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sh-vehiclekeys replaces GTA V’s default behavior — where sitting in a vehicle is all it takes to drive it — with a realistic, database-persisted key management system. Keys are tied to a vehicle’s plate number and stored in MySQL, so they survive server restarts and reconnects. Players lock and unlock vehicles from outside, share key access with other online players by server ID, and view their owned fleet through an in-game NUI panel that also shows mileage, insurance status, registration status, and parked state.
sh-vehiclekeys is currently in active development. The core feature set is stable and production-ready, but minor additions or adjustments may appear in future updates. Check the changelog in the resource folder after each update before restarting the resource on a live server.

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Requirements

DependencyPurpose
QBCorePlayer identity, job data, inventory, and notifications
mysql-asyncDatabase persistence for shared key records
t3_lockpickLockpicking minigame item and logic
All three must be started before sh-vehiclekeys in server.cfg.

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Installation

1

Download and place the resource

Copy the sh-vehiclekeys folder into your server’s resources directory.
2

Import the SQL schema

Run the following statement against your server’s database. You can execute it directly in your database manager (e.g., phpMyAdmin, HeidiSQL) or add it to your automated SQL import process.
CREATE TABLE IF NOT EXISTS `shvehiclekeys` (
  `id`         int(11)      NOT NULL AUTO_INCREMENT,
  `plate`      varchar(50)  NOT NULL,
  `citizenid`  varchar(50)  NOT NULL,
  `customname` varchar(100) NOT NULL,
  PRIMARY KEY (`id`),
  UNIQUE KEY `unique_key_assignment` (`plate`, `citizenid`)
) ENGINE=InnoDB DEFAULT CHARSET=utf8 COLLATE=utf8_general_ci;
3

Add to server.cfg

server.cfg
ensure mysql-async
ensure qb-core
ensure t3_lockpick
ensure sh-vehiclekeys
4

Configure shared/config.lua

Review and adjust the values described in the Configuration section below.
5

Restart the resource

Run refresh then restart sh-vehiclekeys in the server console, or perform a full server restart.

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Default Keybinds

All keybinds are registered as GTA V input bindings and are fully remappable by each player in Settings → Key Bindings → FiveM.
ActionDefault Key
Lock / Unlock nearby vehicleL
Toggle engine on/offG
Open keys management menu(blank — player sets this in their FiveM settings)

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Configuration

shared/config.lua
Config.Debug               = false  -- Enables /printkeys command for debugging key state
Config.VehicleLockDistance = 5.0    -- Max metres from the vehicle to lock/unlock
Config.ToggleLocks         = 'L'    -- Default keybind for lock/unlock
Config.ToggleEngine        = 'G'    -- Default keybind for engine toggle
Config.OpenVehicleKeys     = ''     -- Default keybind for keys menu (blank = player sets it)
Config.UseKeyFob           = false  -- true = requires a key_fob item in inventory to open the keys menu
Config.PoliceChance        = 50     -- % chance a lockpick attempt triggers a dispatch alert

Config.JobSharedVehicles = {
    ['police']    = { 'police', 'police2' },
    ['ambulance'] = { 'ambulance' },
}
Keep Config.Debug = false in production. Debug mode enables a /printkeys command that prints every plate currently held in memory to the player’s console — useful when troubleshooting, but unnecessary on a live server.

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Job-Shared Vehicles

Config.JobSharedVehicles lets you define a list of vehicle models that all players of a given job automatically hold keys to while on duty. This means your entire police department can drive any police-model vehicle without manually sharing keys — useful for departmental fleet management without giving out spawner access. When a player’s active job is checked, the resource grants temporary in-memory keys to the listed models. These keys are not persisted to the database and do not appear in the player’s NUI key list.

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Lockpicking

Lockpicking is handled by the t3_lockpick resource. Two items are supported: lockpick (4-pin difficulty) and advancedlockpick (3-pin difficulty). Both must be present in the player’s QBCore inventory to use. When a player attempts to pick a lock:
1

Minigame launches

The t3_lockpick minigame starts client-side. The lockpick item uses 4 pins; the advancedlockpick uses 3 pins. Difficulty is fixed at level 2 — adjust it inside the t3_lockpick resource configuration if needed.
2

Success or failure

On success, the vehicle is unlocked and the player receives persistent database keys if they are already seated in the driver’s seat. If they are outside the vehicle, it is simply unlocked without granting keys. On failure, the lock remains engaged and the pick item is consumed.
3

Dispatch alert (optional)

Either outcome can trigger a police dispatch alert. Config.PoliceChance sets the percentage chance the alert fires. Set it to 0 to disable dispatch integration entirely, or 100 to always alert on every lockpick attempt.
Lockpicking grants persistent database keys when performed from inside a vehicle. Ensure your server’s roleplay rules and job permissions make sense for this behavior — staff may want to monitor for abuse if the lockpick item is freely obtainable.

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Keys NUI Menu

Open the keys management menu with your configured keybind (or via the key_fob item when Config.UseKeyFob = true). The panel lists every vehicle in your QBCore garage and displays the following per vehicle:
  • Make and model — derived from QBCore’s shared vehicle data
  • Plate — the registered plate linked to the key record
  • Insurance status — valid or uninsured
  • Registration status — valid or expired
  • Mileage — tracked distance driven (traveldistance field from player_vehicles)
  • Parked status — whether the vehicle is currently stored (state = 1) or out in the world
From within the panel you can also:
  • Locate vehicle — sets a GPS waypoint to the vehicle’s current position if it is spawned in the world.
  • Manage keys — opens a sub-panel listing every citizenid that holds a shared key grant for that vehicle, with the option to revoke individual grants.

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Sharing and Revoking Keys

To give another player access to one of your vehicles, open the keys menu, select the vehicle, choose Give Keys, and enter the target player’s server ID. You can optionally assign a custom display name that appears in their key list.
  1. Open the keys menu with your keybind.
  2. Select the vehicle you want to share.
  3. Choose Give Keys and enter the target’s server ID.
  4. Optionally type a display name (e.g., "Mechanic — temp").
  5. Confirm. The key record is written to the shvehiclekeys table immediately.

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Key Fob Item (Optional)

When Config.UseKeyFob = true, the keys menu can only be opened by using a key_fob item from the player’s inventory rather than a keybind. To enable this:
  1. Add the key_fob item to your QBCore items.lua: 
    key_fob = {
    name        = "key_fob",
    label       = "Key Fob",
    weight      = 100,
    type        = "item",
    image       = "sh_key_fob.png",
    unique      = false,
    useable     = true,
    shouldClose = true,
    combinable  = nil,
    description = "A key fob",
},
  2. Copy sh_key_fob.png from the INSTALL/ folder into your inventory’s html/images/ directory (typically qb-inventory/html/images/).
  3. Set Config.UseKeyFob = true in shared/config.lua and restart the resource.