fxmanifest.lua Expert

The resource manifest file (fxmanifest.lua) defines metadata, dependencies, and file includes for every CFX resource. It replaced the deprecated __resource.lua format.

Required fields

Every manifest must include at minimum:

fx_version 'cerulean'
games { 'gta5', 'rdr3' }

• fx_version must always be 'cerulean' -- this is the current and only supported version
• games accepts 'gta5' (FiveM), 'rdr3' (RedM), or both: { 'gta5', 'rdr3' }
• Use both when your resource works on either platform; use one if it depends on game-specific natives

Metadata fields

author 'YourName'
description 'What this resource does'
version '1.0.0'
repository 'https://github.com/user/repo'

These are optional but strongly recommended. The repository field is commonly used by update-checking systems. The version field enables automatic update detection when paired with repository.

Script declarations

client_scripts {
    'client/*.lua'
}

server_scripts {
    'server/*.lua'
}

shared_scripts {
    'config.lua'
}

• Glob patterns are supported: 'client/*.lua' matches all Lua files in the client folder
• shared_scripts run on both client and server
• Order matters: files are loaded in the order listed

Lua 5.4

Lua 5.4 is the only runtime as of June 2025. Lua 5.3 has been fully removed from FiveM/RedM.

The lua54 'yes' directive is deprecated and ignored. Do not include it in new manifests. All Lua scripts automatically run on Lua 5.4 (v5.4.8) regardless of manifest settings.

Key Lua 5.4 features available by default: integers, bitwise operators, <const>, <close>, and the updated math.random algorithm.

Dependencies

dependency 'es_extended'
dependency 'oxmysql'

Declares that this resource requires another resource to be started first. The server will warn if a dependency is missing.

Multiple dependencies can also be declared in a block:

dependencies {
    'es_extended',
    'oxmysql'
}

Provide and replace

provide 'old-resource-name'
replace 'old-resource-name'

• provide tells the server this resource satisfies the dependency for another resource name
• replace prevents the named resource from starting if this one is active

NUI (web UI)

ui_page 'html/index.html'

files {
    'html/index.html',
    'html/style.css',
    'html/script.js',
    'html/**'
}

• ui_page sets the entry point for the in-game browser
• files lists assets that need to be sent to the client
• Glob patterns work in files blocks too

Data files

data_file 'DLC_ITYP_REQUEST' 'stream/*.ytyp'

Used for streaming custom game assets (maps, models, textures).

JavaScript / Node.js

For JS resources, use the same script declarations but with .js extensions:

client_scripts { 'client/*.js' }
server_scripts { 'server/*.js' }

To specify the Node.js version for server scripts:

node_version '22'

C

C# resources reference compiled DLLs:

client_scripts { 'Client/ClientMain.net.dll' }
server_scripts { 'Server/ServerMain.net.dll' }

Asset escrow

For paid/Tebex resources using Cfx.re asset escrow:

escrow_ignore {
    'config.lua',
    'locales/*.lua'
}

escrow_ignore lists files that remain unencrypted so server owners can customize them (configuration, locales). All other files are encrypted by the escrow system.

Recommended field order

1. fx_version
2. games
3. author, description, version
4. dependency / dependencies
5. shared_scripts
6. client_scripts
7. server_scripts
8. files
9. ui_page

Common mistakes

• Using __resource.lua instead of fxmanifest.lua (deprecated)
• Forgetting fx_version (resource will not load)
• Forgetting games (resource will not load)
• Listing files that do not exist (silent failure, scripts not loaded)
• Wrong glob pattern (e.g. client/** instead of client/*.lua)
• Including lua54 'yes' (deprecated, ignored -- Lua 5.4 is the only runtime)