Agent skill

skyrim-archive

Read, extract, and create BSA/BA2 archives. Use when the user wants to package mod assets, extract files from existing mods, or inspect archive contents.

View SKILL.md on GitHub Repository
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Install this agent skill to your Project

npx add-skill https://github.com/majiayu000/claude-skill-registry/tree/main/skills/marketing/skyrim-archive

SKILL.md

Skyrim Archive Module

Read, extract, and create BSA/BA2 archives using Spooky's AutoMod Toolkit.

Prerequisites

Run all commands from the toolkit directory:

bash
cd "<TOOLKIT_PATH>"
# Example: cd "C:\Tools\spookys-automod-toolkit"

External Tools

Tool Purpose Auto-Download
BSArch Create/extract archives No - manual install

Installing BSArch

  1. Download xEdit from GitHub releases
  2. Extract the archive
  3. Copy BSArch.exe to tools/bsarch/ in the toolkit directory

Check tool status:

bash
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive status

Command Reference

Check Tool Status

bash
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive status

Get Archive Info

bash
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive info "<archive>"

Output includes: Archive type, version, file count, total size.

List Archive Contents

bash
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "<archive>" [options]
Option Default Description
--filter, -f - Filter pattern (e.g., *.nif, textures/*)
--limit 100 Max files to list (0 = all)

Extract Archive

bash
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "<archive>" --output "<dir>" [options]
Option Description
--output, -o Output directory
--filter, -f Filter pattern for files to extract

Requires: BSArch tool installed

Create Archive

bash
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive create "<directory>" --output "<file>" [options]
Option Default Description
--output, -o Required Output archive path
--compress true Compress archive contents
--game sse Game type: sse, le, fo4, fo76

Requires: BSArch tool installed

Common Workflows

Inspect Existing Mod Archive

bash
# Get archive info
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive info "SomeMod.bsa"

# List first 100 files
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "SomeMod.bsa"

# List all NIF meshes
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "SomeMod.bsa" --filter "*.nif"

# List all textures
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "SomeMod.bsa" --filter "textures/*"

# List all scripts
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "SomeMod.bsa" --filter "*.pex"

Extract Mod for Analysis/Editing

bash
# Extract entire archive
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "SomeMod.bsa" --output "./Extracted"

# Extract only textures
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "SomeMod.bsa" --output "./Extracted" --filter "textures/*"

# Extract only meshes
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "SomeMod.bsa" --output "./Extracted" --filter "*.nif"

# Extract only scripts for decompilation
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "SomeMod.bsa" --output "./Extracted" --filter "scripts/*"

Package Mod as BSA

bash
# 1. Organize files in Data structure
# MyModData/
#   meshes/mymod/weapon.nif
#   textures/mymod/weapon.dds
#   scripts/MyMod_Script.pex

# 2. Create compressed SSE archive
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive create "./MyModData" --output "MyMod.bsa"

# 3. Create uncompressed archive (faster loading)
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive create "./MyModData" --output "MyMod.bsa" --compress false

# 4. Create LE-compatible archive
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive create "./MyModData" --output "MyMod.bsa" --game le

Troubleshooting Workflow

bash
# 1. Check what's in a broken mod's BSA
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive list "BrokenMod.bsa" --limit 0

# 2. Extract everything for analysis
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive extract "BrokenMod.bsa" --output "./Debug"

# 3. Check mesh textures
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- nif textures "./Debug/meshes/SomeMesh.nif"

# 4. Decompile scripts
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- papyrus decompile "./Debug/scripts" --output "./Debug/Source"

Directory Structure for Packaging

The source directory should mirror Skyrim's Data folder:

MyModData/
  meshes/
    mymod/
      weapon.nif
      armor.nif
  textures/
    mymod/
      weapon.dds
      weapon_n.dds
      armor.dds
  scripts/
    MyMod_MainScript.pex
    MyMod_EffectScript.pex
  sound/
    fx/
      mymod/
        sound.wav

Archive Types

BSA (Bethesda Softworks Archive)

  • Used by: Skyrim LE, Skyrim SE
  • Magic: BSA\0
  • Supports compression
  • Best for general mod assets

BA2 (Bethesda Archive 2)

  • Used by: Fallout 4, Fallout 76
  • Magic: BTDX
  • Two storage types: General, Textures
  • Better compression for textures

Game Type Selection

Game Flag Notes
sse Skyrim SE/AE Default, most common
le Skyrim LE Older format
fo4 Fallout 4 BA2 format
fo76 Fallout 76 BA2 format

Common Issues

BSArch Not Found

bash
# Check status
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive status

# Follow installation instructions if missing

Wrong Archive Format

  • SSE mods need SSE archives (--game sse)
  • LE mods need LE archives (--game le)
  • Using wrong format causes purple textures or crashes

Missing Files After Packaging

  • Ensure correct directory structure
  • Files must be in proper subfolders (meshes/, textures/, etc.)
  • Case sensitivity may matter

Important Notes

  1. BSArch required for create/extract - info/list work without it
  2. Match archive to game - SSE and LE use different formats
  3. Directory structure matters - Must mirror Data folder
  4. Compression trade-off - Smaller files but slower loading
  5. Use --json flag for machine-readable output when scripting

JSON Output

All commands support --json for structured output:

bash
dotnet run --project src/SpookysAutomod.Cli -- archive info "MyMod.bsa" --json

Example response:

json
{
  "success": true,
  "result": {
    "fileName": "MyMod.bsa",
    "type": "BSA",
    "version": "105",
    "fileCount": 150,
    "fileSize": 52428800
  }
}

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