To disable Stratum’s block-break protection, edit stratum.json, set both Hardening.BlockBreakGuards and BlockBreakGuards.Enabled to false, save the file, and restart the Vintage Story server. Back up the file first: turning the guard off removes an anti-grief control, and malformed JSON can prevent Stratum from loading.
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The exact settings to change
Stratum stores its protection settings in stratum.json, not in Vintage Story’s vanilla serverconfig.json. Two separate switches govern block-break protection:
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Set both values to the JSON boolean false. Do not put the value in quotation marks; false is correct, while "false" is a text value and may not be interpreted as a setting.
"Hardening": {
"PreserveVanillaProtocol": true,
"PacketMonitoring": true,
"BlockBreakGuards": false,
"InventoryGuards": false,
"EntityGuards": false
},
"BlockBreakGuards": {
"Enabled": false,
"RequireServerSelection": true,
"DropViolations": true,
"LogViolations": false,
"RequiredProgressRatio": 0.8,
"GraceSeconds": 0.25,
"MinimumTrackedBreakSeconds": 0.15,
"PartialProgressRetentionSeconds": 8.0,
"MaxRememberedProgressRatio": 0.95,
"MaxRememberedPartialBreaksPerClient": 24
}The surrounding properties are shown to make the nesting clear. Leave them unchanged unless you have a specific reason to tune them. The essential change is the two false values.
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What Block Break Guard does
WinterNode describes Block Break Guard as an anti-grief measure intended to help detect unauthorized or bot-driven block breaking. It checks whether a client’s reported breaking progress is consistent with expected gameplay. A legitimate player using a very fast tool, a modded tool, or a setup that changes break timing can therefore encounter a false kick when the guard’s expectations do not match the actual break.
Disabling the guard removes that particular block-breaking check. It does not automatically disable every Stratum protection feature. Inventory protection, entity protection, packet monitoring, movement checks, and other hardening options are separate controls unless you change them too.
A maintainer discussion on the Vintage Story Mod DB confirms that block-break hardening can be disabled or tuned when fast tools produce false kicks. That makes the block-break setting a narrower remedy than turning off Stratum’s entire anti-cheat layer.
Before you edit the file
Confirm that you have the right administrative access
You need access to the host panel’s File Manager or to the server’s data directory through the management method used by your host. You also need permission to stop and start the server, because the documented procedure applies the change after a restart.
Make a restorable backup
Download or copy the current stratum.json before changing anything. Keep the untouched copy outside the editor so you can restore it if the server refuses to load or if you decide that the protection should be re-enabled.
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Plan a maintenance window
Editing while the server is writing configuration can create conflicting changes. Announce a short maintenance window, stop the server if your host recommends that for file edits, or at minimum pause other administrative changes until the file is saved. Follow the host’s normal stop and start controls rather than killing the process abruptly.
Check the release-generated schema
Configuration names are release-sensitive. A current Stratum installation may contain the objects shown above, while an older or newer release may use a different layout. If neither Hardening nor BlockBreakGuards appears, do not blindly paste new keys into the file. Check that release’s generated configuration or release notes for the equivalent guard setting. Adding an option from another release can be ignored, or can make the JSON incompatible with the expected schema.
Step-by-step: disable the guard
- Stop or coordinate server changes. Use the host panel’s stop or maintenance controls if required. Tell connected players that the server will restart.
- Open the correct file. In the host panel, open File Manager and navigate to the Stratum server data directory. Open
stratum.json. If you manage the machine directly, use the equivalent directory where Stratum stores this file. - Find the
Hardeningobject. Locate the property namedBlockBreakGuardsinside that object. Change only its value tofalse, preserving the comma placement around neighboring properties. - Find the separate
BlockBreakGuardsobject. In that object, locateEnabledand change its value tofalse. This is a different occurrence from the hardening-layer property. - Validate the JSON. Check that every opening brace and quotation mark has a matching closing character, that property names use double quotes, and that the two boolean values are unquoted. Do not leave a trailing comma after the final property in an object.
- Save the file. If the panel provides a syntax warning, correct that warning before restarting. Keep the backup until the server has started successfully.
- Restart the server. The documented change takes effect after a server restart. Wait for the normal startup completion message in the panel or console before reconnecting.
- Test with the affected action. Join with an account that previously experienced the kick and break a few ordinary blocks using the tool or mod that triggered the problem. Watch the console for unrelated errors rather than assuming every disconnect is a block-guard failure.
Why both switches must be changed
The two properties represent different layers of the configuration. The Hardening value controls whether block-break hardening is active as part of the general hardening set. The nested BlockBreakGuards.Enabled value controls the guard component itself. Leaving either one enabled can leave the protection active, depending on the Stratum release’s configuration handling.
After editing, verify the paths rather than searching only for the word “false.” A correct result has this relationship:
Hardening→BlockBreakGuards=falseBlockBreakGuards→Enabled=false
Do not change InventoryGuards or EntityGuards merely because they appear next to the block-break value. Those switches govern different protections.
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What to expect after the restart
With both switches disabled and the file accepted by Stratum, block-break guard enforcement should no longer be responsible for rejecting a break based on its progress timing. Other systems can still disconnect a player. Permission rules, server commands, a mod’s own checks, movement protection, connection problems, or an unrelated server error can produce similar symptoms.
Test the exact scenario that caused the kick, but avoid changing several anti-cheat systems at once. Isolating one change gives you a usable diagnosis and avoids removing more protection than necessary.
