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Install Engines

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Omni-guides edited this page Jun 21, 2026 · 3 revisions

Jackify supports multiple install engines. All engines download and install the same mod files, but they differ in approach, speed, and maturity. You can switch engines using the Use Experimental Engine checkbox on the Install Modlist screen, or permanently via the Tools Hub or Settings Menu.

jackify-engine

Default engine. Recommended for most users.

jackify-engine is Jackify's primary engine. It follows Wabbajack's own installation behaviour: archives are downloaded, hash-verified against the Wabbajack manifest, and extracted. It has been tested across a wide range of modlists and is the most tested option as things stand.

  • Hash-verified at each step, matching Wabbajack's own output exactly
  • Well-covered edge cases across a wide range of modlists
  • Modlist updates use hash-matching to ensure only changed files are updated

CLF3 (Experimental)

Faster installs. Less real-world coverage.

CLF3 (by SulfurNitride) uses a streaming pipeline that downloads and extracts archives concurrently. On large modlists this can be significantly faster than jackify-engine.

  • Concurrent download and extraction — substantially faster on large modlists
  • Does not hash-match against the Wabbajack manifest; produces a visually-equivalent working install but not a byte-for-byte identical one
  • Newer — may have edge cases on some modlists that haven't been encountered yet
  • Modlist updates are essentially just reinstalling the list in full. This is balanced against a faster overall install time.

If CLF3 fails or produces an unexpected result, uncheck Use Experimental Engine and re-run, this will re-install the list using jackify-engine instead.

Support note: CLF3 is an independent project. If you encounter a problem that only occurs with CLF3, please report it via GitHub Issues and note which engine you were using - though do note that the issue may need to be passed to the CLF3 project and fixed upstream. Community help is available in #unofficial-linux-help on the Wabbajack Discord.

Which should I use?

Use jackify-engine if you want the currently most reliable option, or are troubleshooting an installation issue.

Use CLF3 if you want faster installs and are happy to report any issues you encounter while using the experimental install engine.

Switching engines

  • Per install: use the Use Experimental Engine checkbox on the Install Modlist screen
  • Permanently: open the Tools Hub from Additional Tasks, select an engine, and choose Set as active engine

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