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Team Fortress 2: Becoming an Admin

Discover how to grant admin rights for full server control and enhanced in-game management → Learn more now

10 November 20262 min read2 Views0 helpful

Introduction

Granting admin rights allows you easy and comprehensive management with full control over your server. As an admin, you can use all available options and features the game offers directly in-game. All steps you need to take to grant admin rights for your server are described below.

Configuration

To register as an admin, installing SourceMod or MetaMod is mandatory. You also need the Steam ID of your Steam account. There are several ways to obtain it: you can either use an external website that offers this service or retrieve it directly via the in-game console.

To get your SteamID via a website, first open your Steam profile and right-click anywhere on the page to copy the profile URL. Then paste this URL into one of the following websites:

The site will show your SteamID and other account info. For admin registration, you need the SteamID32:

Code
steamID32: STEAM_0:1:XXXXXX

Alternatively, you can retrieve your SteamID in-game via the console. Start the game, connect to your server, open the console, and enter the command:

Code
status

This will show your connection details including your SteamID. Then connect to the server via FTP and open the file admins.cfg located at:

Code
.../addons/sourcemod/configs/

The file contains a sample entry you can copy and adjust:

Code
Admins
{
	"PlayerName"
	{
		"auth" "steam"
		"identity" "STEAM_0:1:XXXXX"
		"flags" "abcdef"
	}
}

The PlayerName does not have to match your Steam account name; it is only for internal reference. The auth field defines the authentication method, which remains steam. In identity you enter the SteamID32. The flags define the rights assigned to the admin:

PermissionFlagDescription
reservationaSlot reservation
genericbBasic rights (required)
kickcKick players
bandBan players
unbaneLift bans
slayfSlay or kill players
changemapgChange map
cvarhChange server variables
configiExecute server configs
chatjExtended chat rights
votekStart admin votes
passwordlSet server password
rconmExecute RCON commands
cheatsnEnable sv_cheats
rootzFull access

Multiple flags can be combined (e.g., bc for kick rights). For full access use only z. You can open the admin menu by typing admin in chat or sm_admin in the console.

Admin Commands

Here is a list of common admin commands you can use on your server.

CommandDescription
sm_kick <player>Kicks a player
sm_ban <player> <time> [reason]Bans a player for X minutes (0 = permanent)
sm_unban <SteamID/IP>Lifts a player's ban
sm_slay <player>Instantly kills the player
sm_slap <player> [damage]Slaps the player (optional damage)
sm_map <mapname>Changes to the specified map
sm_cvar <cvar> <value>Sets a server config variable at runtime
sm_vote <topic>Starts a simple vote
sm_restartgame <seconds>Restarts the game after a countdown
sm_say <message>Sends a message to global chat

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

Installing SourceMod or MetaMod is mandatory, plus your SteamID32, which you can get from websites like steamrep.com, steamidfinder.com, steamid.io, or via the in-game console command status.
In the admins.cfg file located at .../addons/sourcemod/configs/, with fields for auth (steam), identity (SteamID32), and flags (permissions).
Flags include a (slot reservation), b (basic rights), c (kick), d (ban), e (unban), f (slay), g (changemap), m (rcon), n (sv_cheats), and z (root/full access). Multiple flags can be combined, e.g., bc for kick rights.

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