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Freedom251 › Blog › Admins.json

How to Add an Admin on a Core Keeper Server

By Freedom251 Team · · 8 min read

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To add an administrator, stop your Core Keeper dedicated server, edit its Admins.json file, add the player to the adminList with the correct SteamID64 and privilege level, save valid JSON, and restart the server. After at least one administrator exists, that admin can promote additional players from the in-game pause menu.

Choose the right method first

Core Keeper has two practical administrator workflows:

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  • File-based setup: edit Admins.json. This is the bootstrap method because it works before any administrator can use the game menu.
  • In-game promotion: an existing admin opens the pause menu, selects the star beside a connected player, and confirms the promotion.

The file method requires access to the server’s file manager, SFTP connection, container volume, or equivalent control-panel storage. The in-game method requires the acting player to already be an admin. There is no need to install a separate mod or buy a physical product.

What you need before editing

  • Permission to stop and start the dedicated server.
  • Access to the server’s configured DedicatedServer data directory.
  • The target player’s exact character name as used when connecting.
  • The target player’s numeric SteamID64 (also called Steam64ID).
  • A way to make a backup copy of Admins.json and validate JSON syntax.

Do not edit the file while the server is running. A running process can rewrite its data when it shuts down, potentially discarding your change. Stop the server cleanly first, then make the backup and edit.

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Find Admins.json

A documented Linux-style hosted location is:

/.config/unity3d/Pugstorm/CoreKeeper/DedicatedServer/Admins.json

Treat that path as an example, not a universal location. Windows installations, Docker containers, managed control panels, and custom data-path settings can place the file elsewhere. Open the directory configured for the Core Keeper dedicated server and look for Admins.json alongside the server’s dedicated data.

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If you cannot see the file

First confirm that you are browsing the server’s live data directory rather than the game-install directory. Start the dedicated server once, allow it to finish initialization, and check the configured data path again after shutting it down. A newly created installation may not have every data file immediately. Dedicated-server world data can also appear only after the first save following a player joining.

If a control panel exposes a setting such as a custom data directory, follow that setting rather than assuming the Linux-style path. In Docker, inspect the host-mounted volume that contains the server’s persistent data; editing a file inside a temporary container layer may be lost when the container is recreated.

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Step-by-step: add the first admin in Admins.json

  1. Stop the server. Use the panel’s Stop button or the normal service-management procedure. Wait until the process is fully stopped.
  2. Back up the file. Download or copy Admins.json and retain the original under a dated name. If the file does not yet exist, back up the surrounding DedicatedServer directory before creating anything.
  3. Open the file as text. Use an editor that preserves plain UTF-8 text. Do not use a word processor that inserts smart quotes or formatting.
  4. Locate adminList. The value must be a JSON array enclosed in square brackets. If the list is empty, it should look like [].
  5. Add one object for the player. Enter an index, a privileges value, the in-game name, and the numeric steamId. A full-admin entry can use this shape:
{
  "adminList": [
    {
      "index": 1,
      "privileges": 2,
      "name": "YourCharacterName",
      "steamId": 76561198012345678
    }
  ]
}
  1. Preserve JSON punctuation. Separate properties with commas, put the object inside the array, and close every brace and bracket. Do not add a comma after the final property or final array item.
  2. Save the file. Keep the filename exactly Admins.json, including capitalization where the host filesystem distinguishes it.
  3. Validate the JSON. Run the file through a JSON formatter or parser before restarting. A single missing or extra comma, unmatched bracket, or non-numeric ID can prevent the list from being applied.
  4. Start the server and test. Restart it, connect with the account you added, and verify that an administrator-only action is available. If the permission is missing, stop the server again before making another edit.

Understand every field

Field Required value What to check
index Sequential record number, such as 1 Give each entry its own sequence number. When adding another record, use the next number rather than duplicating an existing index.
privileges 2 for full admin; 1 for limited admin These privilege meanings are documented for the Core Keeper server format. Use the lower value only when the player should have limited rights.
name The player’s in-game character name Match the name used when connecting. Avoid relying on a nickname from a hosting panel or a different Steam profile.
steamId The player’s numeric SteamID64/Steam64ID Enter digits only, without quotation marks, spaces, or a URL. Confirm that the number belongs to the intended Steam account.

The server treats administrators as a list of identities with attached privilege levels. That is why both the character name and SteamID64 matter: a typo in either can leave the expected player without access or assign rights to the wrong identity.

