Modsmith Cycle

Modsmith Cycle provides a faster restart cycle for Valheim on Windows. From a world you host—or a server you joined—open the Escape menu and choose SAVE & RESTART MODDED.

It will:

give you five seconds to cancel;
use Valheim's normal save-and-quit path;
wait until Valheim has fully exited;
ask Steam to relaunch Valheim through the same -applaunch 892970 route used by r2modman;
rebuild the active profile's Doorstop/BepInEx arguments from the currently loaded profile;
skip Valheim's opening cinematic by default;
select the same character and reopen the same local world;
restore the world's hosted-server, public-listing, crossplay, and password-verifier settings so friends can reconnect; or
if you were a guest, reconnect your client to the same Steam, crossplay, or direct-address server.

The active profile is preserved through its absolute Doorstop/BepInEx launch arguments. Modsmith Cycle does not click through or automate the r2modman interface. Version 0.1.2 uses Steam for the relaunch because launching Valheim.exe directly can start an unmodded session.

By default, Modsmith Cycle skips Valheim's opening cinematic on every launch. During a valid Modsmith restart, it also advances from the title menu as soon as Valheim has finished initializing it. Any engine or publisher splash displayed before BepInEx loads is outside the plugin's control.

If the remote server requires a password, Valheim displays its normal password prompt after relaunch. Modsmith Cycle does not store the readable password.

Host and guest behavior

Local host: reopens the same world and restores its hosted-server settings.
Guest player: restarts only that player's client and reconnects it to the same server. It does not restart or alter the host's world.
Remote or dedicated host: cannot be restarted by a guest; only the guest's own client is cycled.
By default, a local host's restart is blocked while another player remains connected.
If friends are playing in your locally hosted world, have them return to the main menu before restarting. Once the world reloads, they can reconnect normally.
Each auto-resume uses a unique one-use token.
Resume requests expire after three minutes by default.
A detached helper waits for Valheim to exit before starting the replacement process.
If character, world, or remote-server resolution fails, the cycle stops safely at Valheim's menus.

Requirements

Windows 10 or 11
Valheim 1.0.12
BepInExPack Valheim 5.4.2350
An active local-world or multiplayer-server session

The small restart helper targets .NET Framework 4.8, which is included with supported Windows 10/11 installations.

Installation

Keep both files together in the same plugin folder:

BepInEx/plugins/ModsmithCycle/ModsmithCycle.dll
BepInEx/plugins/ModsmithCycle/ModsmithCycle.Restarter.exe

Start Valheim with Start modded in r2modman. Enter a world, press Escape, and use the button in the lower-right corner.

You can also use Left Ctrl + F9 while the Escape menu is open.

Configuration

Settings are written to BepInEx/config/MaddCatter.ModsmithCycle.cfg.

Restart.CountdownSeconds — cancel window, from 1 to 30 seconds.
Restart.AutoResumeLocalWorld — restart to the menu instead of reopening the world when disabled.
Restart.ResumeHostedSession — restores the current hosted-server settings so friends can reconnect; enabled by default.
Restart.AutoReconnectRemoteServer — reconnects a guest client to the same remote server after restarting; enabled by default.
Startup.SkipOpeningCinematic — skips Valheim's opening cinematic; enabled by default.
Startup.SkipTitleScreenOnResume — advances through the title menu immediately during a valid auto-resume; enabled by default.
Safety.RequireNoOtherPlayers — blocks restart when a peer is connected; enabled by default.
Safety.MaximumResumeAgeSeconds — rejects delayed resume requests.
Hotkeys.Restart — optional shortcut used only while the Escape menu is open.
Compatibility.SteamExecutableOverride — optional full path to Steam.exe if automatic detection cannot find a nonstandard Steam installation.

Scope

Version 0.1.2 supports Windows, locally hosted worlds, Steam-hosted friends, crossplay hosts, and direct-address servers. It reloads the mods and configuration already present in the active r2modman profile; it does not install, stage, or replace mod files itself.

The save, modded Steam relaunch, active-profile preservation, character selection, and same-world resume sequence has been verified on a live Valheim 1.0.12 installation. Version 0.1.2's cinematic skip, hosted-session restoration, and guest reconnect paths have also been checked against Valheim 1.0.12's current startup, matchmaking, and server-registration APIs.

Support

For help, bug reports, or compatibility feedback, visit the Mod Support channel.

Privacy and networking

Modsmith Cycle makes no network requests of its own and collects no data. The helper receives only the current process ID, executable path, launch arguments, working directory, and one-use resume token through a temporary local request file. The temporary marker stores either local-world resume data or the previous server's connection identifier. When resuming a hosted world, it stores Valheim's salted password verifier—not the readable server password—and is deleted after use.