# Preserve selected item components in a Nexo upgrade recipe

An upgrade recipe may need to keep a tool name or enchantments instead of replacing them with a clean output. Check which input supplies each preserved component before enabling valuable upgrades.

## Check the installed content

Nexo manages custom content through item definitions, resource-pack files and optional mechanics. A correct item identifier does not prove that the client received the matching pack. Follow the documentation for your installed build and keep its generated assets with the source definitions.

## Work through the change

1. Record the intended input, output and components that must survive. Confirm that your installed release supports the preserve behaviour documented for the selected recipe type.
2. Copy the recipe under a staging identity and use expendable named or damaged tools. Preserve only the specific components required by the design rather than treating the input as an unrestricted template.
3. Craft with one eligible input and compare its name, damage and enchantments with the output. Include an input lacking one selected component to inspect the documented fallback behaviour.
4. If several inputs could supply the same component, test their order explicitly. The current recipe reference describes selection from the first matching grid input, which matters for ambiguous upgrades.

## Verify the result

The output should retain exactly the selected input state and use the configured defaults elsewhere. The recipe should consume the intended inputs once and return the correct Nexo item ID.

## If the result differs

If the wrong state survives, inspect ingredient selection and grid order. If nothing survives, check feature support and recipe type before changing the item definition or resource pack.

## Keep a recovery path

Restore the previous recipe and stop offering the upgrade until the component comparison passes. Keep the pre-test inventory checkpoint because changing a recipe cannot reconstruct components lost by an earlier craft.

## References and related help

Check the maintainer reference: [Nexo documentation](https://docs.nexomc.com/general-usage/recipes).

Before changing live data, read [how to keep a completed recovery copy](https://help.cloudexa-hosting.com/books/game-hosting/page/back-up-game-files-before-making-changes). For startup errors, use [the log collection guide](https://help.cloudexa-hosting.com/books/game-hosting/page/find-minecraft-logs-and-send-useful-troubleshooting-details).