ramensoftware/windhawk · warning

the mod could not be loaded, so it was not exported

Error message

the mod could not be loaded, so it was not exported ({})

What it means

This is not a hard failure but a warning emitted during mod-settings export: a mod present in the current scope failed to load, so it cannot be exported and is skipped with a warning naming the underlying load error. The export continues for all other mods; the warning is scoped via ModScope, so locally-installed mods may be excluded from reporting depending on the scope (e.g. AllExceptLocal filters them out).

Solutions

1. Read the embedded load_error.error in the warning to identify why the mod failed to load, then fix that root cause (reinstall or repair the mod).
2. Remove or repair the broken mod so the export no longer references it.
3. Narrow the export scope (e.g. ModScope::Ids with only healthy mods, or AllExceptLocal) to skip unloadable mods intentionally.
4. Re-run the export after fixing; treat the warnings list as the record of what was skipped.

Example fix

// before: export blindly, mod fails to load
let result = export(ModScope::Keyword(ModScopeKeyword::All));

// after: ensure mods load before export, or scope to healthy ids
let healthy: Vec<ModId> = mods.iter().filter(|m| m.load_error.is_none()).map(|m| m.id.clone()).collect();
let result = export(ModScope::Ids { ids: healthy });

let broken: Vec<&ModId> = load_errors.iter().filter(|e| in_scope(e)).map(|e| &e.mod_id).collect();
if !broken.is_empty() { /* repair or rescope before export */ }

match export(scope) {
    Ok(r) if r.warnings.is_empty() => r,
    Ok(r) => { for w in &r.warnings { log::warn!("skipped: {w}"); } r },
    Err(e) => { log::error!("export failed: {e}"); fallback_export()? }
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling the public export function while a mod referenced by the selected ModScope has a load error recorded (e.g. the mod file is missing, corrupt, or failed to initialize), and the scope check (scope_matches) returns true for that mod's id.

Common situations: Exporting settings on a machine where a mod was uninstalled or renamed but is still referenced; a mod failed to compile/load after a Windhawk or engine update; a partially-copied mods directory; exporting with ModScope::All for a corrupted third-party mod.

Related errors

• MODS_LOAD_FAILED
• Failed to load metadata for mod
• {}: {}
• the mod has no recorded version, so it was not exported
• the mod's source , so it was not exported

AI-assisted analysis of ramensoftware/windhawk@61d99ed8e1 (2026-09-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/ae691956d0aa0c8b. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/windhawk-core/core/src/services/user_data.rs:152

    // invisible to the loop above; surface it as a warning when a keyword scope
    // would have included it, so a backup is never silently missing a mod. A
    // load-errored mod that still has a listing entry (a config-derived entry
    // whose source failed to parse) flows through `export_mod`, which warns on
    // its own terms; an explicit id naming a load-errored mod is a selection
    // error (`resolve_scope`).
    for load_error in &list.load_errors {
        if list.mods.contains_key(&load_error.mod_id) {
            continue;
        }
        let in_scope = match &selection.mods {
            ModScope::Keyword(ModScopeKeyword::All) => true,
            ModScope::Keyword(ModScopeKeyword::AllExceptLocal) => {
                !ModId::str_is_local(&load_error.mod_id)
            }
            ModScope::Keyword(ModScopeKeyword::None) | ModScope::Ids { .. } => false,
        };
        if in_scope {
            warnings.push(warn(
                &load_error.mod_id,
                format!(
                    "the mod could not be loaded, so it was not exported ({})",
                    load_error.error
                ),
            ));
        }
    }

    let archive = UserDataArchive {
        format: FORMAT_TAG.to_owned(),
        app_settings: app_settings_out,
        mods,
    };

    to_value_result(
        "exportUserData",
        &ExportUserDataResult {

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