Modding:Player Guide/Troubleshooting

Did something go wrong with your mods? This is the page for you.

Common fixes

The basics

Try restarting your computer.
Make sure you have the latest version of SMAPI.
The SMAPI version is shown at the top of the SMAPI console window.
Make sure you have Stardew Valley 1.2.33 or later.
Click the "?" button on the title screen, and the version will appear in the bottom-left.

Reset your content files

Many problems are caused by broken game files (especially if you use XNB mods). You can reset your game files to fix that. Any XNB mods will be removed, but SMAPI mods won't be affected.

See instructions for Steam or for GOG Galaxy.
If you use SMAPI on Linux/Mac, reinstall SMAPI to fix the launcher.

expand for more options

If you don't want to reset all files, you have some other options.

Option 2: create retroactive backup to reset any file

If you installed XNB mods and want to reset one file you know is broken, you can just restore the original file. If you forgot to back it up, here's how to recover the original files without losing your modded ones:

Copy your game's Content folder to Content-modded.
Reset your game files (see instructions for Steam or for GOG Galaxy).
Copy your (now reset) Content folder to Content-backup.
Move Content-modded back to Content.

Now your content files are still modded, but you have a backup of the original files.

Option 3: troubleshoot XNB mods

If you installed XNB mods, you're not sure which caused the problem, and you don't want to remove all your XNB mods, here's how to figure out which one is causing the problem.

Back up any XNB mods you want to keep.
Reset your game files (see instructions for Steam or for GOG Galaxy). Any XNB mods will be removed, but SMAPI mods won't be affected.
If you use SMAPI on Linux/Mac, reinstall SMAPI to fix the launcher.
Launch the game to see if the problem is fixed.
Reinstall your XNB mods one at a time. After each install, test the game to make sure the mod doesn't cause problems.

Fix common error messages

"SMAPI can't find the game"

Make sure you're running StardewModdingAPI.exe in your game folder (see the install instructions).
Did you install SMAPI manually (not using install.exe)? Make sure you copied the right files: internal/Windows for Windows, or internal/Mono for Linux/Mac.

"SMAPI doesn't seem to be compatible with your game"

Make sure you have Stardew Valley 1.2.30 or later.

"Skipped '...' because it doesn't have a manifest.json"

SMAPI couldn't find the manifest.json file for the mod in that folder. That usually means it's not a SMAPI mod, so it won't work from the Mods folder. See that mod's documentation for install instructions.

"InvalidOperationException: This resource could not be created"

This usually means you have no speakers or headphones plugged in, which the game can't handle. Make sure you plug in an audio device (but it can be muted).

"SEHException: External component has thrown an exception"

The game crashed while preparing its audio, usually because it ran out of available memory. Note that Stardew Valley is limited to 2GB of memory by default, so this can happen even if you have plenty of available memory. This isn't caused by SMAPI directly, though SMAPI uses a bit more memory. Common solutions:

Make sure your audio is plugged in (e.g. speakers or headphones).
Restart your computer.
Close your browsers and any open apps before playing. (You can reopen them once the game is started.)
Remove any mods that change the game's audio (e.g. mods which add more music).
(experimental) If you have 64-bit Windows with at least 3GB of RAM, use the Large Address Aware tool on Stardew Valley.exe.

Steam: "missing executable"

Steam can't find the game launcher, usually because your Steam launch options are incorrect. Common fixes:

If you want to use SMAPI:
make sure it's installed and your launch options are correct (see install guide).
If you're uninstalling SMAPI:
1. In Steam, right-click Stardew Valley and choose Properties.
2. Click the Set Launch Options button.
3. Make sure the textbox is completely empty.

Fix other issues

SMAPI files disappear or your antivirus complains

Your antivirus might remove or complain about some SMAPI files. This is based on heuristic detection — SMAPI rewrites mods so they work on your computer, and rewriting files is something malware also does, so your antivirus got suspicious. Antiviruses learn to allow SMAPI after enough users download it, but this resets for each release. SMAPI doesn't have a trojan — you can check by reading the code, decompiling the download, or uploading it to VirusTotal.

If this happens, here's how to fix it:

Temporarily disable your antivirus.
Install SMAPI.
Add an exception to your antivirus for the Stardew Valley folder (search online for your antivirus name with the words add folder exception for instructions).

Steam: nothing happens when you launch game (Windows only)

Symptom: you launch the game, Steam shows 'running' for a few seconds, but the game doesn't open. You can usually fix that by doing this:

If you've already installed SMAPI, blank the Steam launch options so it runs the game without SMAPI.
Open your game folder.
Open the _CommonRedist folder, then XNA inside that, then 4.0.
Run the xnafx40_redist.msi file.
Restart your computer.
Launch the game.

If that works, you're done! (If you removed SMAPI in step one, you can reinstall it now.)

If it still doesn't work:

Install SMAPI (if you don't already have it).
Launch the game.
Ask for help and attach your SMAPI log.

Steam: controller not working properly

Common fixes:

Launch the game through Steam.
On Windows, make sure you set the launch options (see part 2 in the Windows install guide), don't add SMAPI as a non-Steam game.
As a last resort, you can use InputMapper (Windows) or SC Controller (Linux) to bypass Steam's controller features.

Mac: Mono Issues

Does SMAPI installation still not work after installing Mono from Mono? Try this alternative:

Install Homebrew
Run brew install mono mono-libgdiplus in terminal

Ask for help

Find your SMAPI log

The SMAPI log has useful info for troubleshooting problems (like your versions, mods, game path, errors, etc).

Here's how to share it:

Find the log file here:

Platform	Path
Windows	`%appdata%\StardewValley\ErrorLogs\SMAPI-latest.txt` (Paste "`%appdata%`" into the address bar, Windows knows where it is.)
Linux	`~/.config/StardewValley/ErrorLogs/SMAPI-latest.txt` (The folder is hidden by default. From Files, click Go » Enter Location and enter "~/.config".)
Mac	`~/.config/StardewValley/ErrorLogs/SMAPI-latest.txt` (The folder is hidden by default. From Finder, click Go » Go to Folder and enter "~/.config".)

Upload the file to log.smapi.io and share the link.

Find help

For help with a mod, the mod author is the best person to ask. These are the best ways to contact them:

the discussion thread linked to on the mod page (if any);
the 'bugs' section on the Nexus mod page (if any);
otherwise contact the author directly (e.g. use the 'Contact' button on the Nexus mod page).

For help with SMAPI, or if you can't ask the mod author, post in this thread or ask the community.

What to include in a bug report

Figuring out why something went wrong for someone else can be tough, so it helps if you include as much information as possible. Here's the most useful information you can give.

Describe your problem:
- Which mod has an issue?
- What is the problem? Be as descriptive as possible. (Does the game freeze or close? Does the screen go black? Does nothing at all happen?)
- What were you doing when it broke? Did you notice a pattern? For example, maybe it always breaks when you do a certain thing.
Describe your context:
- Do you use a mod manager? If so, which one?
- Do you play on Linux, Mac, or Windows?
Upload your SMAPI log to log.smapi.io (see instructions on that page), and add a link to your message.

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