libworks

The GitHub template every 5thlayer Module starts from (FactoryWorks ADR-0090). A Module is a 5thlayer mod its Consumers, other Modules or a pack, read from the local maven repository by version.

libworks is becoming a dependency (ADR-0128, #8). It carries runtime/, a small mod (id libworks) Modules nest: the shared "Works" creative tab and transfer helpers (docs/runtime.md); and plugin/, the Gradle convention plugin every Module applies, with the scripts and the CI it calls (docs/plugin.md, ADR 0003). The template below is a NeoForge mod named examplelib whose build applies that plugin, passes its own tests, and does nothing else.

What a Module gets

• A build that applies the libworks plugin at a released version: ModDevGradle on Java 25 and NeoForge 26.1.2, published to ~/.m2 only.
• A GameTest harness: runGameTestServer runs the Module's game tests headless and fails if it ran none. buildGametestStructures writes the stone platform they stand on.
• JUnit tests on a plain JVM, with no Minecraft.
• sh ./gradlew release -PreleaseVersion=<version>, which releases a version to ~/.m2 and tags it; a published version never changes. The skillworks:quicklaunch skill opens the dev client into the most recent save in run/saves, one client per checkout.
• CI on every push, through libworks' module-ci.yml at the plugin's tag: the build, the JUnit tests, the game tests, a REUSE lint, and scripts/build-textures.py --check when the Module has that script. It never publishes.
• MIT under REUSE, with a NOTICE for the credits of third-party material and a commented REUSE.toml stanza for its licence, CLAUDE.md, a GLOSSARY.md stub, docs/agents/, conventional commits.
• The engineering skills from mattpocock/skills, a submodule at vendor/mattpocock-skills pinned to a release and linked into .claude/skills/.
• ADR 0001, the versioning rule every Module inherits: below 1.0 an addition bumps the patch.

Starting a Module

1. Create the repo from this template: gh repo create 5thlayer/<mod_id> --template 5thlayer/libworks --public --clone, then git submodule update --init so the links in .claude/skills/ resolve.
2. Fill the placeholders: scripts/fill-template.sh <mod_id> <ClassName> "<Display Name>" "<description>". It renames the package and every examplelib, ExampleLib and Example Module, removes plugin/, runtime/ and the tooling's tests, pins the plugin and module-ci.yml to the released plugin version, and deletes itself. The plugin must be in ~/.m2 (docs/plugin.md).
3. Write the README's technical sections below the placeholder fill-template.sh leaves for the maintainer's section for players, which is the maintainer's to write and the marketplace description (docs/agents/publishing.md). Write GLOSSARY.md's first terms, and run sh ./gradlew build runGameTestServer.

Adopting it in an existing Module

A Module that predates the template is not regenerated. Diff it against the template and take the template's version of each shared piece: settings.gradle and build.gradle applying the plugin in place of its own build logic and scripts/, the game test harness (CodeGameTest and the *GameTests registrar), REUSE.toml and NOTICE's preamble, docs/agents/, .github/workflows/, and the skills submodule with its links. Its own versioning ADR becomes a pointer to libworks' ADR 0001.

Changing the template

A change here reaches no Module by itself: each adopts it by diff. Build logic, scripts and CI live in the plugin instead, so a Module takes a change there by moving its plugin version.