The 7 Days to Die Mod Manager is the tool you use to add, enable, disable, and remove mods on a 7 Days to Die server you host with Loafhosts. In 7 Days to Die a mod is called a “modlet,” and the single most important thing to know up front is that every modlet is a folder — not a single file — that lives under your server’s Mods directory and contains a ModInfo.xml descriptor. The Mod Manager handles all of that folder shuffling for you: you upload a zip or apply a curated preset, and it extracts, validates, and places the modlet correctly. This guide covers exactly what the Mod Manager does, where to find it, the difference between server-side and client-required mods, how Easy Anti-Cheat (EAC) and “modded mode” work, and the curated modpack presets it offers.
What the 7 Days to Die Mod Manager Does
The Mod Manager gives you one screen to manage every modlet on your server. From it you can see what is installed, upload a new modlet as a zip, install one from an allowlisted download URL, apply a curated modpack preset, enable or disable individual modlets, and remove the ones you no longer want. It also surfaces the EAC state of your server and lets you flip between vanilla and modded mode, because some mods cannot load while EAC is on. Behind the scenes it writes into the Mods folder, validates each modlet’s ModInfo.xml, and keeps a record of what it installed so the list stays accurate.
Note: A 7 Days to Die mod is a “modlet” — a folder under Mods that contains a ModInfo.xml file
Note: The Mod Manager installs, enables, disables, and removes modlets, and applies curated modpack presets
Note: It also shows whether EAC is on or off and lets you switch between vanilla and modded mode
Where to Find the Mod Manager
The Mod Manager appears as a Mods item in the left sidebar, in the Game section of your server’s dashboard, alongside the other game tools. It only shows up on 7 Days to Die servers — the panel checks that this is a 7 Days to Die server with the plugin enabled before it adds the item, so you will not see it on a Minecraft, Rust, or Arma server. Click Mods and the manager opens in place over the normal content area, keeping your sidebar and header where they are. The page is organised into three tabs — Installed, Add a mod, and Modpacks — with an EAC status banner across the top.
Note: The Mods item lives in the Game section of the server sidebar
Note: It is only present on 7 Days to Die servers, so other game types never show it
Tip: The page has three tabs — Installed, Add a mod, and Modpacks — plus an EAC banner at the top
Modlets Are Folders, Not Files
This is the biggest structural difference from other games. A Minecraft mod is a single .jar and a Rust plugin is a single .cs file, but a 7 Days to Die modlet is a whole folder, and the game only loads it if its ModInfo.xml sits at the top of that folder. When you upload a zip, the Mod Manager extracts it, and if the archive wraps everything in a single outer folder it automatically unwraps that layer so the ModInfo.xml ends up at the right depth. It then checks that the ModInfo.xml is present and looks like a real 7 Days to Die descriptor before placing the modlet under Mods. If no valid ModInfo.xml is found, the install is rejected rather than leaving a broken folder behind.
Note: Each modlet is placed in its own folder under your server’s Mods directory
Note: The Mod Manager unwraps a single outer wrapper folder so ModInfo.xml lands at the correct level
Warning: A zip without a valid ModInfo.xml is rejected — a folder with no descriptor is not a loadable modlet
Server-Side and Client-Required Mods
After it places a modlet, the Mod Manager inspects the folder and gives it a badge, because not every mod behaves the same way for your players. A Server-side only modlet (shown with a green badge) is pure XML — loot, stack-size, and XP tweaks and similar — and the server pushes those changes to clients automatically, so players do not have to install anything. A Client required modlet (shown with an amber badge) contains compiled code or custom assets, such as a .dll, a Harmony patch, or texture, prefab, and UI folders. Those cannot be delivered automatically: every player has to install the same mod locally, and the server has to run with EAC off. The manager reads the folder contents to decide which badge to apply, so you can see at a glance what a mod will ask of your players.
Note: Server-side only (green) modlets are XML-only and need nothing installed on the player’s end
Warning: Client required (amber) modlets contain DLLs or assets, so every player must install the same mod locally and EAC must be off
Tip: A mod that you added over SFTP, which the panel did not install, shows up as External (grey) in the list
EAC and Modded Mode
Easy Anti-Cheat sits at the top of the Mod Manager as a banner showing whether EAC is currently on or off, with a button to switch. With EAC on (vanilla mode), only XML-only modlets work; a DLL, Harmony, or asset mod will kick every player who joins. To run code mods you switch to modded mode by turning EAC off, which the manager does by writing the EACEnabled value in your serverconfig.xml. Turning EAC off is an anti-cheat posture change, so the manager always asks you to confirm it first — it never flips silently. One important side effect: any non-empty Mods folder already disables console crossplay, and turning EAC off disables crossplay for the session as well. While crossplay is active, the game also caps your server at eight slots.
Note: With EAC on, only XML-only (server-side) modlets work; DLL and asset mods need EAC off
Warning: Turning EAC off (modded mode) disables console crossplay, and the manager asks you to confirm before doing it
Note: Any non-empty Mods folder disables console crossplay, and crossplay caps the server at eight slots
Adding a Mod by Uploading a Zip
On the Add a mod tab, choose Upload a zip. Pick a .zip file that contains a modlet folder with its ModInfo.xml, optionally set a folder name (it defaults to the mod’s own name), and click Upload & install. The zip is uploaded into a private staging folder on your server, then extracted; the Mod Manager unwraps any single wrapper folder, validates the ModInfo.xml, classifies the modlet as server-side or client-required, and moves it into your Mods directory. Uploading a file needs the file-create permission, so a subuser without it will not be able to use this route. There is a generous size cap on each archive — large overhauls of a few hundred megabytes are fine — and once the install finishes you restart the server to load the mod.
