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How to Set a Vintage Story Server Name and Description

Set Vintage Story’s public server name and description by editing ServerName and ServerDescription in serverconfig.json, or use the administrator commands /serverconfig name and /serverconfig description.

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Change a Vintage Story server’s public listing text by editing serverconfig.json. Set the ServerName value for the short listing name and ServerDescription for the longer text. Administrators can also change both values with the runtime commands /serverconfig name and /serverconfig description.

What controls the name and description?

Vintage Story reads the public listing text from two string fields in the server’s serverconfig.json file:

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Field Purpose Typical content
ServerName The server name shown in the public multiplayer listing. A short, searchable identity such as Ashen Valley Cooperative.
ServerDescription The longer listing text prospective players read before joining. Play style, rules, time zone, mod expectations, reset policy and a welcome note.

A generated configuration may initially contain values like:

{
  "ServerName": "Vintage Story Server",
  "ServerDescription": null
}

Replace the default name and the null description with valid JSON strings. Both fields are separate from the join message. The configuration key is WelcomeMessage; when set through a command, the multiplayer guide refers to that join message as motd. Changing the welcome message does not change the public listing description.

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Method 1: edit serverconfig.json

1. Stop the server or make the edit safe

Stop the dedicated server before changing its configuration, or use whatever administrative procedure your host provides to ensure the file is not being rewritten while you save it. Editing a live file can result in your changes being overwritten or a partially written configuration being read at restart.

  • Keep a copy of the original file so you can restore the previous values.
  • Use a plain-text editor that does not add rich-text formatting.
  • Edit the configuration belonging to the server instance you actually run; multiple saves or instances can each have their own data directory.

2. Locate the server data directory

Find the server data directory and open its serverconfig.json. The exact path depends on how the server was installed and launched, so use the directory that contains the active world and server configuration rather than searching for an unrelated copy. If your host exposes a file manager, open the server’s data or configuration area there. If you start the server from a local installation, check the data directory associated with that installation.

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Open to LAN requires extra care: it can use similar configuration settings to a dedicated server, but the client overrides some settings, including the save-file location. If a change appears to have no effect on an Open to LAN session, verify which client-side save and configuration location that session is using.

3. Change the two JSON values

Keep the field names and punctuation unchanged, then replace only the values. For example:

{
  "ServerName": "Ashen Valley Cooperative",
  "ServerDescription": "A relaxed survival server for friends.<br>New players welcome."
}

The values must be JSON strings, which means they need surrounding double quotation marks. A description left as null is not the same as an empty or written description. Do not remove the comma that separates the fields when additional settings follow them.

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4. Preserve valid JSON

JSON is strict. A missing quotation mark, an extra comma, or an unescaped quotation mark inside your text can prevent the server from reading the file. If the description needs quotation marks, escape them with a backslash. For example:

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"ServerDescription": "Rules: "No griefing" and cooperative building."

Use VTML supported by Vintage Story for presentation inside the description. The official reference specifically documents <br> for a line break. Keep the tag inside the JSON string:

"ServerDescription": "PvE survival.<br>UTC evenings.<br>New players welcome."

Do not insert a literal, unescaped line break into a JSON string. Represent a visual break with VTML such as <br> instead.

5. Save and restart

Save the file, then start or restart the server. The listing will use the values loaded by the running server. A file edit made while the process is still running may not become visible until the server reloads its configuration.

6. Verify the public listing

Open the multiplayer server browser and find your server. Confirm the spelling, capitalization, line breaks and any rules text. If the old text remains, check that you edited the active instance’s file, saved valid JSON, and restarted the process that publishes the listing.

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Method 2: change the values with an administrator command

The official multiplayer setup guide documents runtime commands for administrators who have console or in-game command access. This avoids manually editing JSON for a one-off change.

Set the name

/serverconfig name Peaceful PvE Server

This sets the server name visible in the public server listing. The text after name is the name value, so include spaces normally.

Set the description

/serverconfig description This is a medieval survival server, PvE only, everyone welcome! <3

This sets the description visible in the public listing. Use the command through the server console or in chat when your account has the required administrative permission. If your description contains VTML, enter the tag as part of the command text; for example, a line break can be represented with <br>.

When the command route is preferable

  • Use it when you have administrator access but cannot conveniently open the host’s file manager.
  • Use it for a quick wording change while the server is under your control.
  • Use file editing when you need to make several configuration changes together, keep a reviewed configuration file, or apply carefully formatted JSON and VTML.

After running either command, check the public listing. The command changes the running server’s configuration; retaining a matching value in the file used for future starts helps prevent an unintended reversion after a restart.

