MVM - Mod Version Manager

Mod Version Manager (MVM) is a track-aware Nexus version checker and guarded metadata correction plugin for Mod Organizer 2. It was built for a problem that becomes increasingly common in large mod lists: MO2 can report an update even though the "newer" Nexus file actually belongs to a completely different variant, resolution, installation method, edition, translation, optional package or release track.

MVM's defining difference is that it does not simply compare your installed mod against the global newest version shown on a Nexus mod page. Instead, it starts from the exact Nexus File ID of the file you installed, determines the matching file/variant track, and then checks whether a genuinely newer file exists inside that same track.

That distinction matters on Nexus pages that contain combinations such as 2K / 4K / 8K, Full / Lite, REDmod / Non-REDmod, Legacy / Next-Gen, SE / AE / VR, language packages, optional files, technical helper files or author-specific release branches. A newer upload from another branch is treated as an alternative, not automatically as an update to your installed file.

MVM also deliberately separates three values that are often confused with each other: the version stored by MO2 for the installed mod, the version attached to the exact Nexus file, and MO2's stored Newest Version value. This allows MVM to identify false MO2 update warnings without blindly overwriting the installed version or forcing unrelated Nexus metadata into your setup.

If you only want a tool that manually forces a version number, MVM is intentionally more conservative. Its purpose is to make a file-level, track-aware decision first and only offer an automatic correction when the result passes its safety and confidence checks.

Mod Version Manager is installed directly into Mod Organizer 2. It does not need to be installed as a regular game mod and does not place files into your game directory.

Requirements

• Mod Organizer 2 with Python plugin support

• An internet connection for Nexus file-list checks

• A personal Nexus Mods API key for online analysis

Tested with

• Mod Organizer 2 v2. 5. 2

• Python 3. 12 / PyQt6 runtime used by the tested MO2 environment

• Primary live-test environment: Cyberpunk 2077

Optional compatibility

• No external framework is required by MVM itself

• Generic variant matching also works outside the built-in game-specific vocabulary when the Nexus metadata is sufficiently clear

The Nexus API key is held in memory for the current session only. MVM does not save the key to its settings, logs, scan reports or diagnostic packages.

MVM contains additional variant vocabulary for Cyberpunk 2077, Skyrim Special Edition / Skyrim VR, Fallout 4 and The Witcher 3, while keeping the core matcher generic. Built-in game rules improve recognition of common distinctions such as REDmod / Non-REDmod, SE / AE / VR and Legacy / Next-Gen.

MVM is designed around one principle: determine whether a Nexus file is actually relevant to the file you installed before calling it an update.

The plugin combines exact File-ID matching, variant classification, guarded metadata correction, full-list analysis and recovery tools instead of treating the newest file on a mod page as universally applicable.

• Exact Nexus File-ID anchor — MVM reads the Nexus File ID associated with the installed download and uses that exact file as the starting point for analysis.

• Track-aware update detection — newer files are evaluated inside the installed file's track. Different resolutions, editions, installation types, translations, optional branches and other variants can remain visible without being misclassified as updates.

• Real updates vs alternatives — MVM distinguishes a genuine same-track update from an alternate file that may be newer globally but does not replace the installed variant.

• Safer chronology — where available, Nexus file-update lineage is used to follow successor relationships. Upload chronology and version comparison are used as additional fallback signals instead of relying on one global version field alone.

• Flexible version parsing — supports conventional versions as well as many alphanumeric and author-spe