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Don’t Starve Together Server Mods Out of Date: How to Update Them

A practical guide to resolving out-of-date Don't Starve Together server mods, with separate steps for hosted games and dedicated servers, Workshop-ID updates, shard synchronization, cleanup and path troubleshooting.
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If a Don’t Starve Together (DST) server says a mod is out of date, update the game and server first, then refresh the server’s Workshop files and verify that the configuration points to those files. Hosted worlds and dedicated servers use different update paths: the former is managed from DST’s Mods tab, while the latter requires Workshop IDs, server configuration files and, for multi-shard worlds, matching Master and Caves settings.

What “server mods are out of date” means

DST checks the mod data loaded by the server against the data expected by the connecting game. The warning normally indicates that one of three things differs: the game build, the mod files, or the place from which the server is loading those files. A player may be able to join a hosted world while receiving the warning on a dedicated server because those two servers can have completely different Workshop downloads and configuration paths.

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The game build is not current

A mod can appear to be the problem when the dedicated-server installation itself has not received the current DST update. A changed game build can invalidate an otherwise correctly downloaded mod. Update the Steam client and the dedicated-server installation before changing individual mods. Restart Steam or the server-management tool after the update so that no process is still using the previous binaries.

The server copy and the player’s copy differ

Server mods are loaded by the server and must be available to every player joining that world. Client-only mods are loaded by the individual player who uses them; they do not belong in the dedicated server’s server-mod configuration. In a hosted world, DST identifies these categories in the Mods tab. A mismatch can therefore affect only one player, the entire server, or both, depending on the mod’s category.

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The files were downloaded but are not on the active search path

A successful Workshop download does not prove that the running server can see it. DST’s command-line documentation includes a setting that changes the directory in which the server searches for mods. The launch command, cluster directory and shard directories must all refer to the files you just updated. If a server has multiple installations, a second Steam library, or an old cluster copied from another machine, it is easy to update one directory while the process reads another.

Identify your server type before updating

Server type Where mods are selected or maintained What an update normally requires
Hosted game DST’s in-game Host Game flow and Mods tab Subscribe to the Workshop item, launch DST, enable it in the world configuration, and ensure players have any required client-only mods
Dedicated server Workshop-ID configuration and the server’s cluster/shard files List each Workshop ID in dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua, run the server manager’s update/install operation, verify the mod search path, and synchronize shard configuration

Do not apply hosted-game instructions to a dedicated server. The in-game Mods tab controls a hosted world, but it does not replace the Workshop-ID and file management required by a separate dedicated-server process.

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Prepare safely before changing anything

  1. Record the failure. Note the world or cluster name, the mod named in the error, whether every player is affected, and whether the problem began after a DST or Workshop update.
  2. Stop the server cleanly. Do not delete or replace mod files while the server is running. A live process can keep old files open or write an incomplete configuration during shutdown.
  3. Back up the cluster configuration and saves. Preserve the current modoverrides.lua files and world data so that a cleanup does not remove settings you still need.
  4. Update DST itself. Update the client used to connect and the dedicated-server installation. Test only after both report the same current game build.
  5. Separate server and client mods. Mark which enabled mods are server-side and which are client-only. A client-only mod should be installed for the player who needs it, not forced into the server’s Workshop list.

Klei warns that “All mods are to be used at your own risk!” (Klei Entertainment support, updated July 15, 2026). Keep that limitation in mind when deciding whether to restore a mod that has not yet been updated for the current game build.

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Update mods in a hosted game

For a world created through DST’s normal Host Game screen, use the game’s Workshop and Mods controls rather than editing dedicated-server files.

  1. Subscribe to the mod in the Steam Workshop. Use the Workshop page for the exact mod and wait for Steam to finish downloading it.
  2. Launch Don’t Starve Together. Let the game reach its main menu after the Workshop download completes.
  3. Open the world setup. Choose Host Game, then Create New World, and open the Mods tab.
  4. Check both categories. The tab separates Server and Client mods. Enable a server mod in the world settings. A client-only mod must be enabled and installed by the player who uses it.
  5. Save and launch the world. If the warning remains, leave the world, close DST, allow Steam to finish any pending Workshop update, and launch again.

