Want to spawn items, warp around your universe, or kick a troublesome player? All of that requires admin permissions. Becoming an admin on Starbound is a two-part process: first you flag your account as an admin in the server's configuration file, then you activate admin mode in-game with a simple chat command.
⚠️ Important Warning:
Always make sure your server is completely stopped on your MintServers panel before editing this file. It uses strict JSON formatting, so a single missing comma or bracket can stop it from starting. Only grant admin to players you trust, since admin commands can affect every player on your server.
Step 1: Accessing The Configuration File
- Log into your MintServers panel and click Stop to safely shut down your server.
- Navigate to the Files tab on the left-hand sidebar.
- Open the
storagefolder and click onstarbound_server.configto open it in the text editor. For a closer look at this file and its other settings, see our guide on configuring your Starbound server settings.
Step 2: Flag Your Account As Admin
- Scroll through the file until you find the line that begins with
"serverUsers". - If you already set up a user account for yourself while following our guide on whitelisting players on your Starbound server, find your existing entry and change
"admin" : falseto"admin" : true. - If you don't have an account yet, add a new entry inside the
serverUsersbrackets using the format below, replacingYourUsernameandYourPasswordwith your own details.
💡 Pro Tip:
If you're adding this account alongside other players in the same
serverUsers block, remember to add a comma after each closing bracket except the very last one.
Step 3: Save And Restart
- Save the file.
- Navigate back to the Console tab and click Start.
Step 4: Activate Admin Mode In-Game
- Launch Starbound and connect to your server, using the username and password you just set up. See our guide on joining your Starbound server if you need a refresher.
- Once you're in, press Enter to open chat.
- Type
/adminand press Enter.
Admin mode unlocks every crafting recipe, stops you from taking damage or losing energy, and grants you access to admin-only commands. Type /admin again at any time to toggle it back off.
⚠️ Remember To Toggle It Off:
Leaving admin mode on while playing normally makes you invincible and gives you unlimited energy, which usually isn't what you want during regular gameplay. Toggle it off with
/admin once you're done with admin tasks.
A Few Commands To Get You Started
/list— Lists everyone currently connected to your server./kick— Removes a player from the server./ban— Kicks and bans a player./whoamiand/serverwhoami— Show your local and server admin status. If admin commands aren't working, check/serverwhoamifirst, since that's the one that actually controls permissions./spawnitem— Spawns an item at your cursor. There is no[count] /givecommand in Starbound.
🛠️ Troubleshooting Common Admin Issues
"/admin" says you don't have permission:Double-check that you connected using the exact username and password from the account you flagged as admin, and that"admin" : truewas saved correctly for that account.Commands still don't work after using /admin:Make sureallowAdminCommandsis set totrueelsewhere in the config file. Without it, admin commands are disabled server-wide, even for flagged accounts.Changes aren't taking effect:Confirm the server was fully stopped while you edited the file, and that you restarted it afterward. Config changes don't apply while the server is still running.
You're now ready to manage your Starbound server like a pro. If you run into any trouble getting admin access working, no worries! Just open a support ticket and our team will gladly help you get it sorted.