Starbound Server Admin Commands and How to Use Them

Starbound server commands are entered in the game’s ordinary chat, not usually in a hosting dashboard. Type a slash command such as /help, obtain server-admin status through storage/starbound_server.config, then enable the session with /admin. Admin mode unlocks moderation, spawning, world control and debugging tools. RCON is a separate, smaller interface: it accepts server commands without a leading slash, but it cannot replace the character-aware command set available in a loaded game world.

This guide shows where each command runs, how to configure an administrator safely, the exact syntax for common tasks, why item spawning can produce a Perfectly Generic Item, and which commands can make irreversible character changes.

How do Starbound commands work?

Open the normal in-game chat and type a command beginning with /. Press Enter to execute it. The server evaluates your permissions, so a command that works in single-player or for an administrator may fail for an ordinary multiplayer account.

Start with /help to list commands available on the current build. Use /help command for command-specific syntax, replacing command with the name without the slash. Because mods and game versions can alter the list, the help output from the server you are actually connected to is the best final check.

Two identity commands help diagnose multiplayer confusion:

• /whoami reports your local username and local admin status.
• /serverwhoami reports the username and admin status recognized by the server. This is the identity that controls multiplayer administration.

If a command says you lack permission, check the server identity first, then confirm that admin mode is enabled. A valid account entry alone does not mean the current character is presently in admin mode.

How do I become an admin on a dedicated Starbound server?

The server owner grants permission in the server’s configuration file, then the account holder activates admin mode in chat. You need file access to the server and the exact account credentials used to connect.

1. Edit starbound_server.config

Stop or otherwise safely prepare the server for configuration editing, then open storage/starbound_server.config. Add the account under the serverUsers object. A valid structure looks like this:

"serverUsers" : {
  "alice" : { "admin" : true, "password" : "alicepw" },
  "bob"   : { "admin" : false, "password" : "bobpw" }
}

Use the username and password that the player will use for the server account. Preserve the surrounding JSON syntax, including quotation marks, braces and commas. A malformed file can prevent the server from starting or cause the account entry to be ignored.

2. Restart and connect with the flagged account

Save the file and restart the dedicated server. Connect using the account whose entry has "admin" : true. If you change the file while the server is running, the new permission may not take effect until the restart and a fresh connection.

3. Toggle admin mode in chat

Once connected, type /admin. This is a toggle, not a password prompt: the first use turns admin mode on and the next use turns it off. Use /serverwhoami to verify the server sees the account as an administrator.

Protect the configuration

Do not enable allowAdminCommandsFromAnyone on an internet-facing server. That setting grants every connected player full admin command access. Give admin status only to named accounts, keep the configuration file private, and remove an account’s flag when its administrative role ends.

What does Starbound admin mode unlock?

Admin mode changes the character’s normal survival rules and exposes administrative commands. The documented effects include:

• All crafting recipes become available.
• Crafting costs are removed.
• Damage and energy loss are removed.
• Hunger no longer depletes.
• Matter Manipulator reach becomes extremely long.
• You can beam to your ship from anywhere.
• Debug mode can be enabled with /debug.

These effects are useful for testing a build, repairing a world or moderating players, but they also change the character’s normal progression. Turn admin mode off with /admin when you return to ordinary play.

Which commands work without admin permission?

The following commands are documented as basic commands and normally do not require admin mode.

Command	What it does
/help [command]	Lists commands, or shows help for one command.
/whoami	Shows local username and admin status.
/serverwhoami	Shows server username and admin status.
/whereami	Shows your celestial coordinate.
/w <name> <message>	Sends a private message.
/pvp	Toggles your PvP flag.
/played	Shows character play time.
/deaths	Shows character death count.
/naked	Removes equipped gear.
/reload	Reloads client-side assets.
/monochromelighting	Toggles monochrome lighting.
/suicide	Kills the current character with normal penalties; a permadeath character can be deleted.

Commands that affect another player, the server, the world or the item database generally require admin status even when a similarly named local command does not.

How do I moderate players?

Enable admin mode, then use the moderation commands below. Player arguments are accepted as a player specifier; a name is convenient when it is simple, while a client ID is safer for names containing spaces or unusual characters.

Command	Syntax	Purpose
/list	/list	Lists connected clients, nicknames and UUIDs.
/kick	/kick <playerSpecifier> [reason]	Removes a player from the server.
/ban	/ban <playerSpecifier> [reason] [kind] [timeInSeconds]	Kicks and bans a player. The duration is measured in seconds.
/unbanip	/unbanip <address>	Removes an address from the ban lists.
/whereis	/whereis <playerSpecifier>	Shows another player’s celestial coordinate.
/serverreload	/serverreload	Reloads server-side assets; reparsing can cause temporary lag.