A hosted world can work even when a dedicated server fails because the game client manages its enabled mods through this interface. That success does not confirm that a separate server has downloaded the same files.

Force Workshop updates on a dedicated server

A dedicated server needs an explicit list of Workshop items and an update or install operation that downloads them. The central file is dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua. Add the Workshop ID for every server mod the cluster should use. Use the ID shown by the mod’s Workshop item, and remove an ID only when you have also removed that mod from the cluster’s enabled configuration.

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Using a server-management tool

LinuxGSM’s DST instructions provide an update/install workflow that downloads the mods listed in dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua. The exact command name depends on the LinuxGSM installation and release, so use the update or install operation exposed by your installed LinuxGSM DST server rather than assuming that restarting alone will fetch new Workshop content.

  1. Stop the DST instance if it is running.
  2. Open the cluster’s dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua and verify that each required server mod has its current Workshop ID.
  3. Run the LinuxGSM DST update/install operation. Wait for it to finish downloading before starting the game server.
  4. Review the generated or updated modoverrides.lua file and confirm that the intended server mods are enabled.
  5. If the cluster uses caves, copy the resulting modoverrides.lua to both the Master and Caves shard directories, as required by the LinuxGSM workflow. A file updated in only one shard leaves the other shard on a different mod set.
  6. Start the server and test with one connecting client before returning the world to the full player group.

Maintaining the files manually

You can perform the same process without an automatic manager: maintain the Workshop IDs in dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua, run the dedicated server’s documented Workshop download/install step, then place the resulting modoverrides.lua in the active shard directories. The important distinction is between downloading a mod and enabling it. A Workshop file that is present but absent from the cluster’s overrides is not enabled; an enabled entry whose files were never downloaded cannot load.

When the cluster has Master and Caves shards

Each shard starts with its own directory. Treat the Master and Caves configurations as a matched pair. After an update, compare the two modoverrides.lua files and ensure that both reference the same server-mod versions and settings where the world requires them. Copying the generated file to the wrong directory, or updating only Master, can produce a failure that appears only when a player travels between shards.

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Verify the server’s mod search path

If the update operation reports success but DST still says a mod is out of date, check where the running process looks for mods before downloading the same files again. Klei’s command-line guide documents a setting that changes the server’s mod search directory. The effective path is determined by the launch command and the cluster and shard directories it supplies.

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  1. Inspect the command or service definition that starts the dedicated server.
  2. Identify the cluster directory named by that launch configuration.
  3. Within that cluster, identify the active Master and, if present, Caves shard directories.
  4. Confirm that dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua, the downloaded mod files, and each shard’s modoverrides.lua belong to this same installation.
  5. Check for a second Steam library, old backup directory, container volume, or symbolic link that could cause the manager to download into one location while the service reads another.
  6. Restart the server after correcting the path. A running process will not necessarily reread a changed launch setting.

This check distinguishes a wrong-path problem from a stale-download problem. Reinstalling a mod cannot fix a server that continues to read a different directory.

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Clean a stale or corrupted Workshop download

Use a clean reinstall when one mod remains flagged after the game and server are current, the Workshop ID is correct, and the search path has been verified. Klei’s troubleshooting guidance specifies removing the affected mod files, unsubscribing from the Workshop items, and subscribing again to obtain clean copies.

  1. Stop DST and the dedicated server.
  2. Delete the affected mod files from steamappscommonDon't Starve Togethermods. Delete only the suspect mod data, not your world saves or cluster settings.
  3. In Steam, unsubscribe from the affected Workshop mod or mods.
  4. Wait for Steam to register the removal, then subscribe again and allow the download to complete.
  5. Re-run the dedicated-server update/install operation so the server’s own Workshop directory is refreshed.
  6. Restore or regenerate the appropriate modoverrides.lua files without reintroducing an obsolete entry.
  7. Start the server and test the affected world with the mod enabled. If the error returns, disable only that mod for the next test.

