How to Become an Admin on Your Barotrauma Server

In the treacherous depths of Europa, maintaining order on your submarine is vital! To moderate your crew, you will need to grant yourself admin permissions. In Barotrauma, server administration isn't handled via a simple password box in the game UI; instead, it requires modifying a specific configuration file on your server.

This guide will walk you through locating, generating, and editing your permissions file so you can take full control of your vessel.

Locating the Permissions File

All admin and moderator permissions are managed entirely through the following file: Server/Data/clientpermissions.xml

 Important Behavior to Note:

• This file does not exist by default on a brand-new server. It is only created automatically after a player joins the server at least once.

• If you don't want to boot up the game just to generate it, this file can also be created manually before anyone joins.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding an Admin

Step 1: Get Your SteamID

To assign permissions safely, the server needs to know exactly who you are. You will use your SteamID for this process.

1. Go to a Steam ID lookup tool (such as steamid.io).

   

    

2. Enter your Steam profile link and copy your standard SteamID (it will look something like STEAM_0:1:155531313).

   

    

3. Crucial Step: You must change the first 0 in that format to a 1. For example, STEAM_0:1:155531313 becomes STEAM_1:1:155531313. Don't worry about the second 0/1, just the first one.

Step 2: Edit the clientpermissions.xml File

1. Go to your Server Panel and go to Actions > Shutdown to stop your server.

   

    

2. Navigate to your File Manager and open the Server/Data/ folder and locate the clientpermissions.xml file and open it in the text editor. 

   

    

If it's not there, remember to either join your server once to generate it or create a new file with this exact name.

3. You will need to edit the line for your user with the <ClientPermissions> tags. Erase everything in there, if there's anything and paste below XML block example. Replace the placeholder text with your exact in-game name, the SteamID you copied earlier, and the permissions.

   

    

Your completed file should look like this example:

<ClientPermissions>
  <Client name="Username" 
  accountid="STEAM_1:1:155531313" 
  permissions="All" />
</ClientPermissions>

If you want to grant someone fewer privileges, you can change permisions option to other commands. To know more, you can go to the game's official wiki: Barotrauma Wiki

Step 3: Save and Restart

1. Scroll down and click on Save File to save your changes to the XML file.

   

2. Go back to your Actions tab and Restart the server.

   

Troubleshooting

• I can't find the clientpermissions.xml file!

  • Remember, this file doesn't exist until someone joins the server for the first time. The easiest fix is to start your server, join it briefly, and then shut it down. The game will automatically generate the Server/Data/clientpermissions.xml file for you to edit.

• I added my info, but I'm still not an admin in-game.

  • Check your SteamID Format: Ensure you changed the first 0 to a 1 (e.g., STEAM_1:1:XXXXXXX). If you use STEAM_0, the server will not recognize you. Also, ensure you used accountid= and not steamid=.

  • Check your server state: Did you edit the file while the server was running? If so, the server likely overwrote your changes when it saved. Always stop the server completely before editing XML files.

• My server crashes or the file resets completely when I start it.

  • XML Syntax Error: XML files are extremely strict. If you accidentally deleted a quotation mark ("), an angled bracket (< or />), or forgot the closing </ClientPermissions> tag at the very bottom, the server cannot read the file and will crash or overwrite it. Compare your file exactly to the example block in Step 2.

Conclusion

Once your server boots back up, your changes will take effect immediately. You can now access the server settings in-game and use console commands to manage your crew, change the submarine, or kick unruly traitors who are trying to sink your ship.

If your permissions do not seem to be working, double-check your clientpermissions.xml file for any typos. Missing a quotation mark or bracket (<, >) will cause the file to break, so ensure your formatting matches the example perfectly! If you have any trouble with the setup or have more questions about the settings, our support team is always here to help.
 

Happy Gaming!