Manifest Builder

A visual editor in the Partner Dashboard for building, validating, and exporting cfxainstall.yml files — no YAML knowledge required.

Overview

The Manifest Builder lets you construct a complete cfxainstall.yml by filling in form fields. It handles schema structure, field ordering, and YAML serialisation automatically, then lets you download the finished file to bundle with your resource release.

From the builder you can:

Fill in top-level fields (resource name, version, integration category, etc.)
Add, configure, and reorder tasks using a block-based editor
Validate the manifest against the full schema rule-set and see errors or warnings instantly
Preview the generated YAML and copy it to your clipboard
Save drafts to come back to later
Export the finished cfxainstall.yml file ready to ship with your resource

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Who can use it? The Install Manifests tab is visible to partner account owners and to team members who have been granted the manage_manifests permission in the Organization tab.

Getting Started

Open the Partner Dashboard and click Install Manifests in the sidebar.
Click + New Manifest to open the builder, or click Edit on an existing manifest to load it.
Fill in the Manifest Details fields on the left — at minimum Resource Name and Manifest Name are required.
Add tasks using the Add Task bar at the bottom of the task list. Choose an action type and fill in the fields that appear.
Click Validate Manifest in the right panel to check for errors and generate the YAML preview.
Click Save to persist the manifest, then use the Export button in the manifest list to download the cfxainstall.yml file.
Place the exported file in the root of your resource directory and include it in your release ZIP.

✦

Save frequently. The builder tracks unsaved changes and warns you before navigating away. Click Save often so you do not lose work between sessions.

Top-Level Fields

These fields map directly to the top-level keys in the generated YAML.

Builder field	YAML key		Description
Schema Version	`schemaVersion`	auto	Always `"1.0"`. Set automatically — you cannot change it.
Resource Name	`id`	required	The folder name of the resource on the server (e.g. `qb-multicharacter`). Lowercase letters, digits, hyphens, and underscores only.
Manifest Name	`name`	required	Human-readable display name shown to users during install (e.g. `QS Multicharacter`).
Version	`version`	optional	Version string for this manifest, e.g. `2.x`.
Author	`author`	optional	Your name or organisation name.
Description	`description`	optional	Short description of the resource and what this manifest configures.
Integration Category	`integrationCategory`	optional	Declares what swappable system this resource provides. See Integration Categories.
Docs URL	`metadata.docsUrl`	optional	Link to your resource documentation.

Task Editor

Tasks are the steps CFXAdmin executes when a user installs your resource. They run in the order they appear in the list. Each task card has an action dropdown that determines what the task does and what fields appear below it.

Action types

Action	Purpose
`install_option`	Presents the user with a configurable choice (boolean, enum, string, int, or float) that gates conditional tasks downstream.
`operation`	Performs an automated file or `server.cfg` modification. Choose an operation type from the sub-dropdown.
`add_note`	Displays a non-blocking informational message at install time.
`show_warning`	Displays a prominent warning message.
`show_manual_step`	Instructs the user to perform a step outside of CFXAdmin.
`require_confirmation`	Pauses the install and waits for the user to confirm before continuing.
`abort_with_message`	Immediately stops the install and shows an error. Typically used inside a condition.
`get_dependency`	Checks for a required dependency and optionally provides a download URL.
`query_database`	Runs a SQL query and stores the result for use in later conditions.

Operation types

When the action is operation, select an operation type from the secondary dropdown:

Operation type	What it does
`remove_resource`	Deletes a conflicting resource folder from the server.
`patch_lua_value`	Updates a Lua config value in a specific file, e.g. `Config.Framework = 'QBCore'`.
`insert_after_anchor`	Inserts lines into a file immediately after a matching string.
`insert_before_anchor`	Inserts lines into a file immediately before a matching string.
`add_ensure_after`	Adds an `ensure` line to `server.cfg` after an existing ensure.
`add_ensure_before`	Adds an `ensure` line to `server.cfg` before an existing ensure.
`remove_ensure`	Removes an `ensure` line from `server.cfg`.
`set_load_order_group`	Places the resource into a named load-order group in `server.cfg`.
`set_convar`	Sets or updates a convar in `server.cfg`.
`comment_line`	Comments out a matching line in a Lua file.
`uncomment_line`	Un-comments a matching line in a Lua file.
`copy_file`	Copies a file from one path to another within the server data directory.

Conditions

Every task has an optional Condition field. When set, the task only runs if the condition is true at install time:

framework=qb — only on QBCore
framework=qb|qbx|esx — on any of these frameworks
opt:remove_old_banking=true — only if the user enabled a specific install option

See the full conditions reference for all supported syntax.

Managing tasks

Click a task card's header to collapse or expand it. Click the × button on the right of a header to delete that task. Task numbers update automatically after a deletion.

Validation

Click Validate Manifest in the right panel to send the current form state to the server and run it through the schema validator. The YAML preview is generated at the same time.

Result	Meaning
Error	A required field is missing or a value fails a schema rule. The manifest will not work until the error is fixed.
Warning	A non-fatal issue — for example, an unusual file path or a condition that looks syntactically odd. Warnings do not prevent the manifest from running.

YAML Preview

After validating, the right panel shows a read-only preview of the generated YAML. This is exactly what will be in the exported file and what the CFXAdmin app will parse during install.

Use Copy YAML to copy the content to your clipboard.
Use Export (from the manifest list) to download it as a cfxainstall.yml file.

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The preview only refreshes when you click Validate. If you change any fields after validating, click Validate again to regenerate the YAML before exporting.

Manifest List

The main Install Manifests screen shows all saved manifests for your partner account. From this list you can:

Edit — open the manifest in the builder
Duplicate — create a copy as a new draft (useful for creating variants)
Export — download the cfxainstall.yml file directly
Archive — retire a manifest you no longer need. Archived manifests stay in the list but are marked as archived.

Permissions

Account owner — always has full access.
Team members — need the manage_manifests permission, set by the owner in the Organization tab.