Add a second or later administrator

Keep the existing object and add another object inside the same adminList array. Use the next sequential index and a comma between objects:

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{
  "adminList": [
    {
      "index": 1,
      "privileges": 2,
      "name": "FirstAdmin",
      "steamId": 76561198012345678
    },
    {
      "index": 2,
      "privileges": 1,
      "name": "LimitedModerator",
      "steamId": 76561198087654321
    }
  ]
}

Do not replace the whole list when you intend to add one person. Removing an existing object revokes that person’s file-based permission on the next server load. Keep a private record of which SteamID64 belongs to each entry so future edits are auditable.

Promote a player from inside the game

Once your own account has been made an admin through Admins.json, you can delegate without editing JSON each time:

  1. Join the server with the established admin account.
  2. Open the pause menu.
  3. Find the connected player you want to promote.
  4. Select the star icon beside that player.
  5. Confirm the promotion when prompted.

The menu is faster for routine delegation and avoids comma and bracket mistakes. It does not solve the initial bootstrap problem: someone must first be granted admin through the file-based method. If the star is not visible, verify that the acting account loaded as an admin after the last restart and that the target player is currently connected.

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File method versus in-game method

Consideration Admins.json Pause-menu promotion
Access required File-manager, SFTP, container-volume, or panel access An account that is already an admin
Best use Creating the first admin, recovering access, or making offline changes Quickly delegating to a player while connected
Main failure risk Malformed JSON, wrong SteamID64, incorrect name, or editing the wrong data path Acting account is not recognized as admin or target player is not connected
Server state Stop before editing, then restart to load the change Performed during an active session
Portability Works across hosts when you can reach the configured data directory Depends on an existing admin and an available in-game menu

Troubleshoot an admin who cannot use admin features

The server starts, but the player is not an admin

  • Stop the server and reopen the exact Admins.json used by the running instance. Multiple installations or custom data paths can leave you editing an unused copy.
  • Check the character name letter by letter, including spaces and capitalization as displayed in game.
  • Reconfirm the SteamID64 from a trusted account record. A single wrong digit identifies a different account.
  • Make sure steamId is a number, not a quoted string, and that privileges is 1 or 2 as intended.
  • Restart fully after saving; changing the file while the process is running does not guarantee a live reload.

The server fails to apply the file or reports a parsing error

  • Run a JSON parser and follow its reported line and column.
  • Look for a missing comma between objects, an extra comma after the final item, curly “smart” quotation marks, or an unmatched brace or bracket.
  • Restore the backup if the file became unreadable, then reapply one change at a time.
  • Keep the outer structure as an object containing adminList; do not paste only the inner player record.

Admins.json is missing

  • Verify that the dedicated server has been started at least once and that you are viewing its persistent data directory.
  • Check the host’s configured path, container mount, or panel file browser rather than assuming the documented Linux-style location.
  • Allow a first save after a player joins, then stop the server and inspect the directory again.
  • If the host regenerates files from a template, edit the persistent source or contact the host’s documentation rather than a temporary runtime copy.

The in-game star does not appear

The acting account must already be recognized as an admin, and the intended recipient must be connected. Recheck the file-based bootstrap, restart, and reconnect before troubleshooting the menu. A menu promotion is not a substitute for correcting an invalid or misplaced administrator record.

Safe operating practices

  • Make one controlled change at a time. This makes it clear which entry caused a problem.
  • Keep dated backups. Retain the last known-good file before each edit, especially before removing an administrator.
  • Limit full privileges. Use privileges: 2 only for people who need full administrative control; use privileges: 1 for a limited role where appropriate.
  • Protect SteamID64 records. Treat the file as access-control data and restrict who can download or modify it.
  • Confirm the target identity. Check the Steam account and character name with the player before granting rights.
  • Test after every restart. Connect with the granted account and verify the expected permission before handing over responsibility.

Are console commands supported?

Available launch-argument documentation does not expose a documented admin flag or command syntax. For that reason, use the supported file and pause-menu workflows rather than relying on an unverified console command copied from another game or an outdated post. If a future server version adds a command, confirm it in that version’s own documentation before using it on a live world.

Removing or changing an admin

To change a person’s level, stop the server, back up Admins.json, edit that person’s privileges value, validate the JSON, and restart. To revoke access, remove that person’s object from adminList and keep the remaining entries and commas valid. If you only need a temporary delegation, the in-game promotion can be preferable because it avoids editing the file; still verify the resulting permission and remove access when the role is no longer needed.

Quick verification checklist

  • Server was stopped before the edit.
  • Original Admins.json was backed up.
  • The file belongs to the active server’s configured data path.
  • adminList contains a valid object for the intended player.
  • index values are sequential and not duplicated.
  • privileges is set to 1 or 2 deliberately.
  • name matches the in-game character.
  • steamId is the correct numeric SteamID64.
  • A JSON parser reports no syntax errors.
  • Server was restarted and the player reconnected for a live test.

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Admins.jsonCore KeeperDedicated Serverserver administrationSteamID64

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