Troubleshooting
The settings are missing
If your file has no Hardening object or no BlockBreakGuards object, treat that as a version or schema difference. Inspect the Stratum release documentation and the configuration generated by your installed build. Do not assume that a key copied from another release is supported. If the host panel regenerates configuration files, compare the regenerated file with your backup before making another edit.
The player is still being kicked while mining
First confirm that both values are false in the saved file and that the server was restarted afterward. Then identify which subsystem reports the kick. Stratum’s movement protection is separate from block-break protection. The Mod DB discussion mentions a path written as Anticheat → Movement → Enabled; that path concerns movement checks, not the block-break keys described here. Do not disable movement protection as a response to a block-break message unless the actual log identifies movement as the cause.
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The server fails to start after saving
Restore the untouched backup immediately, then restart. A missing comma, an extra comma, a curly quotation mark copied from a formatted document, or an incorrectly nested property can make the file invalid. Once the server is running again, compare the backup and edited versions character by character and make the smallest possible change. If the host keeps rejecting the file, ask the host to confirm the Stratum version and its generated schema.
The change appears to have no effect
A running process may still be using the previous configuration. Stop and start the server through the panel instead of relying on a world reload or player reconnect. Confirm that you edited the active instance’s stratum.json, not a backup, template, staging directory, or a different server’s data folder.
The file keeps reverting
Some managed hosts regenerate configuration during deployment or updates. Save a copy of the desired settings, determine whether the panel has a Stratum-specific configuration editor, and check which file is treated as authoritative. Reapply the two values only after confirming that the generated file contains the same release’s supported keys.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Disable, tune, or leave the guard enabled?
Turning the guard off is not the only response to a false kick. The Stratum listing says the block-break hardening can be disabled or tuned, and it records a release fix for false kicks on fast tool breaks. If the problem is limited to one tool, mod, or player action, tuning supported values may preserve more anti-grief protection than a complete disable. Only use values documented for your installed release; the example configuration alone does not establish a universal “safe” replacement value.
| Option | Scope | Safety impact | Compatibility with fast tools or mods | Operational effort | Reversibility |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Leave the guard enabled | Normal block-break protection | Retains anti-grief checks | May continue false kicks if the timing mismatch remains | No edit or restart | Already the default state |
| Tune supported guard values | Block-break guard only | Can retain some protection, depending on the release and values used | May accommodate legitimate fast breaks when the release supports tuning | Edit documented values, validate JSON, and restart | Restore the previous values |
| Disable both block-break switches | Block-break guard only | Removes this anti-grief protection | Stops this guard from rejecting fast-break progress | Set two booleans, validate JSON, and restart | Set both booleans back to true |
| Disable broader anti-cheat or movement protection | Wider than block breaking | Removes protections unrelated to the reported mining symptom | May affect movement-related compatibility issues, but is excessive for a block-break-only problem | Release-specific configuration and restart | Restore the prior settings |
The narrowest change that resolves the problem is usually easier to audit. If a release fix or a documented tuning option addresses the false kick, consider that before removing the guard entirely. If you do disable it, record who approved the change and why, especially on a public or shared server.
Security and moderation consequences
Block Break Guard is intended to help prevent unauthorized or automated block breaking. With it disabled, Stratum no longer provides that particular timing-based check. Players may be able to perform block-breaking patterns that the guard would previously have flagged, and moderators lose one signal when investigating suspected automation or griefing.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsCompensate operationally if the server needs the protection. Keep regular world and configuration backups, restrict administrative permissions, review player activity, and monitor logs that remain enabled. These measures do not recreate the guard; they reduce the impact of removing it. Do not describe the server as having full Stratum hardening while the block-break component is off.
Why serverconfig.json is not the answer
Vintage Story’s vanilla /serverconfig commands manage core game settings, which are persisted in serverconfig.json. The command reference recommends using /help because command syntax varies by installed version, but it does not document Stratum’s guard keys. Searching vanilla commands for BlockBreakGuards will therefore not change this protection.
Use the Stratum configuration file for Stratum settings. Use serverconfig.json and /serverconfig for core Vintage Story settings. Keeping those roles separate prevents an apparently successful edit in the wrong file from wasting a restart or masking the real cause of a kick.
Re-enable the guard later
To restore the previous protection, set both relevant values back to true:
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"Hardening": {
"BlockBreakGuards": true
},
"BlockBreakGuards": {
"Enabled": true
}Preserve all other properties as they were, validate the JSON, save, and restart. If you changed additional tuning values, restore those from the backup or from your recorded baseline rather than guessing.
Practical checklist
- Confirm the kick is associated with block breaking, not movement or another subsystem.
- Back up the active
stratum.json. - Check that your Stratum release contains the documented objects.
- Set both block-break properties to the JSON boolean
false. - Leave unrelated inventory, entity, movement, and anti-cheat settings unchanged.
- Validate syntax and save the active file.
- Restart the server; a reload or reconnect is not the documented activation step.
- Test the original mining scenario and inspect logs for any remaining, differently named protection.
- Record the change and keep the backup so the guard can be restored.
For a Stratum server whose legitimate fast-tool users are being kicked, the targeted configuration change is the documented route: edit stratum.json, disable both block-break switches, and restart. Make that trade-off knowingly, because the immediate compatibility improvement comes with the loss of block-break anti-grief enforcement.
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