Vintage Story controls access through roles and privileges. Set the default role in serverconfig.json, assign a role with /player <username> role <rolename>, and change a role’s permissions with /role <rolename> privilege grant|revoke <privilegename>. The /op <playername> command is an alias for assigning the admin role.
Godlike.Host offers hosted Vintage Story servers with its own game panel, SFTP access and free DDoS protection, if you would rather not host it yourself.
This guide shows how to make yourself or another player an administrator, keep new joiners in the visitor role, grant permissions safely, verify the result, and troubleshoot differences between Vintage Story versions.
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How the Vintage Story permission system works
A player’s effective access comes from two layers:
- Role privileges: permissions attached to a named role, such as
suplayer,sumod, oradmin. - Player-specific privileges: extra permissions attached directly to one account. These stack on top of that player’s role.
Use a role when a policy applies to a group. Use a player-specific privilege when you need a one-off exception, such as allowing one trusted builder to use a command without promoting everyone else. A role assignment can be changed while the player is online or offline.
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Vintage Story also stores other behavior in role entries. Depending on your version, a role can include a display name, chat color, spawn point, land-claim volume allowed per player, and a game-mode code. Permissions are therefore only one part of a role’s effect.
What you need before changing roles
Administrative commands are normally available to the server owner or to an account already holding a role that can manage privileges. A newly created server may not have an in-game administrator yet, so use the dedicated-server console for the first setup.
- Know the exact player name as Vintage Story records it. Usernames are case-sensitive in some interfaces and must be entered without accidental spaces.
- Have access to the dedicated server console or its local command window.
- Keep a backup of
serverconfig.jsonbefore editing it. - Know the game version running on the server. Role names, available privileges, and command help can differ between releases.
If you rent a managed server, the provider’s console may be a web panel rather than a terminal. The commands themselves are still entered in the server console, not in a normal player chat window unless your account already has the required permission.
Set the default role for new players
New players receive the survival-player role suplayer by default. If you want every newcomer to join as a visitor until you approve them, change DefaultRoleCode in serverconfig.json to suvisitor.
Edit the JSON safely
- Stop the server, or open its file manager while the server is not writing the configuration.
- Open the server’s
serverconfig.json. - Find the
DefaultRoleCodeproperty. - Set its value to
suvisitor, keeping the quotation marks and the comma that separates this property from the next one. - Save the file as valid JSON and start the server again if you stopped it.
The entry should have this form when another property follows it:
"DefaultRoleCode": "suvisitor",Do not remove the comma unless this is the final property in the JSON object. A missing quote, extra comma, or pasted comment can prevent the configuration from loading. This setting affects players who join after the change; it does not automatically demote people who already have a role.
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Choosing between visitor and survival-player defaults
suvisitor is useful for whitelisting-by-approval communities, public events, and servers where new accounts should be able to look around without immediately building or claiming land. Keep suplayer when anyone who connects should begin normal survival play. The default role is a starting assignment, not a substitute for a whitelist or a moderation policy.
Make yourself the first administrator
On a fresh dedicated server, run the promotion from the server console before trying to administer roles in game. The shortest form is:
/op <yourname>/op is an alias for:
/player <yourname> role adminReplace <yourname> with the account name exactly as it appears to the server. Once the command succeeds, reconnect or run a harmless administrative command to confirm that the account has the expected access. If the command is rejected, check that you entered it in the server console and that the server has finished loading its world.
Use the console rather than attempting to grant yourself privileges from a normal player account. The standard survival-player role cannot manage privileges, so a player who has not yet been promoted cannot bootstrap administration from chat alone.
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Use this command for an online or offline account:
/player <username> role <rolename>For example, to return a player to normal survival access:
/player alex role suplayerTo make a player a visitor:
/player alex role suvisitorTo promote a trusted moderator, use the role that your server has configured for moderation, such as sumod, rather than giving the full admin role by habit. The command replaces the player’s current role assignment. It does not delete any direct player privileges that were previously granted, so review those separately when reducing access.
