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How to Add and Remove Admins on a CS2 Server

A practical guide to managing CS2 server administrators: edit CounterStrikeSharp’s admins.json, use groups safely, remove access permanently or at runtime, and understand SourceMod’s different files and letter flags.

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On a CounterStrikeSharp server, administrator access is persistent when it is defined in configs/admins.json with a stable player identity and permission strings beginning with @. Use configs/admin_groups.json when several people need the same role. To remove access, delete the player entry, remove selected flags or groups, and reload using your server’s normal procedure. SourceMod servers use different files and letter-based flags, so CounterStrikeSharp syntax cannot be pasted into them.

First identify which admin framework your CS2 server uses

Counter-Strike 2 servers commonly run either CounterStrikeSharp or SourceMod, and the administrator files are not interchangeable. Before changing anything, inspect the installed server files, startup documentation or plugin directory to establish which framework is active. The framework determines the file path, permission syntax, group format and reload method.

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CounterStrikeSharp

CounterStrikeSharp stores persistent assignments in configs/admins.json within its configuration directory. Its permissions are named strings such as @css/generic and @css/kick. Group references use names beginning with #.

SourceMod

SourceMod uses its own configuration model, normally addons/sourcemod/configs/admins.cfg or the simpler addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini. Entries use an authentication method such as steam, an identity and letter-based flags. Do not put @css/... permissions in a SourceMod file.

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Prepare safely before editing

  1. Confirm the account identity. Prefer the player’s SteamID64 or another identity format explicitly supported by the framework. A display name can change and can be duplicated; it is a poor long-term administrator key.
  2. Back up the file. Download or copy configs/admins.json before making changes. Keep the original until the new configuration has been tested.
  3. Choose a maintenance window. Stop the server or use the configuration-reload procedure supplied by your host and installation. Editing a file while the framework is writing it can overwrite changes.
  4. Grant only what the role needs. Reserve high-impact permissions such as @css/root and @css/rcon for trusted operators. A moderator who only needs to remove disruptive players should not receive every available flag.

Add an administrator with CounterStrikeSharp

1. Open the correct file

Navigate to the CounterStrikeSharp configuration directory and open configs/admins.json in a text editor that preserves plain UTF-8 text. The file is a JSON object: each top-level property is an arbitrary label, and its value describes one administrator.

2. Add an identity and least-privilege flags

Use the documented structure below, replacing the identity with the intended player’s SteamID64 and changing the label if desired:

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{ "ModeratorOne": { "identity": "76561198808392634", "flags": [ "@css/generic", "@css/kick" ] } }

The label (ModeratorOne in this example) is for identification in the file; the identity value is what associates permissions with the player. CounterStrikeSharp requires every user permission to start with an at-sign. The documented standard flags include:

  • @css/generic for the framework’s generic administrator access.
  • @css/kick for kick-related functionality exposed by a plugin.
  • @css/ban for ban-related functionality exposed by a plugin.
  • @css/changemap for map-changing functionality.
  • @css/rcon for remote-console-level operations.
  • @css/root for the highest-level access.

Only include flags your installed plugins actually check. CounterStrikeSharp itself does not automatically create traditional player commands such as !kick, !ban or !slay; individual plugins implement those commands and decide which permissions they require.

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3. Preserve valid JSON

If another administrator already exists, separate objects with commas. Every property name and string needs quotation marks, and braces and brackets must pair correctly. A missing comma, an extra comma or an unmatched quote can prevent the framework from loading the file.

4. Apply and verify the change

Save the file, then restart the server or reload the framework using the method provided by your host and CounterStrikeSharp installation. Have the affected player reconnect if your setup requires it. Verify with a harmless permission check or an installed plugin’s administrator menu rather than testing a destructive command on a live player. If the expected command is absent, first confirm that a plugin providing that command is installed and enabled.

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Use CounterStrikeSharp groups for repeatable roles

Groups avoid copying the same flag list into every administrator entry. Define a role once in configs/admin_groups.json, then attach that role to each person through the entry’s groups array.

Define a group

A moderator group can contain the generic, kick and ban permissions:

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{ "css/moderator": { "flags": [ "@css/generic", "@css/kick", "@css/ban" ] } }

The exact surrounding object structure should follow the format generated or documented by your CounterStrikeSharp version. The important rules are that each permission in the group begins with @ and that the group is referenced with a leading # when assigned to an administrator.

Attach one or more groups to an administrator

Add a groups array to the person’s object in configs/admins.json:

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{ "ModeratorOne": { "identity": "76561198808392634", "groups": [ "#css/moderator" ] } }

An administrator can inherit flags from multiple groups. For example, an operations lead could receive #css/moderator plus a separate map-management group. Keep those roles narrow: adding a group can silently add every flag defined in it.

Choose direct flags or groups

  • Direct flags: useful for a one-off exception or a role that applies to only one person.
  • Groups: better when several people share a role or when you want to change that role centrally.
  • Both: useful when a person has a standard group plus one documented, individual permission.