Run /list before a kick or ban when a display name is hard to type. A client ID from that list avoids targeting the wrong account. For example, a one-day ban is 86400 seconds; include the appropriate ban kind and duration in the command syntax used by your server build.

How do I spawn an item with /spawnitem?

/spawnitem creates an item at your mouse cursor. It does not insert an item directly into another player’s inventory, and Starbound has no built-in /give command. To give an item to another player, spawn it, pick it up if necessary, and drop it for that player.

Use the internal item name

The command uses the item’s internal asset name, which may differ from the name shown in menus. The basic syntax is:

/spawnitem <itemName> [count]

If the name is wrong or does not exist, the game creates a Perfectly Generic Item instead. This result usually means the identifier needs correcting, not that the command failed to execute.

Add JSON parameters correctly

Parameters follow the count and are supplied as JSON wrapped in single quotes:

/spawnitem commonsword 1 '{"level":6}'

The count is still required before the parameter object. Omitting it shifts the arguments and can produce an unexpected result. Keep JSON property names, braces and quotation marks intact.

Set a color variant

For items that support color data, pass a colorIndex parameter. For example:

/spawnitem florantier6mhead 1 '{"colorIndex":4}'

The documented color index mapping is:

Index	Color
1	Black
2	Grey
3	White
4	Red
5	Orange
6	Yellow
7	Green
8	Blue
9	Purple
10	Pink
11	Brown

Weapons that were once created with commands such as /spawngun or /spawnsword should now be created with /spawnitem and the correct weapon asset name.

What other things can I spawn?

These spawning commands require admin mode and place or create their result in the current game context.

Command	Syntax	Function
/spawntreasure	/spawntreasure <poolName> [level]	Rolls a treasure pool.
/spawnmonster	/spawnmonster <type> [level] [parameters]	Spawns a monster.
/spawnnpc	/spawnnpc <species> <type> [level] [seed] [overrides]	Spawns an NPC.
/spawnvehicle	/spawnvehicle <type> [parameters]	Spawns a vehicle.
/spawnliquid	/spawnliquid <liquidName> [quantity]	Spawns liquid.
/giveessentialitem	/giveessentialitem <item> <slotName>	Places an essential tool in a named slot.

Use /help on the live server for accepted names and optional argument formats, particularly when a mod adds or changes assets.

How do I warp and change a world?

World and universe commands are administrative tools. They can move a character, alter a current world or change universe flags, so test them on the intended world before using them on a shared server.

Command	Syntax or example	Effect and limitation
/warp	/warp OwnShip /warp OrbitedWorld /warp CelestialWorld:<coordinates> /warp InstanceWorld:<worldId>	Warps to a ship, the orbited world or a specified world/instance.
/warprandom	/warprandom <planetType>	Warps to a random planet of the selected type.
/timewarp	/timewarp <seconds>	Advances universe time.
/setspawnpoint	/setspawnpoint	Sets the current world’s default spawn point.
/settileprotection	/settileprotection <dungeonId> <true|false>	Protects or unprotects dungeon tiles.
/setdungeonid	/setdungeonid <dungeonId>	Sets the dungeon ID at the cursor.
/placedungeon	/placedungeon <dungeonName> [position]	Places a dungeon.
/enablespawning / /disablespawning	No argument	Toggles monster spawning on the current world.
/setuniverseflag	Flag name for the setter	Triggers a universe flag.
/resetuniverseflags	No argument specified	Clears universe flags.

The monster-spawning toggles apply to the world held in memory and revert when that world unloads. They are not persistent server settings, so do not treat them as a permanent world rule.

Which debug commands are available?

Turn on admin mode first, then type /debug to enable debug mode. The documented debug tools include:

• /boxes and /clearboxes to display or clear collision boxes.
• /fullbright for full-bright lighting and /fixedcamera for a fixed camera.
• /gravity, /setgravity and /resetgravity for gravity testing.
• /eval and /entityeval for evaluating game scripts or entities.
• /startquest, /completequest and /failquest for quest-state testing.
• /enabletech, /maketechavailable and /upgradeship for technology and ship progression.
• /statistic and /resetachievements for character statistics and achievements.
• /radiomessage, /clearradiomessages, /clearcinematics, /cinema and /clearscannedobjects for presentation and scan-state testing.

/setgravity is local to the player who runs it; it does not change gravity for everyone else on the world. Debug commands can alter quest, achievement or presentation state, so use a test character when possible.

Which admin macros are risky or irreversible?

