Recipes
Curate shareable lists of packages — mods, resource packs, shaders, and more — and apply them to instances.
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What Is a Recipe?
A recipe is a user-curated list of package references — mods, resource packs, shader packs, data packs, or worlds — saved under a name, with optional tags and a note on each item. Think of it as a wishlist or a preset package list: a named set of packages you can apply to an instance and share as a file.
A recipe holds references only (pref:// URIs). It contains no mod files, no configuration, and no Minecraft version or loader — that is exactly what makes it different from a modpack.
Recipes vs. Modpacks
| Recipe | Modpack | |
|---|---|---|
| Contains | Package references + tags/notes | Minecraft version, loader, packages, config files |
| Applies to | An instance you're setting up — adds its packages | Creates or updates a whole instance |
| File | Lightweight JSON | A .zip / .mrpack archive |
Because a recipe is only a list of references, applying it never touches an instance's Minecraft version or loader, and it stays valid as packages are updated — the references resolve to whatever the repositories currently offer.
Creating a Recipe
- Open Recipes from the app menu or the toolbar button.
- Click New and give the recipe a name and an optional description.
- Open the recipe to start adding packages.
Adding Packages
- Open the recipe and click Add — this opens the package explorer.
- Browse CurseForge and Modrinth and add projects to the recipe.
- Each item can carry tags (for organization) and a note (for anything worth remembering).
- Use the search box and the kind filter to navigate larger recipes.
Projects you've already added show an In Recipe marker when you browse them elsewhere.
Applying a Recipe to an Instance
Open an existing instance's setup page. Open the menu under the Get More button and choose Import from recipe, then pick a recipe. Polymerium resolves each reference through the repositories and adds the packages to the instance's package list; they appear grouped under the recipe, and selecting the group opens the recipe.
Sharing Recipes
- Export a recipe to a JSON file — from the Recipes list or the recipe page.
- Import a recipe from a JSON file on the Recipes page.
- The file stores each item as a package reference together with its tags and note.
Deleting a Recipe
A recipe that instances still reference can't be deleted. Polymerium lists the referencing instances — remove the recipe from those instances in their setup first, then delete it.
Recipes and Version Control
Recipe files are versioned JSON documents, so they diff cleanly in version control — useful when you keep a recipe file in a git repository and share it with a team. See the Git Collaboration → guide.