Remove or reduce CounterStrikeSharp access

Remove an administrator completely

In configs/admins.json, delete the entire object belonging to that identity, including its label, identity, flags and groups. Save the file and apply the normal restart or reload procedure. Removing the object is preferable to leaving an empty entry that could be misunderstood later.

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Keep the account but reduce privileges

To demote someone, remove high-risk entries such as @css/rcon, @css/root or @css/changemap from the flags array. If access came from a role, remove the relevant #group value from the groups array instead. Check both arrays: a person can still retain a permission through another group even after you remove a direct flag.

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Revoke access temporarily at runtime

Plugin code can call CounterStrikeSharp’s AdminManager.RemovePlayerPermissions API to revoke permissions while the server is running. This is a runtime action, not a file edit. CounterStrikeSharp documentation notes that runtime permission changes are not saved to admins.json; make the corresponding file change as well when the revocation must survive a restart.

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Configure admins on a SourceMod CS2 server

Choose the SourceMod file

Use addons/sourcemod/configs/admins.cfg for the full SourceMod configuration format, or addons/sourcemod/configs/admins_simple.ini when the simpler format meets your needs. Follow the syntax already present in that file and preserve its authentication method, identity format and braces or separators.

Use SourceMod authentication and letter flags

SourceMod entries identify an authentication method such as steam, then associate the identity with letter-based administrator flags. The letters are not CounterStrikeSharp permission names. Do not translate an entry by mechanically replacing letters with strings such as @css/kick; configure the permissions according to SourceMod’s own flag definitions and the plugins installed on that server.

Reload and test

Apply the change using the SourceMod procedure used by your server. The AlliedModders documentation also describes the sm_admin command for opening the administrator menu when the relevant SourceMod permissions and plugins are present. If the menu or a command is unavailable, verify that the plugin providing it is loaded instead of assuming the identity entry is wrong.

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CounterStrikeSharp and SourceMod: what differs

Area CounterStrikeSharp SourceMod
Primary admin files configs/admins.json; reusable roles in configs/admin_groups.json addons/sourcemod/configs/admins.cfg or admins_simple.ini
Permission syntax Named permission strings; every user permission starts with @ Letter-based flags
Group references Group names start with # and are attached through an administrator’s groups array Use SourceMod’s own configuration and group conventions; CounterStrikeSharp’s # syntax does not apply
Runtime API Plugin code can change permissions through AdminManager, but runtime changes are not written to admins.json Use SourceMod’s administration APIs and reload behavior
Player-facing commands Provided by individual CounterStrikeSharp plugins, not by the framework alone Provided by SourceMod and its plugins; sm_admin is a documented menu command when available

Troubleshoot an admin who is not recognized

The permission or group has no effect

  • Check that every CounterStrikeSharp permission begins with @. A value such as css/kick without the at-sign is not recognized.
  • Check that every CounterStrikeSharp group reference begins with #. A value such as css/moderator without the hash is not recognized as a group.
  • Confirm the player is connecting with the same Steam identity stored in the file. A changed name is not relevant when the SteamID64 is correct; a different account will not match it.
  • Inspect whether the permission is inherited from the intended group and whether that group is spelled identically in admin_groups.json.

The framework fails to load the file

Restore the backup, then compare the edited file for missing commas, mismatched braces, unquoted strings and accidental smart quotation marks. Keep one administrator object at a time while diagnosing the problem, validate the JSON with a local editor’s JSON checker, and reapply the reload or restart procedure.

The admin can connect but commands are missing

Permissions do not create commands by themselves. CounterStrikeSharp’s framework does not supply traditional !kick, !ban or !slay commands; an installed plugin must implement each command and check the corresponding permission. SourceMod likewise depends on the relevant plugin for a menu or command. Confirm the plugin is installed, enabled and compatible with the server build.

Changes disappear after a restart

A runtime API change is not persistent in CounterStrikeSharp. Edit configs/admins.json for permanent access or revocation, then reload the framework. Also check that you edited the active server instance rather than a staging copy or a different configuration directory.

A person retains more access than intended

Review direct flags and every entry in the groups array. Removing one high-risk flag does not remove the same permission inherited from another group. For a complete removal, delete the administrator object and confirm no duplicate entry exists under another label or supported identity.

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Operational checklist

  • Identify CounterStrikeSharp versus SourceMod before editing.
  • Back up the active administrator file.
  • Use a stable Steam identity instead of a mutable display name.
  • Give the smallest set of permissions required for the job.
  • For CounterStrikeSharp, put @ before every permission and # before every group reference.
  • Keep reusable roles in configs/admin_groups.json and attach them through groups.
  • Remember that runtime CounterStrikeSharp changes do not persist unless the JSON file is edited.
  • Apply changes through the host’s supported reload or restart method.
  • Test with a harmless permission check and verify that the responsible plugin is loaded.
  • Retain a known-good backup so a malformed edit can be reversed quickly.

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