Between 2021 and 2026, the toolchain migrated away from simple web-scraped GUI installers toward resilient repository management, community-driven package builders, and manual installation practices.
| Evolution Era | Dominant Toolchain | System Vulnerability |
|---|---|---|
| Early Era (2021, 2022) | Monkey Mod Manager (DeadlyKitten), automated webhooks, base BepInEx 5. | Hardcoded paths, dead download mirrors, absence of dynamic compatibility checks. |
| Transition Era (2023, 2024) | Forked community managers, manual file injection, direct GitHub asset fetching. | Utilla library mismatches, Photon networking shifts, frequent anti-cheat disconnects. |
| Modern Era (2025, 2026) | Decentralized package manifests, containerized BepInEx setups, sandboxed private instances. | Engine API deprecation, hardware-level runtime conflicts, Meta Quest link shifts. |
