Project Zomboid Skill Recovery Journal: Record and Restore XP
Skill Recovery Journal lets a living character record experience in a journal for a later character to read.Installing the mod after death does not reconstruct experience that was never recorded. The basic sequence is craft, transcribe, leave the journal somewhere recoverable, then read it.
This guide concerns the Build 42 package for PC Project Zomboid. Workshop and author source were checked on September 6, 2026. The inspected mod.info declares a minimum build of 42.20.2. This is a source-based guide, not an in-game test on 42.20.4. If Workshop differs from the public source, follow the installed version's interface and the author's instructions.
Check the mod and its dependencies
The authors are MassCraxx and Chuckleberry Finn. Use Skill Recovery Journal, Workshop ID 2503622437. Its Mod ID is SkillRecoveryJournal; that is a different identifier from the Workshop item number.
- Follow the Required items links for errorMagnifier and Mod Update and Alert System.
- Check your game build against the package requirements. Do not reuse B41 instructions without checking B42 differences.
- For an existing save, the author's mod.info specifically points to Load → More... to enable the mod. Checking only the main menu is insufficient.
- Try crafting, transcribing and reading in a separate test save. For multiplayer, confirm the installed version and settings with the administrator.
The inspected mod.info lists BurdSurvivalJournals, JeevesJournals and SkillRecoveryJournalRoyPatch as incompatible. Check the current package before stacking additional recovery mods.
Craft and transcribe a journal
The inspected B42 recipe is BindSkillRecoveryJournal, producing Base.SkillRecoveryBoundJournal. It uses a notebook-type item, adhesive, leather strips and thread-type material rather than an ordinary skill textbook.
| Slot | Accepted examples in the source |
|---|---|
| One notebook-type item | Notebook, Journal, Diary1, Diary2 or Notepad |
| Adhesive | Woodglue or Glue |
| Three leather strips | LeatherStrips or LeatherStripsDirty |
| Thread-type material | Thread, Twine, FishingLine and other listed alternatives |
These are code identifiers. Check the installed crafting interface for availability and consumed amounts, especially adhesive and thread. An accepted container is not necessarily consumed as an entire item.
- Craft the recovery journal. If the recipe is missing, check save activation and dependencies first.
- Carry a writing tool and choose the journal's transcribe action. The inspected menu checks for
ItemTag.WRITE. - Let transcription finish, and update the journal after gaining more experience.
- Store it somewhere the next character can retrieve it. A known location in your base is a practical choice.
Read it with the next character
Retrieve the recorded journal in the same world and choose the read action. Empty journals, identity mismatches and literacy restrictions can disable the action. Read the displayed reason before changing settings.
The journal is not a complete character-state backup. Starting bonuses, experience sources and skill categories are handled through the mod's rules. A 100% recovery setting alone does not promise identical levels or every former ability.
Settings to inspect when experience is missing
| Key | Inspected source default | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| RecoveryPercentage | 100 | Overall rate, not a guarantee that excluded experience is restored |
| RecoverPassiveSkills | 0 | Passive skills have separate treatment |
| TranscribeTVXP | false | Whether TV experience is included |
| RecoverRecipes | true | Recipe recovery setting |
| IlliterateSpeedMultiplier | 0 | Literacy restrictions |
| RecoveryJournalUsed | false | Single-use behaviour; check the actual world setting |
These defaults come from the inspected source. Existing worlds and servers may use different settings; your local new-game settings do not establish the multiplayer server's configuration.
Troubleshooting by symptom
- Cannot craft:check save activation, dependencies, build compatibility, then ingredients and the crafting interface.
- Cannot transcribe:check the writing tool, Illiterate settings, identity and the menu explanation.
- Cannot read:check whether anything was recorded and whether the journal belongs to the same user. The source checks Steam identity and, in multiplayer, usernames.
- Only some experience is missing:separate the last transcription time, category settings, TV experience and starting profession or trait bonuses.
- Problems after updating:preserve the save and record build, mod version, reproduction steps and logs. Read the author's update notes before adding unrelated recovery patches.
Before combining mods, see our B42 mod and dependency comparison. For character creation, use the profession and trait guide.
Author references
Source inspection is pinned to commit 7ce2117b17c90709ce365cbe2b451c5c75268cd8. The folder name 42.20.1 is distinct from mod.info's minimum build of 42.20.2.
