How To Install Plugins For Your TF2 Server

Adding plugins to your Team Fortress 2 server opens up endless possibilities for your community. You can add admin menus, custom chat commands, fun minigames, and drastically change the rules of the match. Because Team Fortress 2 runs on the Source engine, you must install two core framework tools first before any plugins will work: MetaMod:Source and SourceMod.

Step 1: Install MetaMod and SourceMod

Before you can add individual plugins, you have to build the foundation. Both of these tools are completely free and widely used across all Source engine games.

1. Log into your MintServers panel and click Stop to shut down the server.
2. In a new web browser tab, go to the official MetaMod:Source website and download the Linux build (since your MintServers panel runs on Linux).
3. Next, go to the official SourceMod website and download their Linux build as well. You should now have two downloaded archives on your computer.
4. Return to your MintServers panel and navigate to the Files tab on the left-hand sidebar.
5. Click into the tf folder. This is your main Team Fortress 2 game directory.
6. Drag and drop both the MetaMod and SourceMod archives from your computer directly into this tf folder.
7. Once uploaded, click the three dots next to each archive file and select Unarchive. This will extract the necessary addons and cfg folders directly into your server files. You can safely delete the original archive files after extraction to save space.

Step 2: Uploading Your Custom Plugins

With the framework installed, your server is now ready to accept custom plugins. SourceMod plugins typically come in the form of an .smx file, which you can easily find and download from the AlliedModders forum.

1. Download the desired .smx plugin file to your personal computer.
2. In your MintServers Files tab, navigate to the specific plugins folder to upload it. Follow this path:
📁 tf
📁 addons
📁 sourcemod
📁 plugins
📄 your_custom_plugin.smx (Upload your .smx file here)
3. Drag and drop your .smx file directly into this plugins folder.

How To Install Extensions

Some plugins require additional extensions to function properly. Here is how to install them:

1. Check the plugin's download page to see if an extension (like DHooks or SteamWorks) is required.
2. Download the Linux (.so) version of the extension to your computer. Windows files (.dll) will not work on your panel!
3. In your MintServers Files tab, navigate to the extensions folder. Follow this path:
📁 tf
📁 addons
📁 sourcemod
📁 extensions
📄 downloaded_extension.ext.so (Upload your .so file here)
4. Drag and drop the extension file directly into the extensions folder. If the extension includes extra folders like gamedata or configs, upload their contents to the matching folders in your sourcemod directory.

Step 3: Restart and Verify

The setup is done! Now we just need to let the server process the new framework, plugin, and extension files.

1. Navigate to the Console tab on your panel and click Start to boot up the server.
2. As the server boots, it will automatically load SourceMod, the extensions, and any plugins sitting in the plugins folder.
3. To verify that your plugins are working properly, type the following command into your console text box and press Enter:

sm plugins list