Can Zen Mods utilize asset folders for custom resources?

[SivanTechDev]

looking at the theme-store, I have not seen a single mod that uses an assets folder for storing custom resources, such as icons or other specific files.. Using something like url('https://raw.githubusercontent.com/....') seems less than ideal

Is there support for including and referencing local asset folders within Zen Mods? If not, are there any recommended best practices for handling custom resources efficiently?

[dosubot[bot]]

Zen Mods do not currently support including or referencing local asset folders for custom resources. The mod system is designed to handle only specific files—such as chrome.css, preferences.json, and readme.md—within each mod's directory. There is no infrastructure in place for referencing or loading arbitrary asset folders (like an assets directory for icons or images) as part of a mod, nor is there a manifest or schema for such resources. This appears to be an intentional design choice, limiting mods to a well-defined set of files and not supporting custom resource folders at this time reference.

There are also known issues with importing local themes: the system is hardcoded to fetch theme data from the online store, even when a local file is provided, which further complicates using local resources reference.

No official best practices for handling custom resources in Zen Mods are documented. As a result, most mods that need to use custom resources rely on external URLs, even though this is less than ideal. If you need to include custom resources, you will likely need to host them externally and reference them by URL, as there is no built-in support for bundling or referencing local assets within a mod.

To reply, just mention my name @dosu.

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[SivanTechDev]

@dosu, assets folders do work, I wanted to know if the store allows it.
I have installed my own Zen Mod using the browser debugger and the import mods.
I have created a reference to an assets folder in a this mod

:root {
    --zen-contextmenu-menuitem-padding-inline: 6px;
    --zen-contextmenu-menuicon-margin-inline: 48px;
	--zen-contextmenu-menuicon-margin-small-inline: 6px;
    --zen-contextmenu-menuitem-margin: 0px 2px;
}

#context_zenSplitTabs {
  --menu-image: url('assets/sidebars-right.svg') !important;
}

#context-zen-change-workspace-tab {
  --menu-image: url('assets/move-tab.svg') !important;
}

this is the folder structure inside the
zen/Profiles/{profile hash}.Default (release)/chrome/zen-themes/{a theme UUID}/
├── chrome.css
├── readme.md
└── assets/ <-- Or 'icons/', 'images/', etc.
├── sidebars-right.svg
├── move-tab.svg
└── ... (other svg icons)

The moment the submitting to the store will be returned I will send it.

[dosubot[bot]]

There are no explicit guidelines or restrictions in the Zen Browser codebase or documentation regarding the inclusion of asset folders (such as assets/, icons/, or images/) when submitting Zen Mods to the store. The mod system officially recognizes files like chrome.css, readme.md, and optionally preferences.json, but does not mention or enforce rules about additional asset directories.

Your approach—referencing local assets within your mod's folder—works for local installations. However, the store and mod installation process are hardcoded to fetch only specific files from the online store, and there is no documented support for bundling or serving arbitrary asset folders as part of a mod submission. This means that while asset folders are not explicitly forbidden, their support in the store is not guaranteed or documented, and you may encounter issues if the store's automation or delivery process does not handle these extra files as expected reference.

If you proceed with submitting a mod containing an asset folder, be aware that there is no official process ensuring those assets will be included or accessible after installation via the store. If you encounter issues, it may be due to the store's current limitations rather than an explicit restriction.

If you need to ensure reliable delivery of custom resources, hosting them externally and referencing them by URL remains the most predictable method, though it is less ideal. If you do submit your mod with an asset folder and it works, sharing your results could help clarify the current state of support for others.

To reply, just mention my name @dosu.

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