MO2 Hardlink Builder

What's New in Version 4

Version 4 is a full architecture rebuild focused on safer isolation, faster rebuilds, and better recovery.

• []New compiled C# launcher for session isolation, save sync, and restore-after-exit behavior.[/]

  [] No persistent `_profile/` folder inside the standalone build.[/]

  []Incremental rebuilds now redeploy only changed mods. The first Version 4 build creates the required baseline; after that, changes made in MO2 can be applied without wiping and redeploying the entire standalone. [/]

  []Gameplay-generated files are harvested before cleanup and restored after rebuild.[/]

  []Interrupted builds and launcher sync tasks can recover on the next run.[/]

  []Automatic Quick + Sampled verification after every build, with Full SHA-256 verification available on demand.[/]

  []Experimental optimization features were removed to reduce complexity and antivirus false positives.[/]

  Why I Built This

  My primary reason was simple: I wanted to run Skyrim directly, without the overhead of MO2's Virtual File System.

  MO2 is an incredibly powerful tool, and I use it every day to manage over 3,500 mods. But running the game through MO2 adds startup latency — the VFS needs to mount before the engine even starts. On a large modlist, that delay is noticeable. Beyond the performance side, there is something I find personally unsatisfying about launching a game through a proxy. I wanted to feel like the mods were actually installed, not just redirected.

  This tool was originally built for my own needs. I decided to publish it for anyone who shares that perspective — Skyrim players who want the native engine experience without giving up the flexibility of MO2 mod management.

  I want to be clear about one thing: this tool does not undermine what makes MO2 great. Your original game folder and your MO2 mods folder stay completely untouched. The standalone build is an isolated copy that points back to your existing files via hardlinks. You can build multiple standalones from different MO2 profiles and use essentially zero extra disk space when the source files and destination are on the same NTFS drive.

  I am not a professional modder or developer — this is my first published tool. I built it because I needed it and thought others might too.

  What Makes This Different

  []Near-zero extra disk space on same-drive builds. NTFS hardlinks point to your existing mod files. The standalone folder contains no duplicate data — it is your mod data, shared at the filesystem level. Cross-drive deployments fall back to full copies and do consume additional disk space.[/]

  [*]Session-scoped conf