Overview

FiveLaunch is a desktop launcher for FiveM that solves a very specific (and very annoying) problem:

FiveLaunch does that by keeping per-client folders under your AppData and then controlling what FiveM sees by linking (junctions / file links) the right folders into the real FiveM directories at launch time.

It’s intentionally small:

• no cloud accounts
• no “mod manager ecosystem”
• no database
• just a launcher that owns the filesystem rules so you don’t have to

Why this exists (and when it’s worth using)

If you only ever play on one server with one plugin set, you can probably live without this.

FiveLaunch becomes worth it when you have profiles in your head:

• “server A” needs a certain mods layout
• “server B” wants a different plugin stack
• you want a “clean” client for troubleshooting
• you’re testing a plugin/ReShade preset and don’t want to contaminate your daily setup

The key is that FiveM (and tools around it) often expect fixed locations:

• %LOCALAPPDATA%\\FiveM\\FiveM.app\\mods
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\\FiveM\\FiveM.app\\plugins
• %LOCALAPPDATA%\\FiveM\\FiveM.app\\citizen
• %APPDATA%\\CitizenFX\\gta5_settings.xml
• %APPDATA%\\CitizenFX\\CitizenFX.ini

FiveLaunch leans into that reality: it doesn’t fight the path expectations—it redirects them.

The core idea: client folders + controlled linking

FiveLaunch stores each client profile on disk, then “projects” that profile into the real FiveM folders at launch.

On-disk layout

Each client gets its own directory:

Location	Purpose
%APPDATA%\\FiveLaunch\\clients\\<clientId>\\mods\\	Per-client mods folder
%APPDATA%\\FiveLaunch\\clients\\<clientId>\\plugins\\	Per-client plugins folder
%APPDATA%\\FiveLaunch\\clients\\<clientId>\\citizen\\	Optional per-client citizen folder (advanced)
%APPDATA%\\FiveLaunch\\clients\\<clientId>\\settings\\	Per-client settings files + caches

At launch time, FiveLaunch targets these FiveM/CitizenFX paths:

Target path	What FiveLaunch can do
%LOCALAPPDATA%\\FiveM\\FiveM.app\\mods	Junction to client mods
%LOCALAPPDATA%\\FiveM\\FiveM.app\\plugins	Junction or sync/copy mode
%LOCALAPPDATA%\\FiveM\\FiveM.app\\citizen	Junction to client citizen (optional)
%APPDATA%\\CitizenFX\\gta5_settings.xml	Seed + enforce per-client settings (optional)
%APPDATA%\\CitizenFX\\CitizenFX.ini	Seed + 2-way sync while running (optional)

Backups are a first-class feature

A launcher that links folders without a backup story is just a footgun.

When FiveLaunch takes over a directory the first time, it renames the original aside:

• mods → mods_original
• plugins → plugins_original
• citizen → citizen_original
• gta5_settings.xml → gta5_settings.xml_original
• CitizenFX.ini → CitizenFX.ini_original

That backup behavior is part of the project’s “small but safe” philosophy:

• don’t delete
• don’t overwrite
• always make it possible to roll back

Launch flow: what actually happens

Here’s the launch pipeline in human terms:

1. Refuse unsafe launches

   • FiveLaunch won’t start a new client if GTA V / FiveM is already running.
   • It also won’t start while a previous “plugins finalization” sync is still finishing.

2. Link / prepare folders based on that client’s toggles

   • mods link (junction)
   • plugins in either junction mode or sync mode
   • optional citizen link (advanced)

3. Apply per-client settings

   • optional GTA settings enforcement (FiveM reads settings from multiple places)
   • optional CitizenFX.ini seed + live sync

4. Launch FiveM

5. (Optional) Minimize to tray and restore later

   • If “minimize to tray on game launch” is enabled, FiveLaunch hides itself.
   • In sync mode, it can restore when it sees the game process exit.

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Plugins: two modes, one goal (isolation)

Plugins are where “multi-client” setups usually fall apart.

Some plugins (and especially overlays like ReShade) care deeply about the real filesystem path they’re loaded from.

So FiveLaunch supports two strategies:

1) Junction mode (fast, direct)

• %LOCALAPPDATA%\\FiveM\\FiveM.app\\plugins becomes a junction to the client’s plugins folder.
• Pros: minimal copying, very fast, less IO.
• Cons: some tooling may resolve the target path; a few setups behave weirdly when paths are redirected.

2) Sync mode (path-stable)

• %LOCALAPPDATA%\\FiveM\\FiveM.app\\plugins stays a real folder.
• FiveLaunch copies/syncs files client → game on launch and can sync changes back.
• Pros: plugins “see” the standard FiveM path; helps with path-sensitive setups.
• Cons: extra IO; requires careful “ownership” rules so clients don’t leak into each other.

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Preventing plugin cross-contamination

Sync mode has one scary failure mode:

client A writes into the game plugins folder, then client B launches and accidentally inherits it.

FiveLaunch mitigates this by stamping ownership markers in the game plugins directory and rotating the folder aside if it looks unmanaged or owned by another client.

In practice this means sync mode is slightly more “ceremonial,” but much safer for multi-client setups.

ReShade: why it gets special handling

ReShade commonly drops config/preset files next to the executable or in paths that aren’t neatly “inside plugins.”

FiveLaunch handles that reality by optionally syncing a subset of ReShade-adjacent files between:

• the real install location (near FiveM.exe / FiveM.app)
• the client’s own settings storage

That gives you per-client ReShade configs without needing to manually remember which preset belonged to which profile.

UI + architecture (why Electron is a good fit here)

FiveLaunch is a classic Electron split:

• Main process owns filesystem mutations, process checks, and the launch sequence.
• Preload exposes a constrained API surface.
• Renderer (React) is UI-only: it calls IPC handlers and displays logs/progress.

IPC surface (the UI can only do what it’s allowed)

The renderer can:

• list / create / rename / delete clients
• toggle per-client link options
• open key folders (client, plugins, FiveM.app, CitizenFX)
• launch a client and receive status updates
• read logs

That separation matters because the dangerous operations (renames, links, sync) stay in one place.

What can go wrong (and how the project tries to be resilient)

Most failures are boring filesystem truths:

• FiveM is running → files are locked
• an overlay is holding a handle open
• a folder is already linked in an unexpected way
• your FiveM.app path is wrong

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Recovery checklist

If something goes wrong, the recovery path is usually:

1. Close FiveM/GTA V and overlays.
2. Inspect the “*_original” backups.
3. Confirm the configured FiveM.app folder.
4. Re-launch with only mods enabled, then add features back one by one.

Closing thoughts

FiveLaunch is the kind of tool that’s boring when it works—and that’s the point.

It exists to replace a fragile manual workflow (rename folders, copy plugins, hope nothing leaks) with a repeatable launch pipeline:

• isolated per-client storage
• predictable linking rules
• explicit plugin mode tradeoffs
• automatic backups

If you’ve ever had to undo “one small change” to your FiveM folder at 2am, you already know why this is worth having.