For players

FireLoader keeps its packs up to date by itself. Every time the game starts it:

1. Downloads the pack list from this site (a few KB).
2. Downloads only the files that changed since last time.
3. Checks every file against its fingerprint (SHA-256) before using it.
4. Loads the packs.

Downloaded packs live in BepInEx\plugins\FireLoader\packs\. That folder is managed by the updater: anything you put in it yourself may be removed. Put your own local packs in a different folder under plugins instead (FireLoader finds any items.json / recipes.json there).

If the site is down or you're offline, the game starts normally with the packs from last time.

Settings are in BepInEx\config\com.custom.firestuff.cfg:

Only packs (JSON and images) are downloaded. The updater never downloads or runs code. Updating FireLoader.dll itself is still a manual download.

For the editor

Saving in the editor changes the draft. Players only see changes after Publish all. The pack list shows which packs have unpublished changes.