One starts with your skin tool, the other loads with the game.
| File | What it does | Size |
|---|---|---|
| ltk_patcher_host.exe | The host. Your skin tool starts it, it watches for the League game process and attaches the patcher when the game launches. | about 1.2 MB |
| ltk_patcher_dll.dll | The patcher itself. Once it is loaded, the game reads your mod overlay in place of the original files. | about 0.8 MB |
They only work as a pair, and only as a matching pair from the same release. Sizes are from the September 2026 build and change between releases.
League Toolkit makes them. LTK Manager ships them.
League Toolkit is the team behind CSLOL Manager. Their README describes LTK Manager as "the League Toolkit team's successor to cslol-manager", and the patcher pair is what took over from cslol-dll.dll. In the LTK Manager repository both files sit in src-tauri/resources/, and the README notes that "the bundled patcher binaries are covered by the LTK Patcher License", separate from the GPL that covers the rest of the app.
Both files are digitally signed. That matters more than it sounds: in our testing a copy with the signature removed never attaches to the game.
Two places to get a genuine copy
- Install LTK Manager. Get the
-setup.exefrom its official releases page. The patcher comes with it. LTK Manager runs on Windows 10 and 11, 64-bit. - Let Chud fetch it. Chud downloads both files straight from the League Toolkit repository on first run and checks for a newer pair once a day. If LTK Manager is already installed, Chud uses that copy.
Skip the "DLL download" sites that list these file names. You cannot tell what you are getting, and a copy that has been re-packed or had its signature touched will not attach anyway.
Is ltk_patcher_host.exe a virus?
The genuine file is League Toolkit's patcher host, not malware. Antivirus tools still flag it from time to time, because loading code into another program is exactly what they are built to notice. What you can do is check that your copy is the real one:
- Check the signature. Right-click the file, open Properties, and look for a Digital Signatures tab. No tab means the file is unsigned, and it is not the original.
- Check where it lives. It belongs inside your LTK Manager install or in Chud's tools folder,
%LOCALAPPDATA%\Chud\cslol-tools\. A file with this name in Downloads, Temp or a game folder did not come from either app. - Check it has its partner. The host and the DLL are installed together. One without the other will not work. If one is gone, look in your antivirus quarantine.
We can only speak for the files these two apps install. If yours fails any of the three checks, delete it and get a fresh pair from one of the sources above.
ltk_patcher_host.exe or ltk_patcher_dll.dll is missing
What it means: the pair was never downloaded, or something removed one of the files after it was.
What to do: look in your antivirus quarantine first and restore the file, then allow the folder it lives in. In Chud, open the Skins tab: the setup notice has a Re-check button that fetches the pair again. With LTK Manager, reinstalling from the latest release restores both.
Skins stopped working after a League patch
What it means: a League update can break the patcher until League Toolkit ships a new build of the pair.
What to do: update. Chud re-checks for a new pair once a day and swaps both files together, so the host never runs next to a DLL from a different release. With LTK Manager, install the newest release. If the tool is current and one skin still fails, that mod needs an update from its author.
The patcher runs but no skin shows up
What it means: the patcher did its part and the mod did not. Outdated mods and the wrong base skin are the usual causes.
What to do: the checks are the same as for the older tool, and they are listed error by error in CSLOL Manager not working.
Vanguard blocks it
What it means: Riot Vanguard decides what may load with League, and it can refuse any patcher at any time.
What to do: nothing on your side fixes this. Custom skins are against Riot's terms of service and no tool is ban-proof, this pair and Chud included. The FAQ covers the risk plainly.
ChudRuntime: our own runtime, 25% complete
Chud depends on these two files today and cannot ship or fix them itself. So we are building our own custom skin runtime to do the same job, from our own source. It is called ChudRuntime, it is not released yet, and the build status is public: follow ChudRuntime.
What is ltk_patcher_host.exe?
The host program of League Toolkit's patcher. A skin tool such as LTK Manager or Chud starts it, and it attaches the patcher to League of Legends when the game launches.
What is ltk_patcher_dll.dll?
The patcher module the host loads with the game. It makes the game read your mod overlay in place of the original files. It took over from cslol-dll.dll.
Can I delete them?
Yes, if you no longer use custom skins. Nothing in League depends on them. A skin tool that needs them will ask for them again or download a fresh pair.
Do I need LTK Manager installed to use Chud?
No. Chud downloads the pair itself. If LTK Manager is installed, Chud uses its copy.
Can I copy the files from another PC?
You can, as long as both files come from the same release and are copied unmodified. Letting the app download them is less work and gets you the current build.