Hot reload

kiln deploy --reload       # or: dotnet build -t:KilnDeploy -p:KilnReload=true

The server unloads the mod and its dependents, loads the new files, and loads everything again in order, in about a second. A mod not loaded yet gets loaded.

The control folder

A running server takes commands as files: write kiln/control/<name>.cmd, read kiln/control/<name>.result.json.

echo "reload my-mod" > kiln/control/r.cmd
cat kiln/control/r.result.json

Command	Does
mods	every mod’s state, errors, dependencies and cost per step
load <folder>	load kiln/mods/<folder>
unload <id>	unload it and its dependents
reload <id>	reload it from disk
reload-test <id> <n>	reload n times, then check nothing kept the old copies alive
test <id>	run its tests
gc	collect unloaded mods; how many are still alive

The admin Mods page has the same buttons.

What a reload keeps

Kept	Gone
saved data (WorldData, PlayerData, CharacterData, EntityData)	static fields and the old mod instance
config files	threads and timers you started, unless you stop them
	changes to content, game data and creatures: your new code puts them back

Unload cleanly

Kiln removes what you registered through it. These keep the old copy in memory:

• threads, timers, sockets and open files: stop or close them in OnUnload;
• your objects held outside your mod, such as a static event on a .NET type.

The analyzers flag many of these. Run reload-test my-mod 10 to catch the rest.