Several shortcuts perform a bundle of actions instead of one small change:

• /outpost advances access to the outpost.
• /tier6kit supplies a high-tier kit.
• /fuel spawns 1000 Crystal Erchius Fuel.
• /bountyhunter skips the early bounty-hunter quest chain.

/bountyhunter is the critical warning: it completes real character quests that cannot be undone. Do not run it on a character whose normal progression you want to preserve. Record a backup or use a disposable test character before using progression macros.

Should I run commands in the hosting panel or in game?

Use in-game chat for character-aware Starbound slash commands. A hosting panel’s Console tab displays server output and may accept server-side console input, but it is not the normal destination for /admin, /spawnitem or /warp.

Interface	How you enter commands	Best use	Important limitation
In-game chat	Type a slash command, such as /admin.	Full character-aware command set, including spawning, warping and debug tools.	You must be connected, in a world and authorized by the server.
Hosting panel console	Use the panel’s server-console input when supported.	Viewing server output and issuing server-side operations.	It does not automatically provide the in-game chat command context.
RCON	Send the command without a leading slash.	Remote server administration when no character is loaded.	Smaller command surface than in-game chat.

What can RCON do?

RCON commonly supports help, ban, unbanip, unbanuuid, kick, say, whereis, timewarp, serverreload and stop. The leading slash is not used over RCON. Most commands that depend on a character standing in a world are unavailable there, which is why RCON is not a substitute for /spawnitem or other character-context operations.

Why does a command say I do not have permission?

Work through the checks in this order:

1. Run /serverwhoami and confirm the server recognizes the intended username.
2. Check that the account appears under serverUsers with "admin" : true.
3. Confirm the server was restarted after the configuration change and that you reconnected with the flagged account.
4. Type /admin to turn admin mode on; the account flag and the session toggle are separate steps.
5. Run /help command to confirm the command exists on this server build or mod set.

If another player can run the command but you cannot, compare the account used to connect rather than only the character’s display name. Never solve a permission problem by enabling allowAdminCommandsFromAnyone on a public server.

Why did /spawnitem create a Perfectly Generic Item?

The usual cause is an incorrect internal item name. Display names and asset identifiers are not always identical. Check the exact item name used by the server’s assets or mods, then retry the basic syntax with an explicit count.

Also check argument order. A parameterized command must include the count before the JSON object, for example /spawnitem commonsword 1 '{"level":6}'. Keep the JSON in single quotes and use valid property names. If the item still resolves to a generic placeholder, verify that the asset exists on the server and that a mod has not renamed or removed it.

Which commands were removed?

The current command references mark these entries as removed: /spawngun, /spawnsword, /spawnshield, /itemid, /coordinate, /showhunger and /togglelayer.

Use /spawnitem with the appropriate weapon name instead of the first three, and use /whereami instead of /coordinate. No replacement is listed for /itemid, /showhunger or /togglelayer. Mods can restore, rename or add commands, so always check /help on the actual server build before relying on an older tutorial.

What is the safest command workflow for a shared server?

1. Identify the target character, world and account before typing anything.
2. Use /serverwhoami to verify the server-side identity.
3. Enable admin mode with /admin and confirm the expected status.
4. Run /help command for unfamiliar syntax.
5. Use /list before moderation actions so you can target a client ID when necessary.
6. Test item, quest and world changes on a disposable character or test world.
7. Remember that world-memory toggles can reset on unload and that progression macros may be permanent.
8. Turn admin mode off with /admin when administrative work is complete.

This sequence separates authentication, session permission and command syntax, which prevents the most common mistakes: entering a chat command in the wrong console, using the wrong account, targeting the wrong player or assuming a temporary world change is permanent.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use Starbound admin commands in single-player?

Single-player still uses the in-game chat command interface, so the same slash syntax applies. The dedicated-server account configuration and server identity checks matter specifically when a multiplayer server is deciding whether to grant administrative access.

Does turning off admin mode undo items or quest changes?

No. The toggle changes your current permissions and survival effects; it does not roll back items spawned, quests completed or worlds altered while admin mode was enabled. Treat those actions as ordinary game-state changes and restore a backup or reverse them manually where the game permits.

Can another player receive an item directly from my command?

Not with a built-in direct-transfer command. Spawn the object at your cursor, then hand it to the other player in the normal game world; /spawnitem does not target a recipient inventory.

How can I administer a server when nobody is in a world?

Use RCON or the hosting console for the smaller set of server-side operations they support, such as kicking, banning, messaging, reloading or stopping the server. Character-dependent commands require an in-game session and therefore cannot generally be reproduced through RCON.