Auto Craft Loader

Auto Craft Loader on Your Factorio Server

Auto Craft Loader by tianyuyu automates material supply for assembling machines: it pulls raw materials from the shared storage pool created by LinkedChestAndPipe straight into your assemblers, then routes the finished products back into that same pool. On large, division-of-labor multiplayer bases, that removes a lot of manual inserter wiring for feeding and collecting from individual machines.

Installing it on your server follows the usual pattern: drop the zip into the mods/ folder and switch it on via mod-list.json. Since your server automatically syncs mods to every client, nobody on your team needs to track down the file themselves — the shared-storage workflow is ready for everyone the moment they connect.

Tip: The mod assumes a working LinkedChestAndPipe setup, so get that shared-storage network running first.

Plan the rollout and operation

Auto Craft Loader becomes useful only after shared storage is stable. Build a bounded test cell with one machine, cover recipe changes, missing ingredients, and a full output, then try several stations in parallel. Automatic return paths can create unnoticed loops or bottlenecks, so use limits and visible status indicators. Pin the LinkedChestAndPipe dependency together with this mod rather than updating the two independently.

For rollout, copy the save, mod-list.json, mod-settings.dat, and current mods directory. Enable the new zip on a server copy first and let Factorio validate dependencies and version ranges during boot. Connect at least two clients, use the core feature, save under a new name, and load that save again. Watch the server log, UPS, and synchronization in a realistic factory rather than only on an empty map. For updates, record the game, mod, and dependency versions together and change one package per test run. Content or recipe mods can leave saved entities and production chains behind, so do not remove them directly from the live world. On a copy, replace recipes, filters, and buildings before deleting the file. The original save then remains a reliable rollback. Also document the tested mod order so teammates and later maintenance windows always begin from the same reproducible combination.