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When a Don’t Starve Together dedicated server will not start, check the shard log first, then test whether Windows security software is blocking the game. Those two checks resolve or identify many startup failures without deleting your world. After that, verify the cluster token, remove mods for a clean test, and only then restore an older save. Port changes are a separate issue: they matter when multiple servers share a machine or when the Master and Caves shards are configured incorrectly.
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Start with the actual error, not the launcher message
“Dedicated Server Failed to Start” is a generic startup result. It does not identify the failing component. The useful evidence is in the log for the shard that stopped.
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Quick wins for a faster PC:
Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →- Open the folder for the server cluster.
- Open the
Mastershard folder and readserver_log.txt. - Open the
Cavesshard folder and read itsserver_log.txtas well. A cluster can fail because only one shard did not launch. - Look at the final error and the lines immediately before it. Record whether the message mentions access, a token, a Workshop item, a port, or a save file.
On Windows, crash-related files are also reported under DocumentsKleiDoNotStarveTogether. Keep a copy of the logs before changing files so you can compare the next launch attempt with the failed one.
1. Allow the game through security software
Klei’s support guidance for this startup message says that something on the computer is preventing the game from completing its launch. Antivirus scanning and Windows security controls are the first inexpensive checks. Community reports also describe Windows Defender stopping server creation until the server process was excluded, but those reports are not an official measurement of how common the problem is.
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Allow the Don’t Starve Together executables
- Open your antivirus or endpoint-security application.
- Find its blocked-app, quarantine, firewall, or allowlist section.
- Add the Don’t Starve Together executables located in the game’s
binandbin64folders. Klei’s guidance refers to four DST executables in those folders; use the files that actually exist in your installation rather than copying a filename from a different game build. - Restore an executable if your security program quarantined it, then add the restored file to the allowlist.
- Start the dedicated server again and check both shard logs.
Allow only the genuine files in your installed game directory. Do not disable antivirus protection for the whole computer as a substitute for an application rule.
Check Windows Controlled Folder Access
Windows Ransomware Protection, specifically Controlled Folder Access, can block dontstarve_steam.exe from writing the files required during startup. If the logs show access or write failures, open Windows Security, go to Virus & threat protection, then Ransomware protection, and review Controlled folder access. Use Allow an app through Controlled folder access to add the genuine dontstarve_steam.exe from your installation. Restart the server after changing the rule.
If the server starts after the allowlist change, leave the rule in place and keep the log from the failed attempt for future troubleshooting. If it still fails, remove the security software from the list of suspects only after confirming that both shards can create and update their files.
2. Verify the cluster token
A missing, stale, or malformed cluster token can prevent authentication and stop a cluster before it becomes joinable. A third-party hosting guide attributes many DST server problems to a stale token, a shard that did not start, or a conflicting Workshop mod. Treat that as community guidance rather than an official frequency claim.
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Check the file and its contents
- Open the cluster’s
Cluster_1folder (use the actual cluster folder number if yours differs). - Confirm that
cluster_token.txtis directly insideCluster_1, not insideMaster,Caves, or another nested folder. - Open the file with a plain-text editor.
- Confirm that it contains one token string only. Remove extra lines, explanatory text, quotation marks, and accidental spaces.
- Save the file as plain text with the exact filename
cluster_token.txt. Check that your editor did not append.txta second time.
Do not publish or share the token. Anyone who obtains it may be able to use it for your account’s server authentication.
Generate a new token in-game
If the file is missing or the existing token is no longer valid, community instructions use the game console to generate one:
- Log in to Don’t Starve Together with the account that owns the server.
- Open the console with the backtick (
`) key. Keyboard layouts can place this key differently; use the key that opens the DST console on your layout. - Run
TheNet:GenerateServerToken(). - Close the game, place the resulting token in
Cluster_1cluster_token.txt, and start the dedicated server again.
This command and placement procedure come from community guidance and should be checked against the behavior of your current game build. If the command produces no usable file, read the console output and the shard logs rather than repeatedly replacing the token.
3. Run a no-mod test
Mods are a common diagnostic branch because a server can fail before displaying a useful in-game error. Community forum guidance treats disabling every mod as the standard test. A Workshop discussion also reports a startup failure caused by a translation mod whose language setting was changed; that is an individual report, not proof that translation mods generally fail.
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Disable everything without deleting your configuration
- Stop the server completely, including any Master or Caves process that remains in the background.
- Back up the cluster configuration and the current mod settings.
- Disable all server mods in the configuration or management tool you use. Do not remove the world save while performing this test.
- Start the server and watch both
server_log.txtfiles from the beginning of the new attempt.
If the unmodded server starts, the world and basic cluster configuration are probably usable. Re-enable one mod at a time, restarting between changes. When the failure returns, the last mod enabled is the first suspect. Check that mod’s version, required dependencies, configuration values, and language or translation settings. If the server fails even with all mods disabled, continue with the token, save, and port checks instead of changing mods at random.
Why one-at-a-time testing matters
Enabling several mods together cannot tell you which one caused the failure. A binary split can reduce the number of restarts on a very large mod list, but the final confirmation still requires starting with the suspected mod disabled and then enabling it alone or with a known-good set.
