How scanning works
What SimSweep looks at when you run a scan, what it finds, and where the results show up.
SimSweep opens every package and script file in your Mods folder and reads what is actually inside, not just the filename. If you have ever stared at a folder of thousands of files with cryptic names wondering which one is crashing your game, this is the part of the app that figures it out.
Running a scan#
Click Scan Now from the home screen or the header. That is all. SimSweep picks up your Mods folder path automatically. If it did not detect the path on first launch, you can set it in Settings.
You can also choose to include your Saves folder during the scan. Including saves gives you accurate used and unused results for CAS items, because save files are the most reliable source of that information. Without them, SimSweep can still detect Tray usage and Build/Buy items, but CAS used counts will be incomplete.
When the scan finishes, every part of the app updates at once: Home shows your summary, My CC has per-file results, Diagnostics has repair cards, and Tools has actions ready to go.
What the scanner looks at#
SimSweep reads the actual binary content of each file, not filenames or folder structure. Here is what it checks:
- Package content - Every resource inside the file: CAS parts, meshes, objects, tuning, animations, catalog entries, thumbnails, and more.
- Script mods - Python bytecode metadata, import lists, framework identifiers, and risk signals.
- Your Saves folder (when included) - Which CC items are actually referenced in your save files, so used and unused results are accurate.
- Your Tray folder - Household and lot files that reference CC by ID.
- Crash logs - Game exception and crash files, parsed to surface the most likely suspect mods.
- Thumbnails - Embedded images in packages, TSR source images, and your local thumbnail cache.
What it detects#
| What | How SimSweep finds it |
|---|---|
| Broken CC | Missing meshes and orphaned recolors, compared against your mods and the base game |
| Conflicts | Shared resource IDs across multiple packages that can override each other |
| Duplicates | Same resource ID sets in more than one file |
| Identical files | Exact byte-for-byte matches across different packages |
| Soft conflicts | Deeper tuning clashes like conflicting traits, perks, and zone modifiers |
| Script issues | Missing frameworks, duplicate framework providers, and Python-level risk signals |
| Malware signals | Dangerous imports, system access patterns, raw IP addresses, and Discord webhook calls inside script mods |
| Used and unused CC | Which items appear in your saves and tray vs. which ones are just sitting there |
| Required packs | Which expansion or game packs a CC item needs to work |
What shows up where#
After a scan, the results flow into every part of the app:
- Home - Library size, used and unused counts, and a health summary with issue counts.
- My CC - Per-file cards with badges, categories, thumbnails, and details for each item.
- Diagnostics - Cards for broken files, conflicts, duplicates, crash logs, and more.
- Tools - Sort, backup, analytics, and other actions that operate on scan data.
A few things to know#
Scan results only reflect what was in your folder at the time of the last scan. If you add or remove files, run another scan to update everything.
CAS items that appear only in your Tray but not in any save file stay in an uncertain state. SimSweep will not mark them as definitely used because tray files are not as reliable as saves for CAS usage. Including your Saves folder during a scan is the best way to get accurate results.
If SimSweep cannot build a usable index of your game install, broken CC detection will be suppressed to avoid false positives. This usually means the game path was not detected correctly. Check Settings if the game path looks wrong.
Next up#
Head to Diagnostics to see what the scan found and start fixing issues.