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Promoting several players consistently
- Write down the intended role for each staff member before issuing commands.
- Run one
/playercommand per account. - Record the date, operator, old role, and new role in your server’s administrative notes.
- Ask each player to reconnect or test a representative command if the change is not visible immediately in their current session.
Role changes are designed to take effect without a server restart. If a command appears unchanged, verify the spelling of the role and inspect the player’s current assignment before restarting anything.
Grant or revoke a privilege for an entire role
Role-wide permissions use this syntax:
/role <rolename> privilege grant <privilegename>To remove a permission:
/role <rolename> privilege revoke <privilegename>Replace <privilegename> with the exact privilege identifier accepted by your server. Privilege names are not ordinary descriptions; punctuation and spelling matter. Use the command help available on your version to discover valid identifiers before changing a production role.
When role-level changes are appropriate
- Give a building or moderation permission to every member of a staff role.
- Remove a risky command from a role after a policy change.
- Create a restricted role for event participants and adjust it once, instead of editing dozens of accounts.
Because every player in the role inherits the change, review the effect on existing members before granting a powerful privilege. A role edit is broader than promoting one account.
Give one player an exception without changing the role
A direct player privilege lets you make a narrowly scoped exception. This is useful when one builder needs a command temporarily, or when a moderator should retain normal survival behavior while receiving a single moderation capability.
The exact player-privilege command syntax has varied in community documentation and may differ by Vintage Story version. Do not guess a command copied from an older post. From the server console, use the built-in help for the player and privilege commands, then apply the account-specific grant shown there. Afterward, list the player’s privileges and test only the intended capability.
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Verify roles and privileges
Use the list commands available in your release to inspect the result:
/list privilegeslists privileges known to the server./list rolelists configured roles and their information.
Command output and subcommands can vary, so check the server’s command help if either form is not recognized. Verification should answer three separate questions:
- Does the role exist, and is its spelling correct?
- Is the player assigned to the intended role?
- Does that role, plus any direct player grant, contain the required privilege?
Test with the least disruptive action that proves the permission. For example, do not test an administrative command by changing a protected area if listing the available command or checking a harmless setting is sufficient. If the player is online, have them reconnect or re-run the command after a role change so cached client state does not confuse the diagnosis.
Configure role properties beyond permissions
Role definitions can include presentation and gameplay settings in addition to privileges. A hosting guide’s documented fields include:
| Property | What it controls | Operational note |
|---|---|---|
| Display name | The name shown for the role | Use a clear label that moderators can distinguish from the internal role code. |
| Chat color | How messages from the role are displayed | Choose colors that remain readable for the server’s theme and accessibility needs. |
| Spawn point | Where members of the role may spawn | Confirm the location remains safe and loaded before assigning the role broadly. |
| Land-claim volume allowance | The claim volume allowed per player in cubic metres | Set a value appropriate to the role’s trust level and the world’s available space. |
| Game-mode code | The mode associated with the role | Codes are 0 Guest, 1 Survival, 2 Creative, and 3 Spectator. |
Inspect the role entries already present in your own serverconfig.json before adding or editing fields. The names and structure of these entries are version-sensitive; preserve the surrounding JSON and make a backup before manual edits.
Understand the built-in role names
Published server guides do not agree on one universal stock role list. One commonly documented set contains nine roles: suvisitor, crvisitor, limitedsuplayer, limitedcrplayer, suplayer, crplayer, sumod, crmod, and admin. Another reference lists only suplayer, suvisitor, crplayer, and crvisitor.
Treat the roles that actually appear in your server configuration and command help as authoritative for your release. Do not assume that a role documented for another version exists on your installation. If a command reports an unknown role, list the configured roles and use the exact internal code shown there.
Interpret privilege levels cautiously
Role data may include numeric levels. Documentation conflicts about what those numbers mean. One guide presents values such as suvisitor at -1, suplayer at 0, sumod at 200, and admin at 99999 as command-rank tiers. Another describes the level as the point at which a player may build in protected areas.
