How to Install a FiveM Script

Installing a FiveM script is the same four steps whether the resource costs nothing or costs fifty euros: put the folder somewhere the server reads, tell the server to start it, satisfy its dependencies, restart. Almost every "it doesn't work" message comes from getting one of those four slightly wrong, so this guide walks each one and names the specific error you will see when it fails.

1. Put the folder in your resources directory

Unzip the download and drop the folder into your server's resources directory. Most server owners keep third-party scripts in a subfolder like resources/[aty] or resources/[scripts] — FiveM reads any folder wrapped in square brackets recursively, so nesting is free organisation.

Two rules matter here. The folder name must match the name you will use in server.cfg, and it must not contain spaces or capital letters that you then type differently. If your download unzipped into aty_garage-main or aty_garage (1), rename it to aty_garage now — the trailing -main from a zip download is the single most common cause of a resource that "won't start".

2. Start it in server.cfg

Open server.cfg and add a line for the resource:

ensure aty_garage

Use ensure rather than start. They look interchangeable but they are not: ensure stops the resource first if it is already running, which means a restart actually reloads your changes instead of silently keeping the old version in memory.

Order matters. A resource that depends on another must be listed after it. Your framework (qb-core or es_extended) and shared libraries (ox_lib, oxmysql) belong near the top of the file, above every script that uses them. If you put a job script above qb-core, it will start, fail to find the framework object, and throw an error that looks like a bug in the script.

3. Install the dependencies

Read the resource's documentation before the first start, not after the first error. Most modern FiveM scripts expect some combination of:

• A framework — QBCore (qb-core) or ESX (es_extended). Many scripts support both and detect which one you run automatically.
• A database connector — oxmysql is the current standard. If the script ships SQL files, run them against your database before starting the server.
• A UI/utility library — ox_lib for menus, notifications and callbacks is the most common.
• An inventory — anything that gives or takes items needs one, and the script's config usually has a setting to pick which.

Missing dependencies produce errors that name the missing thing, so read the console output rather than guessing. A line containing attempt to index a nil value almost always means a dependency did not start.

4. Restart and read the console

Restart the server fully for the first install — a live refresh; ensure aty_garage works for updates but can miss newly added dependencies. Then watch the console as the server boots. A clean start prints the resource name with no error block after it.

If you bought an escrow-protected script, it also needs to be linked to your server's Cfx.re key. Escrow resources are tied to the license in your Keymaster account, so the server must run on a key that owns the asset; running it on a different key produces a decryption error rather than a Lua error.

The four errors you will actually hit

• "Could not find resource" — the folder name and the ensure line disagree, usually because of a -main suffix or a typo.
• "attempt to index a nil value (global 'QBCore')" — the framework starts after the script. Move it up in server.cfg.
• Nothing happens, no error — the resource started but its trigger is not bound. Check the config for the command, key or zone that opens it.
• Database errors on first use — the SQL file was never imported. Run it, then restart.

Where to go next

If you are setting up a server from scratch rather than adding one script to an existing one, start with our guide on how to make a FiveM server. If you already know your framework, the framework-specific walkthroughs cover the details that differ: QBCore and ESX.

Every ATY script ships with its own setup page in the documentation, and delivery is automatic through Cfx.re Keymaster the moment payment clears. Browse the full catalogue in the store, or open a ticket in our Discord if you get stuck — you talk to the developers who wrote the code.