Symptom: Server console shows "Invalid or expired GSLT" or the server is not listed publicly.

Causes and fixes:

• The token has expired due to extended inactivity — regenerate it at steamcommunity.com/dev/managegameservers.
• The Steam account that owns the token has a VAC ban — a new, unbanned account must generate the token.
• The token is already in use by another running server — each server instance needs its own unique token.
• The sv_setsteamaccount line in server.cfg has a typo or extra whitespace — verify it exactly matches the token string.
• You used the wrong App ID when generating the token — TF2 requires App ID 440.

Symptom: sm version returns "Unknown command" after installation.

Causes and fixes:

• MetaMod:Source is not installed or not loading — confirm meta version works first. If it does not, re-check the MetaMod installation. SourceMod cannot function without MetaMod.
• Files uploaded to the wrong directory — SourceMod must be at tf/addons/sourcemod/, not in the server root or a different game folder.
• Wrong build downloaded — the server runs on Linux. Make sure you downloaded the Linux build, not the Windows build.
• File permission issues — ensure all uploaded files are readable. Re-upload via SFTP if unsure.
• Check the logs — review tf/addons/sourcemod/logs/ for error messages indicating what failed to load.

Symptom: Server console shows "VAC secure mode is disabled" or players are warned that VAC is off.

Causes and fixes:

• No valid GSLT — VAC requires a valid sv_setsteamaccount token. See the Server Setup Guide for GSLT instructions.
• A loaded plugin or extension is flagged — some unofficial binary extensions can trigger VAC to disable. Remove recently installed plugins one at a time to identify the cause.
• sv_cheats 1 is set — VAC is automatically disabled when cheats are enabled. Ensure sv_cheats 0 is in your server.cfg.
• If VAC remains disabled after addressing the above, perform a full server restart (not just a map change).

Symptom: Your server is running but does not show up in the Steam server browser.

Causes and fixes:

• No valid GSLT — a valid Game Server Login Token is required for public listing. See the Server Setup Guide.
• Server just started — new servers can take several minutes to appear in the browser after first connecting to Steam.
• Firewall or port issue — confirm the server's game port is open. Check the GPanel for your assigned port.
• Test direct connection first — try connecting via connect IP:PORT in the developer console to confirm the server is reachable before troubleshooting browser listing.

Symptom: Server crashes or restarts unexpectedly after installing or updating a plugin.

Causes and fixes:

• Check tf/addons/sourcemod/logs/ for crash logs and error messages immediately after the crash.
• Disable recently added plugins by moving their .smx files to tf/addons/sourcemod/plugins/disabled/.
• Ensure all plugin dependencies (e.g. TF2Attributes, DHooks) are installed and at the correct version.
• Some plugins require a specific SourceMod API version — verify compatibility on the plugin's AlliedModders thread.
• If the server crashes on startup, use the GPanel file manager or SFTP to move the problematic plugin file while the server is stopped.

Symptom: Players receive a timeout, connection refused, or "server not responding" error.

Causes and fixes:

• Server is not running — check the GPanel to confirm the server is online and not in a crash loop.
• Wrong IP or port — verify the connection details in GPanel. See the How to Find Your Server IP and Port guide.
• Password mismatch — if sv_password is set in server.cfg, the player must enter the correct password when connecting.
• Server is full — check if the server has reached its maxplayers limit.
• Custom map download timeout — if the server is running a custom map without FastDL configured, players with slow connections may time out during the map download. See the Server Setup Guide for FastDL configuration.