How to Install Custom Cars on a FiveM Server with txAdmin (From gta5-mods.com Link to Spawned Car)

txAdmin is the web panel that ships with the FiveM server, and most hosting companies put it in front of your server. It does not install cars for you, but it gives you the three things you need: the path of the server folder, an editor for server.cfg and a live console. This guide goes from a gta5-mods.com page to a car you can spawn, on any framework or none.

You need: a running server with txAdmin access, a way to upload files (your host's file manager, SFTP, or direct disk access on a home server) and a txAdmin admin account linked to your game identifier for the in-game menu. The example spawn name is gtr35.

Step 1: Convert the car and note the spawn name

Paste the gta5-mods.com page link (the vehicle's page, not the download button) into the converter and download the zip. The first 3 conversions are free; after that it is a one-time $15 for unlimited conversions. Add-on vehicles are the straightforward case; add-on conversions explains the difference to replace mods.

Extract the zip on your computer. You get one resource folder:

gtr35/
├── fxmanifest.lua
├── common/     vehicles.meta, handling.meta, carcols.meta, carvariations.meta
└── stream/     gtr35.yft, gtr35_hi.yft, gtr35.ytd, ...

The spawn name is <modelName> in common/vehicles.meta, the same as the main .yft file name. Write it down. The Resource Inspector reads it from the zip and also flags problems before you upload anything.

Step 2: Find the server data folder

In txAdmin open Settings and go to the FXServer section. Server Data Folder is the directory that contains server.cfg and the resources folder. That is where the upload goes. On a hosting panel the file manager usually opens in or near this folder already.

Step 3: Upload the resource into a category folder

Inside resources, create a folder named [cars], with the square brackets, and upload the extracted resource folder into it:

resources/
├── [cars]/
│   └── gtr35/
│       ├── fxmanifest.lua
│       ├── common/
│       └── stream/
└── ... your other resources

Three things to get right:

• fxmanifest.lua sits directly inside the resource folder. If extracting on the server produced gtr35/gtr35/fxmanifest.lua, move the inner folder up one level. A folder without a manifest is not a resource.
• Upload the extracted folder, not the zip. The server does not read archives.
• Keep stream/ as it is. FiveM streams what is inside the resource's own stream folder; models moved elsewhere are not picked up.

A folder in brackets is a category: it is not a resource itself, it only groups resources. That is what makes the next step a single line.

Step 4: Add the ensure line in the CFG Editor

Open CFG Editor in the txAdmin sidebar. Add this line below your framework's ensure lines:

ensure [cars]

Click Save File. ensure [cars] starts every resource inside the category, so future cars only need to be uploaded. If you prefer to list cars one by one, ensure gtr35 works the same way for a single resource. What else belongs in this file is covered under server.cfg.

Step 5: Load it from the Live Console

The config line takes effect at the next server start. To load the car now, without kicking anyone, open Live Console and run:

refresh
ensure gtr35

refresh rescans the resources folder so the server learns the new resource exists. ensure starts it, or restarts it if it was already running. Type the resource's folder name, which may differ from the spawn name if you renamed the folder.

The Resources page does the same with buttons: Reload & Refresh, then start the resource from the list. If you would rather take the simple route, use Restart Server.

Step 6: Spawn the car

In game, open the txAdmin menu with /tx, select Vehicle on the main page and choose Spawn, then enter gtr35. If the menu does not open, it is disabled in txAdmin's settings or your account is not linked; your framework's own spawn command (/car gtr35 on QBCore, ESX and Qbox) does the same job.

Check four things on the spawned car: the body is visible, the textures are not missing, it drives normally and the doors open. Then you are done with the install.

Step 7: Put it in your framework's shop

A spawnable car is not yet a purchasable car. Each framework keeps its own list of vehicles, and the converted resource does not write to any of them:

• QBCore: one line in qb-core/shared/vehicles.lua. See adding converted cars to the QBCore vehicle shop.
• ESX: one row in the vehicles database table. See adding addon cars to the ESX vehicle shop.
• Qbox: a keyed entry in qbx_core/shared/vehicles.lua plus a shop category. See adding custom cars to Qbox.

Not working? Check these in order

1. The console says it cannot find the resource. You skipped refresh, the folder is not under resources, or fxmanifest.lua is one level too deep. The name in the ensure line is the folder name.
2. The resource starts but the model "does not exist". The spawn name is wrong. Read <modelName> in vehicles.meta again; it is not always the folder name or the mod's title. See spawn name and model hash.
3. The car spawns invisible, or you fall through it. Usually a problem inside stream/ or a meta file that is not declared in the manifest. The invisible car guide lists the causes, and the Resource Inspector checks the zip for most of them.
4. The category does not start. The line must read ensure [cars] with brackets, and the folder name must match it exactly, brackets included.
5. You edited a different server.cfg. Use the CFG Editor, which always opens the file the server actually runs with.
6. It worked until the restart. The live ensure was done but the line was never saved to server.cfg.
7. Console errors you cannot read. Paste them into the Error Analyzer.

The car's name shows as NULL

The converted resource does not ship a display-name script, so GTA has no text for the car's label and prints NULL wherever a script asks the game for the vehicle name. Open common/vehicles.meta, find the <gameName> value for your car, then add a small client script to the car resource:

-- vehicle_names.lua (inside the car resource)
CreateThread(function()
    -- first argument: the <gameName> value from vehicles.meta
    AddTextEntry('GTR35', 'Nissan GT-R R35')
end)

Then register it in the resource's fxmanifest.lua:

client_script 'vehicle_names.lua'

The Vehicles.meta Generator writes this file for you if you are building the metas from scratch.

FAQ

Do I have to restart the server to add a car?

No. refresh followed by ensure loads a new resource on a running server. A restart is the safer choice for big batches.

What is the difference between ensure and start?

start only starts a stopped resource. ensure starts it if it is stopped and restarts it if it is running, which is why it is the usual choice in server.cfg and in the console.

Can I name the category folder something else?

Yes. Any name in square brackets is a category: [vehicles], [addons], [cars-jdm]. Use the same name in the ensure line.

Should every car be its own resource?

It works, but a server with dozens of single-car resources is harder to manage. The Car Pack Builder merges converted cars into one resource with one manifest and reports clashing spawn names. The Vehicle List tool keeps track of what you have.

Does txAdmin need to know about the car?

No. txAdmin manages the server process and its config; the server itself discovers resources from the resources folder. The manifest is what makes a folder a resource, see fxmanifest.lua.

Related guides

The longer, panel-independent version of this install is in how to install FiveM car mods. The whole chain from link to optimized pack is in the complete workflow. What the meta files do is explained under vehicles.meta.

Sources

Checked on 2026-10-10.

• FiveM docs, introduction to resources: the resources folder, category folders in brackets, the manifest requirement.
• FiveM docs, server commands: ensure, start, restart, refresh.
• txAdmin source at commit 8a9a414: the Live Console, CFG Editor and Resources pages, the Server Data Folder setting, the Restart Server action and the in-game menu's Vehicle, Spawn action.
• txAdmin docs, menu.md: the /tx command and menu access troubleshooting.