Content-Packs

# Content Packs


> **Documentation baseline:** VoxelCore `main` at `452b569` · 14 September 2026.  
> **Repository:** [https://github.com/VoxelHorizons/VoxelCore](https://github.com/VoxelHorizons/VoxelCore)


VoxelCore discovers self-contained content packs under `plugins/VoxelCore/content/`.

## Layout

```text
plugins/VoxelCore/content/
└── <pack-directory>/
    ├── pack.yml
    ├── content/
    │   └── **/*.yml
    └── assets/
        └── <namespace>/
            ├── models/
            ├── textures/
            ├── font/
            └── sounds/
```

The pack directory name is organisational. Identity comes from the manifest namespace and keys in the content files.

`content/` is scanned recursively for `.yml`/`.yaml` definitions in deterministic order, so authors can create arbitrarily useful nested organisational folders without changing ContentIDs.

## `pack.yml`

```yaml
schema: 1
namespace: mypack
dependencies:
  - shared
  - core
```

Supported manifest keys are `schema`, `namespace`, and optional `dependencies`. Unknown or malformed keys are rejected rather than silently ignored.

## Namespaces and dependencies

Each pack namespace must be unique. A pack may always reference:

- its own namespace;
- Minecraft resources where valid.

A cross-pack parent or model reference requires the referenced namespace to be declared in `dependencies`. Missing dependencies and duplicate namespaces fail loading.

## YAML safety and strictness

The loader uses bounded SnakeYAML parsing, rejects duplicate YAML keys, applies alias/document limits, validates expected scalar/list/map types, and rejects unknown top-level/item/render fields. This deliberately turns authoring mistakes into actionable load errors instead of ignored configuration.

## Assets

Authored assets live beneath the pack's namespace. For example:

```yaml
render:
  model: mypack:item/ruby
```

maps to:

```text
assets/mypack/models/item/ruby.json
```

Generated Minecraft override/item-definition glue belongs to compiler output, not authored content.

Continue with [[Products/Voxel-Horizons/VoxelCore/Item-Authoring]] and [[Products/Voxel-Horizons/VoxelCore/Rendering-and-Models]].