🍋 Official LemonLoader File Interaction Guide

Brought to you by the LemonLoader Development Team

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📦 What is LemonLoader?

LemonLoader is an open-source installer designed to bring the power of MelonLoader—a universal mod loader for Unity engine-based Android games—to your device. While LemonLoader facilitates the setup process, it does not function as a mod itself and does not directly interact with game-specific files the same way mods do.

Its core purpose:
👉 To install and configure MelonLoader on Android so that users can effortlessly load and manage Unity game mods.

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🗂️ File Types Handled by LemonLoader

Here’s a breakdown of the key files LemonLoader installs or interacts with during the setup process:

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1️⃣ LemonLoader Application File (.apk)

📁 Purpose: The LemonLoader installer itself.
✅ Contains the UI, logic, and backend functionality to detect Unity games and set up MelonLoader.
💡 This is the first app you install to kick off the modding experience on Android.

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2️⃣ MelonLoader Core Files

🧩 LemonLoader’s main job is to install and configure MelonLoader, which includes:

• 📱 MelonLoader.apk
  The Android build of MelonLoader—the mod loader that enables injection and execution of mods.
• 🧬 Native Libraries (.so files)
  These system-level libraries allow MelonLoader to hook into Unity games and perform low-level operations like assembly unstripping.
• ⚙️ Configuration Files (.ini, .json)
  Control mod-loading behaviors, such as whether the console is visible or when certain mods load.
• 🔗 Runtime Dependencies
  Ensures required runtimes (e.g., specific versions of .NET) or helper frameworks are present for MelonLoader to function.

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3️⃣ Unity Game Interaction (Indirect)

While LemonLoader doesn’t modify game content directly, it does enable the modding pipeline by:

• 🕹️ Detecting Target Unity Games
  It scans your device to identify Unity-based games installed on your Android system.
• 🛠️ Patching Game Files
  Injects MelonLoader’s hooks into the game’s startup process so it can load mods on launch.
• 📂 Creating Mods Directory
  Within the game’s data folder, a Mods/ directory is created. This is where users will drop .dll and other mod files.

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4️⃣ Mod Files (Handled by MelonLoader After Installation)

Once MelonLoader is installed, it takes over and handles various mod files:

• 🧠 .dll (Dynamic Link Libraries)
  Core logic of most mods—compiled C# code that runs at runtime.
• 📝 .cs (C# Source Code)
  Sometimes mods ship as raw source for transparency or runtime compilation.
• 🎨 Assets Files
  Include custom models, textures, sounds, or animations in Unity-readable formats.
• 🛠️ Configuration Files (.json, .ini)
  Used by mods to store settings, preferences, or feature toggles.
• 📄 Additional Data
  Any other data files the mod might rely on—scripts, localization files, language packs, etc.

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✅ Summary

🔧 LemonLoader = Setup Tool
Its job ends once MelonLoader is installed.

🎮 MelonLoader = Mod Manager
It takes over to handle game patching and mod loading.

🗂️ User Workflow Overview:

1. Install LemonLoader (.apk)
2. Let LemonLoader detect your Unity games.
3. LemonLoader installs MelonLoader and required dependencies.
4. You place mods into the Mods/ folder.
5. MelonLoader loads the mods when the game launches.

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🔐 Final Note

LemonLoader maintains a clean and modular approach, never directly altering your game data outside of what’s necessary to enable MelonLoader. Your mods, your control.

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