Some projects on CurseForge reach a point where their new file clusters are approved immediately, without waiting for the manual moderation review that most file clusters go through. This is called whitelisting, and it's not something random, it's earned by a project's own track record.


This article explains exactly what a project needs to qualify, and will cover the following:


What whitelisting means for your files

Normally, when you submit a new file cluster (the group of files published together for one release, each new version of your mod creates a new cluster), it goes through our manual moderation process before it goes live. Once a project is whitelisted, that manual review step is skipped for its file clusters. The individual files still pass through our automated technical checks (malicious code, file integrity, and similar safety scans) like every file on CurseForge, but they don't wait in the manual review queue, they're approved and go live right away.


Whitelisting is a project-by-project decision. If one of your projects qualifies, that doesn't automatically extend to your other projects, and if you start a brand-new project, it always begins in the normal moderation process regardless of how trusted your other work is. Every project earns its own track record.


The requirements

A project needs to meet all of the following at the same time to be whitelisted:


  • It's a free project. Whitelisting applies to non-premium projects only. Premium mods always go through manual review, no matter their history.
  • It's active. The project hasn't been deleted.
  • Its recent releases are clean. Looking at the last 5 file clusters submitted to the project, all 5 must have been approved by moderation, with no rejections or changes-required along the way. This also means a project needs a history of at least 5 submitted file clusters to be considered at all.
  • It's still being maintained. At least one file must have been updated within the last 90 days.
  • It has proven traction. The project has more than 1,000 downloads in total.


If any one of these isn't met, the project simply continues through normal moderation like any other, there's no penalty, it just means it hasn't earned whitelisting yet.


How often projects are checked

We don't run this check on a fixed monthly or quarterly date, it's done on an ad-hoc cadence. If your project doesn't meet all the requirements today, it will be picked up automatically the next time we run the check, once it does. If you believe your project already meets every requirement above, you don't have to wait for the next check, you can reach out to support and ask us to review it sooner.


FAQ

Can I ask for my project to be whitelisted?

Yes. Reach out to support and our team will review your project against the requirements above and decide whether to whitelist it. Meeting every requirement is what makes a project eligible, but the final call on a review request is made by our team, not generated automatically just because you asked.


Does whitelisting mean my files are never checked?

No. Automated safety checks (malicious code, file integrity, and similar) still run on every file. Whitelisting only skips the manual moderation review.


If my project qualifies today, is that permanent?

Not necessarily. Since we re-run this check periodically rather than on a fixed schedule, a project's status reflects its recent history at the time of the check. Keep submitting clean, well-maintained files and it will stay whitelisted.


I have another project that's whitelisted, does that cover my new project too?

No. Every project is evaluated on its own merits. A new project always starts in the normal moderation process.