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To add an administrator to a Team Fortress 2 dedicated server, install MetaMod:Source and SourceMod, then add the person’s SteamID and permission flags to tf/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini. Save the file, reload SourceMod’s admin data using the method supported by your build, and test both an allowed and a denied command. Use the z root flag only for a trusted owner; most staff should receive a smaller set of flags.
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What you need before adding anyone
SourceMod supplies the administration system that reads admin identities, permissions, groups and immunity. MetaMod:Source is normally installed alongside it on a Source dedicated server. If SourceMod is not installed and loading correctly, editing an admin file will not grant anyone access.
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- File access to the server’s
tfgame directory. - The prospective administrator’s SteamID, preferably obtained while that player is connected.
- A decision about the smallest permission set that matches the person’s job.
Confirm the installation before changing permissions. The relevant directory is tf/addons/sourcemod/configs. The small-team file is tf/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini; a structured alternative is tf/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins.cfg.
Choose the right SourceMod admin file
SourceMod provides two practical configuration styles. Pick one deliberately rather than entering the same person in both files, which makes later troubleshooting harder.
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| File or method | Best fit | What you record | Main trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
admins_simple.ini |
A small server team with straightforward permissions | An identity, a flag string or group reference, and optionally a password | Fast to edit, but less expressive for complex staff records |
admins.cfg |
Several roles, groups, passwords or immunity levels | Explicit authentication method, identity, password, groups, flags and immunity | More structured to maintain, with more fields to configure correctly |
| Steam authentication | Nearly every normal administrator account | A SteamID2 or SteamID3 identity | Account-based authentication avoids display-name changes and changing IP addresses |
| Name or IP identity | Special cases where Steam authentication is unsuitable | A name, or an IP prefixed with ! |
Names and addresses can be less stable than a Steam account |
For a single owner or a few moderators, admins_simple.ini is usually the clearest starting point. Move to admins.cfg when you need staff roles represented as explicit records instead of repeating flag strings.
Find the administrator’s SteamID
SteamID is the identity SourceMod uses to match a connecting player to an admin record. SteamID2 values look like STEAM_X:X:XXXXXXXX. SteamID3 values look like [U:X:XXXXXX]; the permissions system supports both formats.
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- Have the person connect to the TF2 server.
- Open the server console or an authorized remote console.
- Run
status. - Find the player in the output and copy the SteamID exactly, including its prefix, colon separators, brackets or capitalization.
Using status while the player is connected avoids guessing from a display name. Do not substitute a nickname for a SteamID just because it is easier to recognize. A player can change a name, while the Steam account identity remains the authentication anchor.
Check the value before saving
- Make sure you copied the intended player, not another connected account.
- Keep the complete SteamID as one quoted identity.
- Do not add spaces inside the ID.
- If you use SteamID3, preserve the square brackets.
Add an admin in admins_simple.ini
Open tf/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini in a plain-text editor. Each entry consists of an identity, permissions and an optional password. The basic shape is:
"identity" "permissions" "password"The password field is optional. A SteamID-only entry with a permission string is valid when no password is required.
Grant full access to a trusted owner
The template’s full-access example is:
"STEAM_0:1:16" "z"Replace STEAM_0:1:16 with the real SteamID. The z flag is the root flag and grants all permissions. It should be limited to the server owner or another person who is trusted with every administrative action. Do not use z as a convenience for ordinary moderators.
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For least privilege, replace z with only the required flags. The template includes bce as an example of a narrower combination covering generic access, kick-related access and unban-related access:
Rank #2
"STEAM_0:1:234567" "bce"The exact role-to-flag mapping should follow the permissions available in your installed SourceMod configuration and plugins. Start with the smallest known set, test it, and add a flag only when a required command is denied. That approach prevents accidental root access.
Use a group reference instead of repeating flags
An entry can point to a group by placing @ before the group name:
"STEAM_0:1:234567" "@Moderators"The group must be defined in the configuration used by your server. Group references are useful when several people share one role: change the group’s permissions once instead of editing every administrator line.
Use a name or IP identity only deliberately
The identity field can be a SteamID or a name. An IP identity is prefixed with !. For example, an address-based identity follows the pattern:
"!203.0.113.25" "bce"Steam authentication is preferable for normal staff because an account identity is not tied to a display name or a changing address. If you use a name or IP, document why and review it whenever the player’s name or network changes.
Use admins.cfg for structured staff management
admins.cfg is the better fit when the server has multiple staff levels, shared groups, passwords or immunity rules. Instead of a compact identity-and-flags line, it stores an explicit authentication method, identity, password, groups, flags and immunity as structured records.
Use this approach when you need to answer questions such as:
- Which authentication method is expected for this administrator?
- Which named group supplies the person’s permissions?
- Does the administrator have a password requirement?
- What immunity value prevents lower-ranked staff from targeting this person?
Keep role definitions consistent. If one person receives permissions directly and another receives them through a group, later changes can become difficult to audit. A documented group hierarchy is easier to review than a collection of unrelated flag strings.
Set groups and immunity for a staff hierarchy
Permissions determine what an administrator can do. Immunity determines whom that administrator can target when administrative actions affect other administrators. These are separate decisions.
