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World desk8 min

How to Create a Cluster Token for a Don’t Starve Together Server

Run TheNet:GenerateClusterToken() in Don’t Starve Together, copy cluster_token.txt into the active Cluster_1 folder, and restart your server. This guide covers hosted panels, website alternatives, troubleshooting and token security.
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To create a Don’t Starve Together cluster token, open the game’s developer console and run TheNet:GenerateClusterToken(). The game writes a file named cluster_token.txt. Copy that file into your server’s cluster folder—normally Cluster_1—and restart the server. The token must remain private; without a valid token, the server will not come online.

What a cluster token does

A cluster token is a secret string that identifies a Don’t Starve Together server cluster to Klei’s backend. It is used when the server registers itself and is part of the licensing and moderation process. A missing, malformed or invalid token generally leaves the server offline instead of publicly joinable.

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The token is not the same thing as a player’s Klei user ID. A KU_-prefixed user ID identifies an account for files such as adminlist.txt; a cluster token authenticates the server cluster itself. Do not put a KU_ ID in cluster_token.txt, and do not put the cluster token in adminlist.txt.

The recommended method: generate the token in-game

The in-game console procedure is the most consistently documented method. Community documentation describes it as follows; a current Klei help page does not clearly publish the procedure, so command names and paths should be checked against the game version you are running.

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  1. Start Don’t Starve Together and sign in. Use the account that should own and administer the server. The account that generates the token is reported to receive administrator access in-game.
  2. Open the developer console. While in the game, press the tilde key (~). On some keyboard layouts the key may be in a different physical position, but it is the key assigned to the developer console.
  3. Run the generation command exactly. Enter TheNet:GenerateClusterToken(), including capitalization, punctuation and parentheses, then press Enter.
  4. Locate the generated file. The game writes cluster_token.txt inside your Klei data directory. On Unix-like systems the documented location is ~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether. On Windows it is DocumentsKleiDoNotStarveTogether.
  5. Copy the file to the server cluster. Place cluster_token.txt directly inside the cluster directory used by the server. For a default cluster this is DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1/cluster_token.txt.
  6. Restart the server. Stop the running instance completely, make sure the file is saved, and start the server again. A restart is required for the server process to read the token.

What the file should contain

Open the file with a plain-text editor only to verify its contents. It should contain the token as one line, with no explanatory text, quotation marks, leading or trailing spaces, or extra blank lines. Preserve the file name exactly as cluster_token.txt; an accidental extension such as .txt.txt can make the server behave as though the token is missing.

Do not paste the token into screenshots, public issue reports, chat rooms or configuration examples. Treat it like a password for the cluster.

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Where to put the token on a self-hosted server

The relevant location is the cluster folder, not merely the game’s top-level data directory. A default installation commonly has a structure like this:

DoNotStarveTogether/
└── Cluster_1/
    ├── cluster.ini
    ├── Master/
    ├── Caves/
    └── cluster_token.txt

Your cluster may have a different name or number. If you run several clusters, each cluster that must register separately needs its token available in that cluster’s own directory. Follow the path selected by your server launch configuration rather than assuming that Cluster_1 is always active.

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On Unix-like systems, the game-generated file begins in ~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether; on Windows it begins in DocumentsKleiDoNotStarveTogether. The server can use another data location when started with a custom configuration or service account, so check which operating-system user actually runs the server. Copying the file to your personal profile while the server runs under another account will not help if that process reads a different cluster directory.

Creating a token through the Klei account website

Several hosting guides describe a second route: sign in to the Klei account site, open the games area, choose Don’t Starve Together game servers, select Add New Server, name the server and copy the displayed token. One guide gives this direct address: accounts.klei.com/account/game/servers?game=DontStarveTogether.

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This web workflow is not clearly confirmed in a current primary Klei help article, and menu labels or availability can change. Use it only if the account site currently shows the described game-server controls. Do not assume that a page, button or token format described by an older host guide is still available for every account or region.

  1. Sign in at the Klei account site using the account that should own the server.
  2. Open the games or game-server section and select Don’t Starve Together, if it is present.
  3. Choose Add New Server (the wording may differ if Klei has changed the interface).
  4. Give the server an identifiable name and create it.
  5. Copy the token without adding spaces or line breaks, then place it in cluster_token.txt in the active cluster directory, or enter it in the token field supplied by your hosting panel.
  6. Restart the server and check whether it registers online.

Reports disagree about the token’s prefix—some describe pds-, others pds-g—and one describes a length of more than 90 characters. Those details are not reliable identification rules. Copy the complete value displayed for your account instead of trying to construct or edit it.

