Auto Can
Description
⚠️ Status: TESTED & COMPATIBLE with the May 21, 2026 Patch (PC/Mac: 1.124.63).
Autonomous Canning
by deadlystingnyc
Your Sims have a full pantry, a stove, and nothing to do — so why aren't they canning? Autonomous Canning fixes the game's blind spot and gets your Sims preserving on their own, no prompting required.
Why You Need This
Cottage Living added canning, but the game's autonomy system can't navigate the recipe picker — so Sims never use it on their own. This mod bypasses the picker entirely, checks what ingredients are on hand, and picks a recipe automatically. Your Sims finally act like they actually know how to use their kitchen.
How It Works
Every sim hour, eligible Sims are considered for a canning attempt. The mod checks their traits, hunger, schedule, and available ingredients before queuing anything.
Trait-based priority:
- Foodie Sims: 75% chance to be considered each tick
- Non-Foodie Sims: 40% chance each tick
- Hungry Sims (hunger below −25) are always skipped
- Sims must have Cooking Skill 3, Foodie Sims must have Cooking Skill 2
A Sim is skipped if they are:
- Busy, sleeping, or building a skill
- Participating in an event (holidays excluded)
Once they start canning, the Sim enters a 2-hour cooldown before they'll autonomously start again — so they're enthusiastic, not obsessive.
Requires applicable produce (such as strawberries and sugar) in the household fridge, Sim's personal inventory, or split between both.
Requirements
- The Sims 4
- Cottage Living Expansion Pack
Installation
- Download
deadlystingnyc_autonomous_canning.zip - Drop the unzipped folder in your Mods folder:
Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/Mods/ - In-game, go to Game Options → Other and make sure Script Mods are enabled
⚠️ Both files are required. The mod will not work if either is missing.
Troubleshooting
Open the cheat console with Ctrl+Shift+C, enter testingcheats true, then use:
| Command | What It Does |
|---|---|
ac_state |
Show loaded canning classes, recipe selection outcome, and active Sim cooldowns |
ac_push |
Manually push a canning interaction on the active Sim (resets cooldown) |
ac_queue |
Show the active Sim's current interaction queue |
ac_debug |
Inspect the stove_Canning interaction tuning and available recipes |
ac_buff_inspect |
Inspect the cooldown buff class tuning and active Sim buff internals |
ac_log |
Write a full diagnostic log to Documents/Electronic Arts/The Sims 4/ac_log.txt |
Having an issue? Leave a comment below — I'm actively maintaining this mod and happy to help troubleshoot.
Compatibility
- Requires the Cottage Living Expansion Pack
- Patches
stove_Canning(ID 261408) andfridge_Canning(ID 256443) — if another mod edits these same interactions, a conflict is possible - Found a conflict? Please report it in the comments with your mod list and I'll look into it
About This Mod
Part of a growing set of small quality-of-life mods I'm making for The Sims 4. If this makes your game feel more alive, a rating helps other players find it — thanks for the support!
If you enjoy my mods, consider supporting me on Patreon.
© 2026 deadlystingnyc. Free for personal use. Do not redistribute or reupload without permission.