How to Add an Admin to Your Left 4 Dead 2 Server

Left 4 Dead 2 does not ship with an admin system. In-game admin rights are only available through SourceMod.

Requirement

Metamod:Source and SourceMod have to be installed on your server. See Add Mods for how to do that.

Find the SteamID

For the admin list you need the SteamID in the format STEAM_0:x:xxxxxxx.

Tip

The quickest way to get the SteamID of a connected player is the command status in the server console. Alternatively you can look it up on the SteamID website; besides the SteamID64 it also shows the required STEAM_0: notation.

Note

Instead of STEAM_0:1:12345678 you can also enter the Steam3 format [U:1:24691357]. Both notations work.

Add an admin

1. Connect via SFTP
   Connect to your server via SFTP.

2. Open the file
   Open the following file:

   /left4dead2/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini

3. Add the player
   Add one admin per line. A line is structured like this:

   "<SteamID | !IP | Steam name>" "[immunity level:]<flags | @group>" ["password"]

   Examples:

   "STEAM_0:1:16"		"bce"			// generic, kick, unban for this SteamID, no immunity
   "STEAM_0:1:12345678"	"99:z"			// all permissions, immunity level 99
   "[U:1:24691357]"	"z"			// same permissions using the Steam3 format
   "!127.0.0.1"		"5:z"			// all permissions for this IP, immunity level 5

4. Apply the changes
   Save the file and enter the following command in the server console:

   sm_reloadadmins

   Alternatively restart your server.

Note

A ! in front of an entry marks an IP address. If you enter a Steam name instead, you should set a password in the third column — otherwise any player using that name can claim the permissions.

Permission flags at a glance

Flag	Name	Meaning
a	reservation	Reserved slot access
b	generic	Generic admin status — required for every admin
c	kick	Kick other players
d	ban	Ban other players
e	unban	Remove bans
f	slay	Slay or harm players
g	changemap	Change the map or major gameplay features
h	cvar	Change most ConVars
i	config	Execute config files
j	chat	Special chat privileges
k	vote	Start or create votes
l	password	Set a password on the server
m	rcon	Use RCON commands
n	cheats	Change sv_cheats or use cheat commands
o – t	custom1 – custom6	Custom groups 1 to 6
z	root	Enables all flags and ignores immunity

Important

The flag b (generic) is mandatory for every admin. Without it an entry is not treated as an admin. Anyone who should get full permissions gets z instead.

Use the admin menu

1. Join the server
   Connect to your server. See Join Server for how to do that.

2. Open the menu
   Open the admin menu with the command sm_admin in the game console or with !admin or /admin in the chat.

Alternative: admins.cfg

Instead of admins_simple.ini you can also add admins in the KeyValues format:

/left4dead2/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins.cfg

Admins
{
	"Player name"
	{
		"auth"		"steam"
		"identity"	"STEAM_0:1:12345678"
		"flags"		"abcdef"
	}
}

Note

SourceMod reads both files. It is best to use only one of them so you keep track of your admins.

Tip

To learn how to remove players from your server as an admin, see Kick & Ban Players.