Note: Upload & install takes a .zip containing a modlet folder with ModInfo.xml
Note: The folder name is optional and defaults to the mod’s own name
Tip: Uploading requires the file-create permission, so check your subuser permissions if the upload is blocked
Adding a Mod from a URL
The second option on the Add a mod tab is Install from URL. You paste an archive URL, optionally set a folder name, and click Install from URL. This is deliberately not an open download box: 7 Days to Die has no public, machine-readable mod catalogue (there is no CurseForge- or Modrinth-style install API), so the manager only accepts URLs whose host is on an allowlist your panel administrator controls, and every download is checked server-side to block unsafe internal addresses. In practice this route is for admin-vetted mirror links rather than for searching the wider web. If you just want to grab a community modlet you found, downloading it and using the upload option is usually the simpler path.
Note: Install from URL only accepts hosts on the panel’s allowlist, and the download is safety-checked server-side
Warning: There is no public 7 Days to Die mod catalogue to search — the URL route is for admin-vetted mirror links
Tip: For a mod you downloaded yourself, the Upload a zip option is usually the easier choice
Curated Modpack Presets
The Modpacks tab lists curated presets in two groups. Server-side tools are install-and-go: these are server-fixing and admin tools such as Alloc’s Server Fixes, the Community Patch Mod (CPM), and a quality-of-life XML pack, and they need nothing installed on the player’s side. Full overhauls are the big total conversions — presets like Darkness Falls, Undead Legacy, Ravenhearst, and War3zuk AIO. An overhaul preset installs only the server side and flips your server into modded mode (EAC off), after asking you to confirm, and then shows a client download link. Because an overhaul ships compiled code, every player still has to download and install the matching client pack locally, and the client and server mod sets must match exactly — the panel cannot push those mods to players for you. A preset whose archive has not been mirrored on your panel shows a “Mirror not configured” label instead of an Install button.
Note: Server-side tools (Alloc’s Server Fixes, CPM, the QoL XML pack) install with no client download needed
Warning: Full overhauls such as Darkness Falls install only the server side, flip EAC off, and require every player to install the matching client pack
Note: A preset that an admin has not yet mirrored shows “Mirror not configured” rather than an Install button
Enabling, Disabling, and Removing Modlets
The Installed tab lists every modlet on your server with its badge, version, author, and the date it was installed. Each row has a button to Disable or Enable it and a button to Remove it. Disabling does not delete anything — it renames the folder so the game skips it at boot, and a disabled modlet is clearly marked so you can turn it back on later. Removing deletes the modlet’s folder entirely and asks you to confirm first, since it is destructive. As with everything else here, neither enable, disable, nor remove takes effect until you restart the server.
Note: Disable keeps the modlet’s files but tells the game to skip it; Enable turns it back on
Warning: Remove deletes the modlet’s folder and asks you to confirm — it cannot be undone from here
Note: Mods you added over SFTP show as External; the panel still lets you enable, disable, or remove them
Why Every Change Needs a Restart
7 Days to Die has no hot-reload — the game only reads the Mods folder once, at boot. That means there is no live-apply: installing, enabling, disabling, or removing a modlet, and turning EAC on or off, all stage the change on disk and then wait for the next start. The Mod Manager says “restart the server to apply” on every action for exactly this reason. Make your changes, confirm the Installed list looks right, and then restart from your control panel so the server reads the new set of modlets.
Note: 7 Days to Die loads mods only at boot, so no change applies until the server restarts
Tip: Batch several changes together, then restart once to apply them all
Warning: If your server fails to boot after a change, disable or remove the most recent modlet and restart to recover
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I install a 7 Days to Die mod on my Loafhosts server?
Open the Mods item on your server dashboard, go to the Add a mod tab, and either upload the modlet’s .zip with Upload & install or paste an allowlisted archive URL and click Install from URL. The manager extracts and validates the modlet, places it under Mods, and tells you to restart. Restart the server from your control panel and the mod loads.
Why don’t I see a Mods item on my server?
The Mod Manager only appears on 7 Days to Die servers with the plugin enabled. If your server is a different game, the Mods item is hidden by design. On a 7 Days to Die server where you still do not see it, the plugin may not be enabled for your server — contact support.
What is the difference between server-side and client-required mods?
Server-side only modlets are pure XML, so the server applies them and players need nothing extra; they get a green badge. Client-required modlets contain DLLs or assets, get an amber badge, need EAC turned off, and every player has to install the same mod locally. The manager reads each modlet’s folder to decide which it is.
Why do I have to turn off EAC for some mods?
Easy Anti-Cheat blocks unsigned compiled code, so any mod that ships a .dll, a Harmony patch, or custom assets will kick players unless EAC is off. The Mod Manager calls running with EAC off “modded mode” and asks you to confirm before switching, because it also disables console crossplay for the session.
Can I install a full overhaul like Darkness Falls?
The Modpacks tab offers curated overhaul presets, including ones such as Darkness Falls, Undead Legacy, Ravenhearst, and War3zuk AIO. A preset installs the server side and flips the server into modded mode, but every player still has to download and install the matching client pack locally, and the client and server mod sets must match exactly. If a preset shows “Mirror not configured,” its archive has not been set up on your panel yet.
Why isn’t my mod working after I installed it?
Almost always because the server has not been restarted yet — 7 Days to Die only loads mods at boot, so every change waits for a restart. If you did restart and a client-required mod still is not working, check that EAC is off and that each player has installed the same mod locally. A mismatched mod can also stop the server from booting, so remove the most recent one and restart if that happens.
How do I remove a 7 Days to Die mod?
On the Installed tab, click Remove on the modlet’s row and confirm. That deletes the modlet’s folder. Then restart the server so the change takes effect. If you only want to switch a mod off temporarily, use Disable instead — it keeps the files and can be re-enabled later.