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File editing versus administrator commands

Comparison serverconfig.json /serverconfig commands
Access required File-system access to the active server data directory. Server-console or in-game administrator command access.
Convenience Best for planned or batch configuration edits. Fast for an immediate name or description change.
Formatting control Direct JSON editing with VTML in the string value. Text entered directly in the command, including supported VTML.
Restart workflow Normally save, then restart so the process loads the file. Designed for a running server; verify the listing and keep persistent settings aligned with the file.
Open to LAN considerations The client can override settings, including the save-file location. Still subject to the client-side behavior of the Open to LAN session.

Writing a useful server name

Make the name identifiable

Use a short name that tells players what community or play style they are looking for. “Ashen Valley Cooperative” communicates an identity and a cooperative focus more clearly than a generic label. Include a region or time-zone cue only when it is genuinely useful to your players, and avoid stuffing the name with every rule or feature.

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  • Choose wording players can search for and recognize quickly.
  • Keep the main name distinct from the longer rules and schedule information.
  • State a mode such as PvE or cooperative play when that distinction is central to the server.
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Writing the server description

Put joining decisions first

Use the description for information a prospective player needs before connecting: whether the server is PvE, the expected play schedule, time zone, reset policy, mod expectations and the basic welcome or conduct rules. A concise first sentence helps players understand the server before they read additional lines.

For example, a description can combine a play style and welcome message without claiming features the server does not provide:

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"ServerDescription": "Relaxed cooperative survival for friends and new players.<br>PvE only; UTC evenings.<br>Please check the rules before building."

Use VTML for readable breaks

The official reference says the description supports VTML and gives <br> as a line-break example. Use it to separate short pieces of information instead of placing a raw newline inside the JSON string. The reference does not prescribe a maximum description length or a required copy format, so prioritize clarity and check how the finished text appears in the listing.

Keep claims accurate

Only promise rules, schedules, resets or mod support that your server actually follows. If a policy changes, update the listing promptly so the public description remains useful rather than becoming a source of surprises for new players.

Troubleshooting name and description changes

The listing still shows the old text

  1. Confirm that you edited the serverconfig.json used by the server process that is currently online.
  2. Check that the file was saved as plain text and that the new values are inside quotation marks.
  3. Restart the server after a file edit.
  4. Refresh the multiplayer browser and look up the listing again.
  5. If you used a command, verify that it completed under an account with administrator access, then check the listing from a fresh browser view.

The server fails to start after editing

The most likely file-editing cause is invalid JSON. Restore the backup, or inspect the edited lines for an unmatched quotation mark, a missing comma, an extra comma, or a raw line break inside a string. Re-enter the text with escaped quotation marks and VTML line breaks such as <br>, then start the server again.

The description displays on one line

Use the documented VTML line-break tag inside the value:

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"ServerDescription": "First line.<br>Second line."

Do not expect a normal source-file newline to produce a valid or visible break inside a JSON string.

The name changes but the description does not

Check the key spelling exactly: ServerName and ServerDescription are case-sensitive configuration names. Make sure the description value is not still null, and verify that the command used the word description rather than a join-message setting. The listing description is separate from WelcomeMessage or the motd join message.

Open to LAN ignores the edited file

Open to LAN sessions can be configured similarly to dedicated servers, but the client overrides some settings, including where the save is stored. Recheck the client’s active save and configuration location instead of assuming the dedicated server’s data directory is authoritative.

A safe change checklist

  • Stop the server or otherwise make the configuration safe to edit.
  • Identify the active server data directory.
  • Back up serverconfig.json.
  • Edit ServerName and ServerDescription, preserving the exact key names.
  • Use valid JSON strings and escape embedded double quotation marks.
  • Use <br> for supported VTML line breaks.
  • Save, restart when editing the file, and refresh the public listing.
  • For a command-based change, run /serverconfig name or /serverconfig description with administrator access, then verify the result.

Quick examples

Minimal listing

"ServerName": "Ashen Valley",
"ServerDescription": "Cooperative survival for friends."

Listing with readable sections

"ServerName": "Ashen Valley Cooperative",
"ServerDescription": "Relaxed survival server.<br>PvE and cooperative building.<br>New players welcome."

Equivalent administrator commands

/serverconfig name Ashen Valley Cooperative
/serverconfig description Relaxed survival server. <br> PvE and cooperative building. <br> New players welcome.

Use the same final wording in the persistent configuration and the runtime setting when you want the listing to remain consistent across restarts.

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Which method should you use?

Choose serverconfig.json when you manage the server files, need a durable reviewed configuration, or are changing several settings at once. Choose /serverconfig name or /serverconfig description when you are an administrator who needs a quick change from the console or chat. In both cases, the result to check is the same: the updated name and description in the public multiplayer listing.

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