UE4SS plugins#
The manager uses UE4SS — the open-source Unreal Engine scripting system — as its in-game runtime. The bundled UE4SS runtime plugin deploys it into the SCUM dedicated server, and the SSA Bridge (our in-game control mod) runs on top of it. You can run your own UE4SS mods on your server the same way — managed from the admin Plugins section instead of copying files around by hand.
How it fits together#
| Piece | Role |
|---|---|
UE4SS runtime (type: ue4ss-runtime) | the loader + UE4SS.dll, deployed into the server's Binaries/Win64/ |
UE4SS mods (type: ue4ss) | individual mods, deployed into Binaries/Win64/Mods/<ModName>/ and enabled in mods.txt |
Manager plugins (type: manager) | run in the manager, not the game — see the Plugin SDK |
Activating a UE4SS plugin in the admin panel deploys its files and flips it on in mods.txt; deactivating removes the deployed files again. Deploys apply on the next server start (the game locks its files while running), and the runtime must be active before any mod can load.
Packaging a UE4SS mod for the manager#
Wrap your mod in the same zip format as any other plugin (Plugin SDK → Anatomy):
my-mod/
plugin.json
README.md (optional)
icon.svg (optional)
payload/
Mods/
MyMod/ this folder name must match "modName"
Scripts/main.lua (Lua mod) — or — dlls/main.dll (C++ mod)
enabled.txt present = enabled (UE4SS convention)
config.txt your editable config (optional)
Everything under payload/Mods/<modName>/ is deployed into the server's Binaries/Win64/Mods/.
{
"id": "my-mod",
"name": "My Mod",
"type": "ue4ss",
"version": "1.0.0",
"author": "You",
"description": "What it does.",
"modName": "MyMod", // the folder under Win64/Mods/ + the mods.txt entry
"config": "Mods/MyMod/config.txt", // editable file (relative to payload/) — optional
"dependencies": ["ue4ss"] // requires the UE4SS runtime to be active
}
Server owners then install the zip from admin → Plugins and get your readme, an enable/disable switch and (if you ship a config file) a built-in config editor — no manual file copying, and the mod survives manager updates in the plugin library. A runnable UE4SS example mod (a small, safe Lua mod) ships with the project as a starting point.
Pairing with a manager plugin#
A common pattern: the UE4SS mod does the in-game work, and a companion manager plugin gives it a UI (admin tab, Discord commands, public Field Console view). Declare the UE4SS mod in the manager plugin's dependencies so it can't be enabled without it — then talk to your mod however it communicates (files, sockets, log lines — the Plugin SDK exposes every server log line as an event).
Useful links#
- UE4SS documentation — Lua API, C++ API, installation details
- UE4SS on GitHub
- Plugin SDK — the manager-side plugin API