4. Protect the world before repairing a save
A damaged cluster save is harder to diagnose because restoring files can remove recent progress. Community reports describe recovering by restoring an older cluster backup and rolling the world back by roughly a day. This is anecdotal advice, not a guaranteed repair and not a statement from Klei about every save failure.
Make a safe copy first
- Stop all server processes.
- Copy the entire cluster directory to a separate location, preserving the folder structure and timestamps.
- Keep the newest copy untouched so you can return to it if an older backup is worse.
- Write down which backup you are testing and the date of the last successful startup.
Restore an older cluster
- Choose a backup from before the first failed launch.
- Replace the active cluster files with the backup, or use your server manager’s restore function.
- Keep the current
cluster_token.txtin the correct cluster folder unless the backup intentionally contains a known-good token. - Start with all mods disabled so a damaged save is not confused with a mod failure.
- Read the new Master and Caves logs and confirm that both shards reach normal startup.
If an older save starts, the problem is likely inside the newer cluster data or a change made after that backup. Recover player progress selectively only after you have a working copy.
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5. Check Master and Caves ports
Port values matter when the two shards share a computer or when more than one DST server runs on the same machine. Community guides commonly use server_port = 10999 for the Master shard and server_port = 11000 for the Caves shard. These are community defaults, not universal requirements; confirm the values in each server’s own server.ini and in your network setup.
| Setting | Community value or rule | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
Master server_port |
10999 |
Only one process on the machine is using this port. |
Caves server_port |
11000 |
It differs from the Master port and is assigned to the Caves shard. |
authentication_port |
Defaults to 8766 |
Every separate server on the same machine has a distinct value. |
master_server_port |
Defaults to 27016 |
Every separate server on the same machine has a distinct value. |
Do not copy a cluster_key value into a port field. One community guide places that label beside port 10999, which appears to be a documentation error. Use the setting names in your own server.ini as the authority.
Identify a port collision
- Look for “address already in use,” bind, or socket errors in the log.
- Close other DST servers and test again.
- If you need multiple servers, assign a unique
server_port,authentication_port, andmaster_server_portset to each one. - Update firewall and router rules to match the ports you actually selected.
- Restart the affected processes after every port change.
If the log contains no bind or port error, changing ports is unlikely to fix the immediate startup failure. Return to the security, token, and mod checks.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.6. Use the log to choose the next branch
| Log symptom | First action | Do not do yet |
|---|---|---|
| Access denied, cannot create, or cannot write a file | Allow the DST executables and check Controlled Folder Access. | Do not delete the cluster. |
Token, authentication, or missing cluster_token.txt |
Check the file location and one-string format; generate a token if necessary. | Do not expose the token publicly. |
| Workshop, mod, script, or dependency error | Disable all mods, then re-enable them individually. | Do not restore a save until the no-mod test is complete. |
| Corrupt, unreadable, or load failure in cluster data | Back up the current cluster and test an older backup. | Do not overwrite your only copy. |
| Bind, socket, or address-in-use error | Give each shard and server unique ports and stop duplicate processes. | Do not assume the default ports are free. |
7. A clean restart sequence
After making a change, use the same controlled sequence so that one fix does not hide another failure.
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- Stop the server and confirm that no Master or Caves process remains.
- Copy the current cluster and note the change you are testing.
- Open both shard logs and move or rename old logs only if your server manager supports that safely; otherwise mark the time of the new attempt.
- Start the server with no mods.
- Check that the token is present in the cluster root and that security software has not quarantined a file.
- Read the end of both new logs, not just the launcher status.
- Only after a successful no-mod launch, restore mods one at a time or restore the desired configuration one setting at a time.
This order separates permission failures from authentication failures, mod failures, save failures, and port collisions. It also leaves you with a reproducible record if you need help from a host or the game community.
When the server starts but players still cannot join
A successful process launch is not the same as a reachable server. If both shards start normally but players cannot connect, read the logs for network errors and verify that your firewall and router rules match the selected ports. The startup procedure above does not establish that a particular router, NAT type, or hosting provider forwards traffic correctly. Keep those network checks separate from a “failed to start” diagnosis so you do not repeatedly change a healthy cluster.
What not to conclude from a failed attempt
- A generic launcher error does not prove that the world is corrupted.
- A missing server in the browser does not prove that the process failed; inspect the shard logs.
- One mod-related report does not mean every Workshop mod is incompatible.
- The community port defaults are not guaranteed to be correct for every game version, host, or multi-server layout.
- Replacing the token repeatedly will not repair a blocked executable, a port collision, or a damaged save.
Final troubleshooting order
Follow this order: read server_log.txt for Master and Caves; allow the DST executables through antivirus and Controlled Folder Access; verify Cluster_1cluster_token.txt contains one token; disable every mod and test; then restore an older cluster backup if the clean configuration still fails. Check port assignments whenever the logs show bind errors or more than one server runs on the same machine. Because version-specific details and port defaults can change, treat the values above as starting points and confirm them in your current server.ini and logs.
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