How it works

1. The grade

Mods, resource packs, data packs, shaders and plugins get a score out of 100. The score gives a letter from A to F, and a letter means the same for every type.

• A90 points or more.
• B80 to 89 points.
• C65 to 79 points.
• D45 to 64 points.
• E25 to 44 points.
• FUnder 25 points.

The score counts recent releases and support for current Minecraft versions, removals from modpacks and quick fixes, links to the project's source code and to a place to report problems, downloads, how long the project has existed and security problems found in mod files for recent Minecraft versions. A mod whose files are not checked yet is B at most.

2. What counts for each type

Every part of the score counts for mods. Downloads give full points from 5 million, and releases when new files came out in 8 different months of the last 2 years.

Resource packs are not graded on source code or on a place to report problems, and a removal from a modpack counts half. Downloads give full points from 500,000, and releases when new files came out in 3 different months of the last 2 years.

Shaders are not graded on source code, and a Discord server counts as a place to report problems. A removal from a modpack counts half. Downloads give full points from 5 million, and releases when new files came out in 3 different months of the last 2 years.

Data packs are not graded on source code either, and a Discord server counts as a place to report problems. Downloads give full points from 50,000, and releases when new files came out in 3 different months of the last 2 years.

Plugins are almost never in modpacks, so removals from modpacks do not count for them. A Discord server counts as a place to report problems. Downloads give full points from 50,000, and releases when new files came out in 8 different months of the last 2 years.

3. Projects without a letter

• !Malware was found in one of its files. It gets no grade.
• -The project is finished or was replaced by another one. It gets no grade.
• ?We have not graded it yet.
• 82%Modpack: 82% of its graded mods are A or BA modpack gets no letter. It shows the share of its graded mods that are A or B, in the colour of the letter with the same score.

4. How we check the files

We download the files from Modrinth and CurseForge and read their code in an isolated environment. We look at the files the code reads or writes, and at code it downloads or hides. We see which servers it contacts and what it sends them. We also see what it adds to the game and what it replaces.

Each file gets one of five results.

• Passed: our checks found nothing harmful in this file.
• Partly checked: our checks found nothing harmful in the parts we could check. Some files packed inside could not be read.
• Warning: something that can be risky, not proof of malware. It lowers the grade. The download stays available.
• Malware: harmful code found. The download is blocked.
• Not checked: we have not checked this file yet.

A project's result covers its latest files for recent Minecraft versions: the newest file for each version and loader. Recent versions are those released in the last 2 years and the versions most played in modpacks. For a project with no file for a recent version, its newest files count. It shows Passed only when all of them passed, and Partly checked when only some are checked yet or we could read only part of one.

What a mod is made for does not count as a Warning. A Discord webhook in a Discord mod, for example, is listed as information.

Our checks look for known signs of harm. They cannot prove a file is harmless. When we find malware, we also report it to the platform that hosts the file.

5. What a project page shows

A project page has up to seven tabs.

• Overview: why the project has its grade, and what it changes in the game.
• Security: what the file check found.
• Privacy: what the mod connects to and what it can send.
• AI: AI tools used to make it, and AI features in the game. This is not part of the grade.
• Compatibility: Minecraft versions, loaders or server software, required mods and known conflicts.
• Modpacks: the modpacks that include it, month by month, and the mods found with it.
• Releases: every release, where it is published and whether we checked it.

If a result looks wrong, tell us.