Making mods and apps

This part of the REDnode section is for people who want to make something. You need some JavaScript, or REDagent to write it with you. You don’t need to know redscript, Lua or C++.

Packages

Everything REDnode runs is a package: a folder in the apps folder with a manifest file, rednode-app.json. A package can be:

Node mods and overlay apps use the same rednode package to reach the game, so what works in one works in the other.

The manifest

rednode-app.json tells REDnode what the package is. A Node mod:

{
  "id": "hello-mod",
  "name": "Hello mod",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "author": "you",
  "description": "Shows where V is.",
  "main": "mod.mjs",
  "open": true
}

The fields you’ll use most:

The full list, with window placement (anchor, x, y), kind, hideWith and isolation, is in Settings and controls.

The apps folder

Packages live in red4ext\plugins\REDnode\apps in the game folder, one folder each. The overlay host watches that folder while the game runs:

So the loop is: game running, Hot reload switched on in the launcher, your package’s folder open in an editor. Save, and look. No game restart.

Write files your package keeps (settings, saves) to its data folder (pkg.dataDir), never into its own folder: hot reload watches that, and an update would overwrite it.

Permissions

A package can ask for powers the player must allow, in its manifest:

"permissions": ["agent", "bridge"]

The calls that need a permission reject until the player allows it. Explain in your description why you need it.

Requirements

If your package needs another mod, say so:

"requires": {
  "codeware": ">=1.14",
  "tweakxl": ">=1.10"
}

REDnode checks the game folder: RED4ext plugins by folder or DLL, redscript modules in r6/scripts, Cyber Engine Tweaks mods, and red4ext, cet and redscript themselves. Versions come from the DLL where it has one. Ranges work the npm way (>=1.16, ^1.16, ~1.16, *). The player sees what’s missing in the launcher and Mod Manager, and your code can ask with kernel.requirements(). Your package still runs, so it can explain.

The overlay apps guide has every rule for names and ranges.

What’s in the rednode package

The rednode package is written in TypeScript and carries types for every call, and for the game’s 15,000-odd classes. An editor such as REDcode completes them as you type. The API reference lists every call with examples.

Learn from the samples

REDnode’s deploy puts its sample packages in the apps folder. Each is small and readable:

Their source is in REDnode’s repo under packages/overlay/apps.

Or let REDagent write it

REDagent writes, runs, checks and fixes REDnode packages with you, in the game. It only writes inside the apps folder, shows every change before making it, and can undo. See Your first mod with REDagent.

Sharing your package

There’s no REDnode release for players yet, so there’s no standard way to publish a package. For now, share the folder: players put it in their apps folder. When REDnode ships as a normal mod, packages are planned to be separate mods that list REDnode as a requirement, the way CET mods list CET.

Last reviewed 2026-10-16. Something wrong or missing? Tell us on Discord or open an issue.