HMCL-dev/HMCL · error · IOException

Cannot parse the version of

Error message

Cannot parse the version of

What it means

Thrown during server modpack export when the game version of the instance being exported cannot be parsed into a GameVersionNumber. HMCL requires a concrete, resolvable Minecraft game version to embed as the 'game' addon in the exported manifest, so an unresolvable/unknown version makes export impossible.

Solutions

  1. Open the instance settings and set/repair a valid Minecraft game version before exporting.
  2. Reinstall or update the game component (game patch) so the version resolves correctly.
  3. Check instance version JSON files under the instance's 'hmclversion.cfg'/version patches for corruption and fix the version id.
  4. Export from a properly launched instance; launch once successfully so the version resolves, then retry export.

Example fix

// before: instance has no resolvable game version
GameVersionNumber version = instance.getVersion(); // unknown()
// after: repair version first, e.g. in instance settings set version to 1.20.1, then
GameVersionNumber version = instance.getVersion(); // 1.20.1
Defensive patterns

Strategy: try-catch

Validate before calling

GameVersionNumber version = instance.getVersion();
if (version == null || version == GameVersionNumber.unknown())
    return; // cannot export: repair instance version first

Try / catch

try {
    exportTask.execute();
} catch (IOException e) {
    if (e.getMessage().startsWith("Cannot parse the version of ")) {
        // prompt user to fix the instance's game version
    }
}

Prevention

When it happens

Trigger: ServerModpackExportTask.execute() calls instance.getVersion(), which returns GameVersionNumber.unknown() because the instance's game version cannot be resolved (e.g. missing or unparseable version in the instance config).

Common situations: Exporting a broken or partially installed instance; an instance whose game version was never set; custom instances with manipulated version JSON; snapshots/odd version strings the resolver cannot recognize.

Understand the failure class

Background: "Invalid value" and "allowed values are" config errors: what your library rejected and how to fix it — this error's family across 41 libraries.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of HMCL-dev/HMCL@24702dc5a0 (2026-09-10). Data as JSON: /api/errors/414db0abe41000b8. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at HMCLCore/src/main/java/org/jackhuang/hmcl/modpack/server/ServerModpackExportTask.java:103

        try (Zipper zip = new Zipper(modpackFile)) {
            Path runDirectory = instance.getRunDirectory();
            List<ModpackConfiguration.FileInformation> files = new ArrayList<>();
            zip.putDirectory(runDirectory, "overrides", path -> {
                if (Modpack.acceptFile(path, blackList, exportInfo.getWhitelist())) {
                    Path file = runDirectory.resolve(path);
                    if (Files.isRegularFile(file)) {
                        String relativePath = runDirectory.relativize(file).normalize().toString().replace(File.separatorChar, '/');
                        files.add(new ModpackConfiguration.FileInformation(relativePath, DigestUtils.digestToString("SHA-1", file)));
                    }
                    return true;
                } else {
                    return false;
                }
            });

            GameVersionNumber version = instance.getVersion();
            if (version == GameVersionNumber.unknown()) {
                throw new IOException("Cannot parse the version of " + instanceId);
            }
            String gameVersion = version.toString();
            List<ServerModpackManifest.Addon> addons = new ArrayList<>();
            addons.add(new ServerModpackManifest.Addon(GameComponentType.GAME.getPatchId(), gameVersion));

            for (GameComponentAnalyzer.Mark mark : instance.getAnalyzer()) {
                if ((mark.componentType().isModLoader() || mark.componentType() == GameComponentType.OPTIFINE)
                        && mark.version() != null) {
                    addons.add(new ServerModpackManifest.Addon(mark.componentType().getPatchId(), mark.version()));
                }
            }

            ServerModpackManifest manifest = new ServerModpackManifest(exportInfo.getName(), exportInfo.getAuthor(), exportInfo.getVersion(), exportInfo.getDescription(), StringUtils.removeSuffix(exportInfo.getFileApi(), "/"), files, addons);
            zip.putTextFile(JsonUtils.GSON.toJson(manifest), "server-manifest.json");
        }
    }

    /// Export options supported by the server modpack format.

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