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In-game generation versus the website workflow

Consideration In-game console Klei account website
How it starts Run TheNet:GenerateClusterToken() in Don’t Starve Together. Sign in to the account site and create or view a game-server entry, if the controls are available.
Evidence status Widely documented by community references; not clearly confirmed in a current Klei help page. Described by several hosting guides; current availability and menu path are not clearly confirmed by a primary Klei page.
Account login Requires the game to be launched and signed in. Requires a web login.
Output Writes cluster_token.txt to the local Klei data directory. Displays a token that you copy into the cluster or hosting panel.
Hosted-panel use Works when you can upload the resulting file or paste its contents. Can be convenient when a panel has a dedicated token field, provided the web workflow is offered.

For a self-hosted installation, the console method is the practical first choice because it produces the file directly. For a managed panel, either method is usable if the panel documents where to upload the file or where to paste the value.

Hosting panels and containerized servers

Some managed hosts do not expose the cluster filesystem. Instead, their startup or configuration page may provide a field named Cluster Token, Token or similar. Paste the token there exactly as generated and save the configuration before restarting. A panel field should be treated as an alternative input method, not as a reason to create a second, different token.

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If a panel asks you to upload a file, upload cluster_token.txt to the cluster directory rather than the server’s general home directory. If the panel runs multiple worlds or shards, confirm which cluster the startup command selects. A correctly formatted token in an unused cluster directory has the same practical result as no token.

Troubleshooting a missing or offline token

cluster_token.txt was not created

  • Confirm that you were logged into Don’t Starve Together before opening the console.
  • Enter TheNet:GenerateClusterToken() exactly; older posts sometimes mention TheNet:GenerateServerToken(), but the more widely documented command is GenerateClusterToken().
  • Search both ~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether (Unix-like systems) and DocumentsKleiDoNotStarveTogether (Windows), including subfolders.
  • Check that the game has permission to write to its data directory and that you are looking under the same operating-system account that launched the game.

A community suggestion to use TheNet:GetServerListingRowAt is not supported by the other documentation and should not be substituted for the token-generation command.

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The server says it is offline

  1. Stop the server.
  2. Open the cluster directory selected by the launch configuration.
  3. Verify the exact filename cluster_token.txt and ensure the file is not nested one level too deep.
  4. Open it as plain text and remove any labels, quotation marks, spaces at the beginning or end, and extra blank lines.
  5. Save the file, then start the server again.

An absent or invalid token is a documented cause of a server failing to go online. If the file is correct but the problem persists, confirm that the server is reading the cluster you edited and that the panel has not overwritten the file during startup.

A token appears to have expired

Older Steam discussions and a dated Klei forum thread contain reports of expired tokens. Those reports may not describe current behavior, so do not infer a universal expiration period from them. If a previously working token is rejected, generate a fresh token with the in-game command, replace the old file, and restart. If you used the account website and it offers token deletion or regeneration, use that account control and then update the server’s value.

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The token works on one machine but not another

  • Make sure the complete token was copied; clipboard truncation or an inserted line break can invalidate it.
  • Check that the destination file uses plain text and the exact lowercase filename.
  • Verify that the server process has read permission for the cluster directory.
  • Confirm that the panel or service is launching the intended cluster rather than a newly created default cluster.
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Security and recovery

Anyone who obtains the cluster token may be able to impersonate the server. Keep it out of public repositories, backup examples, screenshots and support tickets. Restrict file permissions on self-hosted systems and limit access to the account or panel that stores it.

If the token is exposed, treat it as compromised. Delete or revoke it through the Klei account controls if that option is available, generate a replacement, overwrite the old cluster_token.txt, and restart every server instance that used the old value. Because web controls and labels can change, follow the current controls shown for your account rather than relying on an old menu name.

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Do not confuse server authentication with administrator access

The cluster token authenticates the server. Administrator privileges for players are handled separately through adminlist.txt, which uses one KU_ user ID per line. Adding a player’s ID to adminlist.txt does not create a cluster token, and replacing the token with a KU_ ID will prevent the server from registering.

The account that generates a token is reported to gain in-game admin access. That is separate from adding other users to adminlist.txt; grant those entries deliberately and keep the file’s account identifiers private as well.

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Quick verification checklist

  • You ran TheNet:GenerateClusterToken() while signed in.
  • cluster_token.txt exists in the active cluster directory.
  • The file contains only one uninterrupted token line.
  • The filename has no duplicate extension and uses the exact spelling.
  • The token is not a KU_ user ID.
  • The server was fully restarted after the file or panel value was changed.
  • The token has not been posted publicly or copied into a shared log.

Bottom line

Use the in-game console command TheNet:GenerateClusterToken(), find the resulting cluster_token.txt, place it directly in the server’s active cluster folder—normally Cluster_1—and restart. Keep the one-line token secret. The account website can be an alternative when its game-server controls are available, but its current menu path and token format are less certain than the console procedure.

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