Skyrim Archive

Skyrim Archive Module

Read, extract, and create BSA/BA2 archives using Spooky's AutoMod Toolkit.

Prerequisites

Run all commands from the toolkit directory:

cd "<TOOLKIT_PATH>"
# Example: cd "C:\Tools\spookys-automod-toolkit"

External Tools

Installing BSArch

1. Download xEdit from GitHub releases
2. Extract the archive
3. Copy BSArch.exe to tools/bsarch/ in the toolkit directory

Check tool status:

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive status

Command Reference

Check Tool Status

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive status

Get Archive Info

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive info "<archive>"

Output includes: Archive type, version, file count, total size.

List Archive Contents

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "<archive>" [options]

Extract Archive

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "<archive>" --output "<dir>" [options]

Requires: BSArch tool installed

Create Archive

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive create "<directory>" --output "<file>" [options]

Requires: BSArch tool installed

Common Workflows

Inspect Existing Mod Archive

# Get archive info
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive info "SomeMod.bsa"

# List first 100 files
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "SomeMod.bsa"

# List all NIF meshes
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "SomeMod.bsa" --filter "*.nif"

# List all textures
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "SomeMod.bsa" --filter "textures/*"

# List all scripts
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "SomeMod.bsa" --filter "*.pex"

Extract Mod for Analysis/Editing

# Extract entire archive
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "SomeMod.bsa" --output "./Extracted"

# Extract only textures
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "SomeMod.bsa" --output "./Extracted" --filter "textures/*"

# Extract only meshes
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "SomeMod.bsa" --output "./Extracted" --filter "*.nif"

# Extract only scripts for decompilation
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "SomeMod.bsa" --output "./Extracted" --filter "scripts/*"

Package Mod as BSA

# 1. Organize files in Data structure
# MyModData/
#   meshes/mymod/weapon.nif
#   textures/mymod/weapon.dds
#   scripts/MyMod_Script.pex

# 2. Create compressed SSE archive
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive create "./MyModData" --output "MyMod.bsa"

# 3. Create uncompressed archive (faster loading)
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive create "./MyModData" --output "MyMod.bsa" --compress false

# 4. Create LE-compatible archive
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive create "./MyModData" --output "MyMod.bsa" --game le

Troubleshooting Workflow

# 1. Check what's in a broken mod's BSA
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "BrokenMod.bsa" --limit 0

# 2. Extract everything for analysis
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "BrokenMod.bsa" --output "./Debug"

# 3. Check mesh textures
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- nif textures "./Debug/meshes/SomeMesh.nif"

# 4. Decompile scripts
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- papyrus decompile "./Debug/scripts" --output "./Debug/Source"

Directory Structure for Packaging

The source directory should mirror Skyrim's Data folder:

MyModData/
  meshes/
    mymod/
      weapon.nif
      armor.nif
  textures/
    mymod/
      weapon.dds
      weapon_n.dds
      armor.dds
  scripts/
    MyMod_MainScript.pex
    MyMod_EffectScript.pex
  sound/
    fx/
      mymod/
        sound.wav

Archive Types

BSA (Bethesda Softworks Archive)

• Used by: Skyrim LE, Skyrim SE
• Magic: BSA\0
• Supports compression
• Best for general mod assets

BA2 (Bethesda Archive 2)

• Used by: Fallout 4, Fallout 76
• Magic: BTDX
• Two storage types: General, Textures
• Better compression for textures

Game Type Selection

Common Issues

BSArch Not Found

# Check status
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive status

# Follow installation instructions if missing

Wrong Archive Format

• SSE mods need SSE archives (--game sse)
• LE mods need LE archives (--game le)
• Using wrong format causes purple textures or crashes

Missing Files After Packaging

• Ensure correct directory structure
• Files must be in proper subfolders (meshes/, textures/, etc.)
• Case sensitivity may matter

Important Notes

1. BSArch required for create/extract - info/list work without it
2. Match archive to game - SSE and LE use different formats
3. Directory structure matters - Must mirror Data folder
4. Compression trade-off - Smaller files but slower loading
5. Use --json flag for machine-readable output when scripting

JSON Output

All commands support --json for structured output:

dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive info "MyMod.bsa" --json

Example response:

{
  "success": true,
  "result": {
    "fileName": "MyMod.bsa",
    "type": "BSA",
    "version": "105",
    "fileCount": 150,
    "fileSize": 52428800
  }
}