Unsubscribing and resubscribing refreshes the client-side Workshop copy. It does not, by itself, update a separate dedicated-server installation; that installation still needs its own Workshop download step.

Use logs and one-change testing to isolate the remaining fault

Restart after every download or configuration change, then change one variable at a time. If several mods are replaced simultaneously, the next error cannot identify which change fixed or caused the problem.

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  • Only one player receives the warning: check whether the mod is client-only and have that player update or reinstall it through Steam.
  • Every player receives the warning immediately: compare the dedicated server’s game build and server-mod downloads with the current client build.
  • A hosted world works but the dedicated server fails: inspect the dedicated server’s Workshop-ID file, update/install result, launch path and shard directories. The hosted Mods tab does not update these files.
  • The error names one mod after a clean reinstall: leave that mod disabled, inspect the server log for its load error, and test the world with the remaining mods. The mod may be incompatible with the current DST build even when its Workshop download is fresh.
  • The error appears only in caves or during a shard transition: compare Master and Caves modoverrides.lua files and confirm that both shard directories point to the same refreshed mod installation.
  • The update command succeeds but the old error is unchanged: return to the search-path check. A successful download into an unused library or cluster directory has no effect on the running service.

Use the server log to identify the first mod-load failure rather than the final connection message. Disable that suspect mod, restart, and reconnect. If the server becomes healthy, re-enable mods individually until the incompatible or damaged item is identified.

Common mistakes and their fixes

Mistake Why it fails Corrective action
Updating only the player’s DST client The dedicated server still runs an older game build or mod copy Update the dedicated-server installation and rerun its Workshop update/install operation
Putting a client-only mod in the server list The mod is intended for the individual player, not the server process Remove it from server configuration and have the required player install it locally
Editing only one shard Master and Caves can load different overrides Synchronize the generated modoverrides.lua across both active shard directories
Restarting without downloading A restart reloads the same stale files Run the manager’s update/install step or the documented manual Workshop download first
Reinstalling files in the wrong directory The launch command points elsewhere Verify the mod search setting, cluster path and shard paths used by the service
Deleting the whole cluster World saves and settings can be lost unnecessarily Back up first and remove only the affected mod files

Choose the maintenance approach that fits your setup

Approach Strength Trade-off Best use
Hosted game with Mods tab Simple in-game selection and clear Server/Client categories Does not manage an external dedicated-server installation Small groups playing from one host
Dedicated server with LinuxGSM Provides an update/install workflow for Workshop downloads Still requires correct Workshop IDs, paths and shard-file placement Administrators who want repeatable server management
Dedicated server managed manually Direct control over Lua files and deployment Administrator must track downloads, paths and Master/Caves synchronization Custom scripts or environments where an automatic manager is unsuitable
Clean Workshop reinstall Removes stale or corrupted mod data Requires unsubscribe, resubscribe and a fresh server download One mod remains broken after normal updating
Search-path investigation Finds files stored where the process does not look Requires inspecting service and cluster configuration Downloads report success but the server behaves unchanged

A repeatable update routine

For future Workshop changes, use the same order so that a game update does not leave a partially refreshed cluster:

  1. Schedule a stop and back up the cluster and shard configuration.
  2. Update the DST client and dedicated-server installation.
  3. Review the enabled server and client mod lists and remove abandoned entries.
  4. Verify every server mod’s Workshop ID in dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua.
  5. Run the dedicated-server update/install operation and wait for completion.
  6. Deploy the generated modoverrides.lua to every active shard, including Master and Caves when present.
  7. Confirm that the launch command’s mod search path points to the updated installation.
  8. Start the server, inspect the log for the first mod-load error, and connect with one test player.
  9. Re-enable or update individual mods only after the base server starts cleanly.

This sequence separates four different failure sources—game version, Workshop download, configuration placement and mod compatibility—so each test produces useful information instead of another mixed-state error.

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