Immunity values
An immunity value can be written before the flags. The template gives this form:
83:abcdefghHere, 83 is the access value and abcdefgh is the flag string. An administrator cannot target another administrator with a higher access value under the normal immunity rules. Use higher values for the staff members who must be protected from lower-ranked actions, and assign values consistently rather than arbitrarily.
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Adjust the immunity behavior only when you understand the effect
The sm_immunity_mode setting can alter how immunity is evaluated. Because changing it affects who may target whom, verify the behavior on a test server or during a controlled maintenance window. After changing immunity, test actions between two staff accounts with different access values.
Groups for repeatable roles
Groups let you define a role once and assign several administrators to it. Typical roles might separate an owner, senior moderator and basic moderator, but the names are up to you. Give each group only the flags needed for its responsibilities, then use immunity values to express the hierarchy. Avoid giving every group the root flag simply to bypass a missing permission.
Save the file without breaking its syntax
SourceMod reads the quotation marks, spacing and spelling in these files. A valid-looking entry can fail if a quote is missing or an identity is altered.
- Use a plain-text editor rather than a word processor.
- Keep each administrator entry on its own line.
- Preserve straight quotation marks around identity, permissions and password values.
- Do not add explanatory text inside an entry.
- Save the file at the exact path and filename:
tf/addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.inior the structured file you selected. - Keep a backup of the last working configuration before making several changes at once.
A compact example with two different access levels might look like this:
"STEAM_0:1:111111" "z"
"STEAM_0:0:222222" "bce"
"STEAM_0:1:333333" "@Moderators"The first line is for a trusted owner, the second grants the narrower example set, and the third delegates permissions to a group. Replace every example identity and group name with values that exist on your server.
Reload the admin data and verify the result
Saving the file does not necessarily make a currently running server reread it. Reconnect the player or use the SourceMod admin-data reload workflow supported by your installed build. The configuration template establishes the file formats, but the exact reload command is build-dependent; check the command list for the SourceMod version running on your server instead of assuming a command from another release.
- Save the edited file.
- Use your build’s supported admin-data reload method, or restart the server if that is your established maintenance procedure.
- Have the administrator disconnect and reconnect if the build or authentication state requires a fresh session.
- Test one command that the assigned flags should permit.
- Test one command that the assigned flags should not permit.
- Repeat the test with another staff account if you changed groups or immunity.
A successful test proves more than seeing the player connect. It confirms that SourceMod matched the intended identity, loaded the permission string and applied the current group or immunity rules.
Troubleshoot an admin who has no access
SourceMod is not running
If no administrator works, verify MetaMod:Source and SourceMod before inspecting individual entries. An uninstalled or failed administration layer cannot read either admin file.
The file is in the wrong directory
The simple file belongs under tf/addons/sourcemod/configs. Check that you edited the server’s actual TF2 game directory, not a client installation or a different server instance.
The SteamID does not match
Run status while the player is connected and compare the displayed value character by character with the identity in the file. Check the SteamID format, brackets, colons, capitalization and quotation marks.
The permissions are too narrow
A successful login does not imply access to every command. Review the role’s flags and add only the specific permission needed. Do not replace a missing flag with z unless the person genuinely needs root access.
The change was not reloaded
Confirm that the server or SourceMod reread the file after it was saved. If one account still has old behavior, reconnect that account and repeat the test.
A group reference is missing or misspelled
For an entry such as "identity" "@Moderators", verify that the group exists in the structured configuration and that its spelling matches exactly. If the group is absent, the identity cannot inherit its intended flags.
Immunity blocks the action
If an administrator can use a command on regular players but not on another administrator, compare their immunity values. A lower access value cannot normally target a higher one. Also check whether sm_immunity_mode has been changed from its expected behavior.
Security and maintenance practices
- Reserve
zfor a very small number of trusted owners. - Prefer SteamID authentication over names and IP addresses for ordinary staff.
- Use groups for shared roles so a permission change is made once.
- Record why each administrator has access and review the list when staff responsibilities change.
- Keep backups of working admin files before edits.
- Test both permitted and denied actions after every permission or immunity change.
- Do not publish admin files containing passwords or private operational details.
Recommended setup for common server sizes
One owner
Install and verify SourceMod, add the owner’s SteamID with z in admins_simple.ini, reload the admin data and test a root-only action. No group hierarchy is needed until another staff member is added.
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Keep the owner on z, give moderators only the flags their duties require, and use a shared group if they have identical permissions. Assign immunity values when moderators must not target one another indiscriminately.
A larger staff team
Move role definitions into admins.cfg. Define groups, explicit authentication details and immunity values, then assign each person to the appropriate group. Test representative accounts from every level after changes.
Quick Recap
Quick checklist
- Confirm MetaMod:Source and SourceMod are installed and running.
- Locate
tf/addons/sourcemod/configs. - Choose
admins_simple.inifor compact entries oradmins.cfgfor structured roles. - Run
statuswith the player connected and copy the SteamID2 or SteamID3 value. - Add the identity with the smallest suitable flag set, or reference a defined group.
- Use
zonly for a trusted owner. - Add immunity values when staff need a hierarchy.
- Save the file with exact quotes, spelling and path.
- Reload admin data using the method supported by your SourceMod build, then reconnect if necessary.
- Test one allowed and one deliberately denied command.
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