Because those explanations are not consistent, do not infer a permission policy from a number alone. Check the role’s actual privileges and the official command documentation for the exact game version. If you need a guaranteed outcome, grant or revoke the named privilege explicitly and test it with a non-destructive account.
Server settings versus world settings
serverconfig.json contains server-level settings, while world behavior can be controlled by console commands. Many server settings can be changed at runtime with /serverconfig, but role entries may still require a file edit or a reload depending on the version. Treat the file as the source of truth for role definitions, keep backups, and confirm changes through the list commands after applying them.
Do not edit a live JSON file while the server is simultaneously saving it. Stop the server for structural changes when possible. Runtime role commands are safer for routine promotions and revocations because they avoid malformed JSON and usually apply immediately.
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“Unknown command” or no response
- Confirm the command is being entered in the server console, not an unprivileged player chat window.
- Check the leading slash. Some console interfaces accept commands with or without it; follow the convention shown by that console.
- Run the built-in help command and compare the syntax with your installed version.
The role name is rejected
- Run
/list roleand copy the internal code exactly. - Do not substitute the display name for the role code.
- Check whether a custom role was removed or renamed in
serverconfig.json.
The player still has too much access after demotion
Changing a role does not necessarily remove direct player privileges. Inspect the account’s individual grants and revoke exceptions that are no longer justified. Also check whether the player is reconnecting to a different server instance or world than the one you edited.
New players are still joining as survival players
- Verify that the property is spelled exactly
DefaultRoleCode. - Confirm the value is the quoted string
suvisitor, not an unquoted token. - Check JSON punctuation, then restart the server if you changed the file while it was stopped.
- Remember that the setting controls new assignments; it does not automatically alter existing accounts.
A privilege works for one role but not another
Compare the two roles’ privilege lists rather than their numeric levels. Role names can imply similar behavior while carrying different grants, especially between survival and creative variants. Add the exact privilege to the intended role or use a direct player exception if only one account needs it.
Recommended administration workflow
- Back up first. Copy
serverconfig.jsonbefore changing role definitions. - Bootstrap one owner account. From the console, run
/op <yourname>. - Choose the default. Keep
suplayerfor open survival access or setDefaultRoleCodetosuvisitorfor approval-based entry. - Create a staff structure. Use the least powerful existing role that satisfies each job, such as a moderator role instead of
admin. - Change groups with roles. Grant or revoke role privileges using the
/rolecommand. - Handle exceptions separately. Use a direct player privilege for a single temporary need, following your version’s help syntax.
- Verify every change. List roles and privileges, then test with a safe account.
- Record and review. Keep an access log and remove temporary grants when an event or project ends.
Security practices for a public server
- Give
adminonly to people who need complete control. A moderator role limits the impact of an account compromise. - Use visitors for unknown or newly approved players when building, claiming, or command access must be reviewed.
- Prefer explicit privilege grants over relying on an undocumented numeric level.
- Audit both role membership and direct player privileges; checking only roles can miss an old exception.
- Keep dated backups of
serverconfig.jsonso you can restore a known-good permission model. - After a Vintage Story update, compare the available roles and command help with your notes before reapplying automation.
Command and configuration reference
| Goal | Use | Scope |
|---|---|---|
| Make an account an administrator | /op <playername> |
One player; alias for assigning admin |
| Assign any configured role | /player <username> role <rolename> |
One player, online or offline |
| Grant a role privilege | /role <rolename> privilege grant <privilegename> |
Every player with that role |
| Revoke a role privilege | /role <rolename> privilege revoke <privilegename> |
Every player with that role |
| Set visitor defaults | "DefaultRoleCode": "suvisitor", |
New player assignments in serverconfig.json |
| Inspect available privileges | /list privileges |
Server-wide list |
| Inspect configured roles | /list role |
Server role list |
Use the reference as a starting point, then confirm each command against the help output on your server. The official role-command documentation has not been updated recently enough to guarantee that every older example matches every current release.
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