How to Add an Admin to Your Space Station 14 Server

Space Station 14 stores admin rights in the database of your server, not in a text file. There is no file such as admins.txt. To be able to create the very first admin, you first add yourself as host in the server_config.toml. All further admins are then granted conveniently through a window inside the game.

Note

Space Station 14 does not use a SteamID. What you enter is your SS14 username – the name you sign in with in the launcher – or alternatively your user ID (a GUID).

Set up the first admin

1. Stop the server
   Stop your server via the dashboard. The configuration is only read on server start.

2. Connect via SFTP
   Connect to your server via SFTP.

3. Open server_config.toml
   Open the file server_config.toml. It is located in the main directory of your server, next to the server application Robust.Server.

4. Enter the username
   Add the following section and replace the placeholder with your SS14 username:

   [console]
   login_host_user = "YourSS14Name"
   loginlocal = false

   The user entered here automatically receives full host privileges (+HOST) upon connecting – this is equivalent to the promotehost command.

5. Start the server
   Save the file and start your server.

6. Join
   Connect to your server. You are now host and can grant all further admin rights.

Warning

loginlocal is enabled by default and automatically grants host privileges to every connection coming from 127.0.0.1 or ::1. On a rented server that address is not yours alone – therefore set the value to false as shown above.

Grant further admins through the permissions panel

1. Open the console
   Press ~ in the game to open the console.

2. Open the permissions panel
   Enter the following command:

   permissions

   The Permissions Panel opens with the tabs Admins and Admin Ranks.

3. Add an admin
   Click on Add Admin and enter the SS14 username or the user ID of the player into the Username/User ID field.

4. Select the permissions
   Choose the desired permissions. Optionally you can assign your own title in the Custom title field – if you leave it blank, the title of the rank is inherited. With the Suspended? checkbox you can temporarily disable an admin without deleting them.

5. Save
   Confirm your input. The permissions apply immediately and are stored permanently.

Note

Through the Admin Ranks tab and the Add Admin rank button you can create roles with fixed sets of permissions that you can then assign to several admins.

Warning

The permissions command only works in the in-game console, not in the server console. You also need the Permissions permission or +HOST to use it.

Permissions overview

Permission	Meaning
Admin	Basic admin commands
Ban	Ban players and lift bans
Debug	Debug commands
Fun	Commands with a direct effect on the ongoing round
Permissions	Manage other admins (permissions panel)
Server	Control the server, for example restart it or change the round type
Spawn	Spawn objects and creatures
VarEdit	Edit variables of objects directly (view variables)
Mapping	Large mapping operations
Logs	View the admin logs
Round	Influence the running round, for example force a map or preset
+HOST	Full access to everything

There are further permissions on top of these, for example for the admin chat, the admin help or the notes. The permissions panel always shows you the complete list.

Important

+HOST privileges are extremely dangerous. Giving somebody +HOST allows them to completely take over your server. Only grant this permission to people you trust without reservation.

Alternative via the server console

If your server is already running and you want to make someone host at short notice, you can also do so from the server console:

promotehost <PlayerName>

The command expects exactly one argument – the username of a connected player – and grants the privileges only temporarily. It works exclusively in the server console, not in the game.

Note

Whether the console in the dashboard passes input on to the server depends on your server. If the command does not work, use the login_host_user approach in the server_config.toml.

Admin features in the game

Key or command	Purpose
F7	Open the admin menu
F1	Open the admin help (ahelp) with player reports
~	Open the console
adminwho	Shows which admins are currently online
deadmin	Temporarily drops your admin privileges
readmin	Takes your admin privileges back on
adminnotes <username>	Shows the notes about a player

Note

Space Station 14 has no mod system. Changes to your server are made exclusively through the server_config.toml.

Tip

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