Application Parameters

Description

PCA has a feature called Application Parameters: the configuration can be given on the command line, instead of the settings page.

Handy when you juggle several games, or several MO2 instances: one shortcut per setup, each opening PCA on the right configuration.

There are four of them, one per setting:

Parameter	Sets
--game-type	the game. One of "Skyrim SE", "Skyrim LE", "Skyrim VR", "Fallout 4", "Starfield"
--game-path	the game folder
--compiler-path	the path of PapyrusCompiler.exe
--output-path	where the compiled files (.pex) go

They are saved

A parameter writes into the configuration, it is not a one-off override. What you pass on the command line is what the settings hold afterwards, and it stays there on the next launch — even one without any parameter.

An invalid value is ignored, and the setting keeps what it had: an empty path, or a --game-type that is not one of the five strings above, spelled exactly.

--debug was removed in 5.9.0

The log level is now a setting. Refer to Configuration.

Usage

Classic

Create a new file PCA-with-args.cmd next to PCA.exe and type:

"./PCA.exe" --game-path "[...]\Skyrim Special Edition" --game-type "Skyrim SE"

Open PCA by executing this new file.

note

For another game, change --game-type: "Skyrim LE", "Skyrim VR", "Fallout 4" or "Starfield". Since 5.9.0 the executable is always PCA.exe.

MO2

Create a MO2 executable:

• Binary: PCA.exe
• Arguments: --game-path "[...]\Skyrim Special Edition" --game-type "Skyrim SE"

Refer to MO2 for the full setup.