPAMMING MULTIPLE XEDIT WINDOWS, IMMEDIATELY CLOSE PACT AND REPORT TO PACT NEXUS SITE

• If any plugin takes longer than 5 minutes to clean, PACT will automatically close XEdit and skip that plugin. (You can close XEdit yourself to skip the wait. PACT will add that plugin name to the ignore list in PACT Ignore.txt)

• If you get a message in XEdit saying Exactly one module must be selected for Quick Clean mode, this means either:

1. The plugin name is invalid. Simply press OK to close XEdit and PACT will continue cleaning other plugins.
2. You didn't set the ModOrganizer.exe file path correctly and PACT is running in Vortex mode instead.

• If you get an error in XEdit saying This application failed to start because no Qt Platform..., this means either:

1. You are trying to run PACT with MO2 already open. Don't do that. Close all MO2 instances and run PACT normally.
2. Your MO2 might be missing some files. Make sure to reinstall latest 2.4 version of MO2 or try the portable version.

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LATEST CHANGES

1.75

• Fixed an issue where PACT would sometimes refuse to start if loadorder.txt was set.
• Fixed an issue where PACT would error out if PACT Journal.log didn't already exist.
• Updated PACT Readme with some more details.