172 lines
7.2 KiB
Markdown
172 lines
7.2 KiB
Markdown
# BetterCurseForge
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<div align="center">
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<img src="assets/icon_512.png" alt="BetterCurseForge Logo" width="128" height="128" />
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### The modern, lightweight client modification for CurseForge Launcher.
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[](LICENSE)
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[](https://github.com/tomasalias/BetterCurseForge)
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[](#features)
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[](#-how-auto-repatch-works)
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**Zero Ads • Custom Themes • Unlocked Skins • Extensible Plugins • Autonomous Auto-Repatch**
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</div>
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---
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## ✨ Features
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- 🚫 **Complete Zero-Ad Experience**: Multi-layer ad elimination without breaking React Fiber:
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- Electron `session.webRequest` network request blocker stops Overwolf/Adrta/DoubleClick ad calls before they start.
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- Fail-safe CSS rules completely neutralize, hide, and collapse all ad frames, banners, and swap buttons to 0px.
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- Safe non-destructive DOM handling preserves React Fiber reconciliation, preventing `insertBefore` exceptions.
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- 🎨 **First-Class Theme Engine**:
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- Seamlessly embedded into CurseForge's native **Settings > Themes** screen.
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- Live CSS injection with instant hot-reloading (no launcher restarts needed).
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- Bundled with **Purple Night**—a custom dark theme featuring violet accents, sleek card elevations, and custom badge styling.
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- 🔓 **Unlocked Native Premium Themes & Skins**:
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- Unlocks all official CurseForge subscriber skins (PixelForge, LifeForge, FantasyForge, Halloween, etc.) without requiring a CurseForge subscription.
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- 🧩 **Extensible Plugin System**:
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- Modular plugin architecture with lifecycle hooks (`onEnable`, `onDisable`), safe IPC communication, and scoped styling.
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- Includes sample plugins like **Compact Mode**.
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- 🛡️ **Autonomous Auto-Repatch Engine**:
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- **Survives in-app CurseForge updates automatically!**
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- Offline, zero-delay ASAR extraction and repacking (< 3 seconds) using CurseForge's internal Node v24 runtime—no internet connection or external npm/npx required.
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- Synchronizes Overwolf's binary `OWEASARSIG` integrity hashes directly inside `CurseForge.exe`.
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- Background watcher daemon ensures your modifications are immediately re-applied when CurseForge updates.
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---
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## 🚀 Quick Start
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### Easy Installation (GUI)
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1. Download the latest `BetterCurseForge.exe` from [Releases](https://github.com/tomasalias/BetterCurseForge/releases).
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2. Run `BetterCurseForge.exe`.
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3. Click **Patch CurseForge**.
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4. Launch CurseForge Launcher—your modded client is ready to use!
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### Command-Line Interface (CLI)
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`BetterCurseForge.exe` can also be run directly from PowerShell or Command Prompt:
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```bash
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# Check current patch and watcher status
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.\BetterCurseForge.exe status
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# Apply BetterCurseForge patch
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.\BetterCurseForge.exe patch
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# Restore original vanilla CurseForge
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.\BetterCurseForge.exe unpatch
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# Run background watcher daemon directly
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.\BetterCurseForge.exe watch
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# Trigger the smooth splash updater GUI manually
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.\BetterCurseForge.exe --repatch-splash
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```
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---
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## 🔄 How Auto-Repatch Works
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Whenever CurseForge downloads an official update, the Overwolf installer replaces `resources/app.asar` with an unpatched vanilla archive and automatically restarts `CurseForge.exe`. BetterCurseForge guarantees a **smooth, zero-delay transition** where you never lose your patch and the unpatched app is never shown on screen:
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```mermaid
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flowchart TD
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A[CurseForge Launcher Update] -->|Overwolf installer replaces files| B[Installer Attempts to Launch Vanilla App]
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B -->|Active Interceptor <50ms| C[Vanilla Launcher Suppressed Silently]
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C -->|Auto-Repatch Triggered| D[Dedicated Splash Updater GUI Appears]
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D -->|Real-time Status & Progress| E[Offline Extraction & Patching <3s]
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E -->|Synchronize OWEASARSIG| F[CurseForge.exe Integrity Signature Updated]
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F -->|Autonomous Relaunch| G[Modded BetterCurseForge Launches Ready!]
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```
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1. **Active Vanilla Interceptor**: When an update or unpatched state is detected, BetterCurseForge polls in tight 150ms slices using lightweight Win32 kernel process enumeration. If the installer starts `CurseForge.exe`, it is terminated within 50ms before Chromium or Electron can render a single frame—guaranteeing the unpatched client never flashes on screen.
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2. **Dedicated Splash Updater GUI**: Rather than patching silently without visual feedback, BetterCurseForge displays a sleek, centered dark-themed card (`#121214`) featuring the official application icon, an animated purple progress bar, and real-time status updates (*"Waiting for installer..."*, *"Extracting application archive..."*, *"Unlocking native premium themes..."*, *"Injecting zero-ad rules..."*, *"Updating security signatures..."*).
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3. **Global Mutex Synchronization**: Uses Windows kernel named mutexes (`BetterCurseForgePatchMutex`, `BetterCurseForgeSplashMutex`) to guarantee atomic, single-process patching with zero race conditions or duplicate windows.
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4. **Resilient Win32 Watcher Daemon**: A silent background process monitors CurseForge's installation directory with 0% CPU consumption during idle. It triggers the splash updater whenever an update is applied and handles all persistence automatically.
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5. **100% Offline Zero-Delay ASAR Engine**: Unpacking and repacking use bundled tools combined with CurseForge's built-in Node runtime (`ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE=1`), completing the entire repatch cycle in 2–3 seconds without requiring an internet connection.
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---
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## 🎨 Themes & Plugins
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User configurations, themes, and plugins are stored in your AppData directory:
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```
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%APPDATA%\CurseForge\BetterCurseForge\
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├── themes/
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│ ├── purple-night.css
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│ └── purple-night.json
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└── plugins/
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└── compact-mode/
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├── manifest.json
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└── index.js
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```
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You can open these folders anytime via the **Open Themes Folder** and **Open Plugins Folder** buttons in the BetterCurseForge GUI.
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### Creating a Custom Theme
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Create a CSS file and manifest in `%APPDATA%\CurseForge\BetterCurseForge\themes\my-theme.css`:
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```json
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{
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"name": "My Theme",
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"description": "Custom color theme for CurseForge",
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"author": "Your Name",
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"version": "1.0.0",
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"css": "my-theme.css"
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}
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```
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```css
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:root {
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--surface-brand-brand: #10b981 !important;
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--surface-brand-brand-hover: #059669 !important;
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}
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```
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---
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## 🛠️ Building from Source
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### Prerequisites
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- Windows 10 / 11
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- Python 3.10+
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- Node.js 20+ (for docs)
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### Build Instructions
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```powershell
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# Clone the repository
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git clone https://github.com/tomasalias/BetterCurseForge.git
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cd BetterCurseForge
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# Build standalone executable with PyInstaller
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python -m pip install pyinstaller
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python -m PyInstaller BetterCurseForge.spec --noconfirm
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# Output executable will be in:
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# dist/BetterCurseForge.exe
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```
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### Running VitePress Documentation
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```powershell
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cd docs
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npm install
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npm run dev
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```
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---
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## 📄 License
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This project is licensed under the [MIT License](LICENSE).
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CurseForge and Overwolf are trademarks of their respective owners. BetterCurseForge is an independent open-source project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Overwolf or CurseForge.
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