A dependency is a mod that another mod needs in order to work. If a dependency is gone, broken, or the wrong version, the mod that needs it can fail, and the server may not start. The ArthOS panel shows what each mod needs and adds it for you.
What a dependency is
Many Workshop mods are split into parts. For example, RHS - Status Quo lists two dependencies on its Workshop page: RHS - Content Pack 01 and RHS - Content Pack 02. The main mod does not work without them.
Every Workshop page lists the dependencies of the mod, each with a version. The game downloads what a listed mod needs when the server starts. A dependency must load before the mod that needs it, so it sits above that mod in the list.
In the ArthOS panel
Adding a mod with its dependencies
- Open Mods, then the Workshop tab.
- Select a mod’s picture. The box lists Needs with the dependencies, or says “Nothing else; it works on its own.”
- Choose Add. The panel adds the mod at the end of your list and puts the mods it needs directly above it. A message says what came with it: “{name} added, with 2 mods it needs.”
- Restart the server.
Checking a mod that is already on the list
On On this server, a mod with dependencies shows a button such as “2 needed”. Select it. The list “Needs {name}” shows each dependency as either On this server or Downloaded with it. A dependency that is not on your list has an Add button next to it.
A row can also say “Needs {names}, which the game downloads with it.” This means the dependency is not in your config.json list, but the game fetches it at each start. Adding it to the list makes the load order clear, and lets you lock its version.
Finding the error
- Open the Troubleshoot tab on Mods. It reads the last start and names the mods it blames.
- When a mod is missing a dependency, it offers Add what it needs. Choose it, then restart.
- If it cannot name the mod, use Start the search. It restarts the server many times, so players cannot join until it ends. See find the mod that stops your server.
The Crashes tab also reads each start and groups errors “From mods”.
Errors you may see
not found on workshop. The panel explains this as: a mod in the list is gone from the Workshop, so the server cannot start with it. A dependency can go missing this way when its author removes it. The row shows Gone from the Workshop. Remove the mod that needs it, or find a replacement.- A script error in a mod. The errors come from the mod’s own scripts. It is often built for another game version. Look for an update, or remove it and test.
- Wrong order. A dependency under the mod that needs it. Move it above, see load order.
Two mods that want different versions
A mod’s dependency has its own version number. If you lock one mod to an old version while another mod needs a newer one, they can disagree. Bohemia’s pages do not say how the game picks a version when two mods ask for different ones. Not checked on 1.8.0.13 as of 12 October 2026.
A safe approach:
- Put every mod and dependency on Latest with Follow latest.
- Restart and open Crashes to see if the errors stop.
- If a mod only works on an old version, lock that one mod and test again. See lock mod versions.
By hand
Read the Dependencies section of the mod’s Workshop page and add each listed mod to game.mods in config.json, above the mod that needs it:
"mods": [
{ "modId": "1337C0DE5DABBEEF", "name": "RHS - Content Pack 01" },
{ "modId": "BADC0DEDABBEDA5E", "name": "RHS - Content Pack 02" },
{ "modId": "595F2BF2F44836FB", "name": "RHS - Status Quo" }
]The first two IDs are the real IDs of RHS Content Pack 01 and 02, as the RHS - Status Quo Workshop page lists them. The game downloads a dependency at start, but it must still sit above the mod that needs it.
Save and restart. Bohemia’s required key tells the server what to do with a mod it cannot download: with "required": false it skips the mod and writes a warning in the log. In the panel this is Mods are required in Config Editor: “A mod that cannot be downloaded stops the server starting. Off, it is skipped with a warning instead.”
If it does not work
- The server will not start and no mod is named. Run the search on the Troubleshoot tab, or check the log in server logs.
- A dependency keeps coming back after you remove it. A mod on the list still needs it. See remove a mod.
Sources: Bohemia wiki: Server Config, Bohemia wiki: Workshop, reforger.armaplatform.com: 595F2BF2F44836FB RHS StatusQuo