How to Disable Anti-Cheat on a Project Zomboid Server (Build 41 and 42)

Stop the server before changing its generated configuration, edit the anti-cheat setting that is causing the kick, save the file, and restart. Build 41 (legacy) uses AntiCheatProtectionTypeN keys whose template comments identify true as the disabling value. Build 42 uses named options such as antiCheatSpeed, antiCheatNoClip, and antiCheatPacketException, with enum values defined by the exact generated INI. Disable one implicated check first; turning off every protection is appropriate only for a trusted private server.

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Identify your Project Zomboid build before editing

The setting format depends on the server branch, so do not copy a Build 41 value into a Build 42 option. A server running the legacy 41 branch exposes numbered keys. Build 42 exposes named anti-cheat options and uses enum values rather than the legacy Boolean convention.

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The capitalization shown in your generated file is authoritative. ServerOptions documentation and hosting panels may display the names with different capitalization, but the key already present in your INI is the one you should edit.

How to disable one anti-cheat check on Build 41

Use this procedure for a local dedicated server or for a managed host that lets you edit the server INI. The file is generated in the server’s Zomboid Server directory, or in the equivalent configuration area supplied by your host.

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1. Shut the server down cleanly. Stop it from the console or your host’s control panel and wait until the process has exited. Editing while the server is running can be overwritten when it saves its options.
2. Back up the INI. Make a copy with a recognizable name, such as servertest.ini.before-anticheat-change. Keep the original until you have confirmed that players can join and the mod behaves normally.
3. Open the generated server configuration. Use the INI associated with the server name and world you actually run. If a host provides an editor instead of direct file access, open the server-options or INI page in that panel.
4. Find the key named in the kick. Search for AntiCheatProtectionType followed by the reported number. If the message identifies type 12, find AntiCheatProtectionType12; do not assume that every kick is type 12.
5. Read the comment beside the key. In the legacy template, the comment says that the setting “Disables anti-cheat protection for type N,” and the disabling value is true. Change only that key from its current value to true.
6. Save the file and start the server. Allow the server to finish loading before testing. Players should reconnect after the restart; no fixed reconnection time is guaranteed because it depends on the host and server load.
7. Test the original action. Join with the affected mod enabled and reproduce the action that caused the kick. If the server now reports a different anti-cheat type, return to the stopped server, back up the current file again, and change that newly identified type rather than disabling every check immediately.

What AntiCheatProtectionType12=true means

On the legacy template, true is intentionally counterintuitive: it disables the named protection. Treat the template comment as the rule for your installed build. Do not infer the meaning from Boolean conventions used by another game or by a different Project Zomboid branch.

How to change anti-cheat options on Build 42

Build 42 replaces the numbered legacy approach with named options. The official ServerOptions reference lists options for speed, no-clip movement, hit validation, packet exceptions, permissions, experience, safe houses, player checks, and checksums. The exact enum meanings can change between Build 42 versions, so use the comments and default values written into the INI generated by the version you run.

1. Stop the server and make a backup. Use the same clean shutdown and backup process as for Build 41.
2. Open the generated Build 42 INI. Select the file for the correct server instance, not an old legacy file left in the directory.
3. Locate the named option connected to the failure. Typical keys include antiCheatSpeed, antiCheatNoClip, antiCheatHit, antiCheatPacketException, antiCheatPermission, antiCheatXp, antiCheatSafeHouse, antiCheatPlayer, and antiCheatChecksum.
4. Read that option’s inline comment and allowed values. Do not paste true from a Build 41 example into a Build 42 enum field. A current hosting guide reports 3 or 4 as values to try for certain mod-triggered false positives, but those numbers are not a universal mapping for every option or every Build 42 revision.
5. Change one option, save, and restart. Keep the rest at their generated defaults while you test. If the kick persists, capture the new message and identify whether it names another option before making another change.

If your host’s panel offers a drop-down, use the label and explanation shown for the current Build 42 version. If it presents a raw text box, preserve the key spelling, equals sign, and numeric format already used in the file.

Choosing between one check and all protections

Disable one implicated check first

A type-specific change limits the loss of protection and makes rollback straightforward. It is the best default when a mod, unusual movement system, custom weapon, or networking extension causes a false positive. Keep a written note of the key changed, the old value, the new value, the mod version, and the date so you can restore the setting after an update.

Disable all legacy protections only on a trusted private server

The Indie Stone’s official release note explicitly says that a server used exclusively by family and friends, without concern about griefing or cheating, can avoid false-positive frustration by disabling all anti-cheat protections in its server INI. On a Build 41 server, that means applying the disabling value identified by the template to each listed legacy protection key, then restarting.

This is a trust decision, not a performance tweak. Removing every check allows a malicious or careless player to send behavior the server would otherwise reject. A public server should retain protections wherever possible and solve the specific compatibility problem instead.

Do not assume the Build 42 “all off” procedure

Build 42’s named options are enums, and their meanings can vary between revisions. The available documentation establishes the option names but does not provide one universal value that disables every option. If you operate a private Build 42 server, inspect every generated comment and change only values whose current version explicitly identifies a disabled state.

Diagnosing malformed-packet kicks and mod false positives

A message about malformed packets does not by itself prove that the player’s installation is cheating. It can indicate that a mod or mod combination is sending data the active check does not expect, that the client and server have different mod files, or that a recently changed protection is still enforcing another rule.

Use the kick text as your first diagnostic

• Record the exact type number or named check, the player action immediately before the kick, and the server build.
• Compare the enabled mod list and versions on the client and server. A configuration change cannot repair a genuinely mismatched or corrupted mod.
• Reproduce the issue with the smallest possible mod set. If the kick disappears when one mod is removed, test that mod against the implicated check rather than disabling unrelated protections.
• Check the server log after each restart for a new type or option. A different message means the first check is no longer the only relevant one.

Update before weakening a protection

Anti-cheat types 21 through 24 were adjusted in the cited 41.76 release to reduce false positives. If your server is on an older 41 build, updating to a supported release may solve the problem without changing the INI. Confirm that the server, client, and mods are compatible with the target build before updating a live world.

Separate packet problems from permissions and movement checks

Use the option named in the message when possible. A movement mod is more likely to implicate speed or no-clip validation; a networking extension may implicate packet-exception handling; an experience-related mod may trigger the XP check. These are diagnostic categories, not guarantees, so let the server’s own message and generated comments determine the final edit.

Managed-host and control-panel workflow

A managed Project Zomboid host may expose the same generated INI through a web control panel instead of a filesystem. The practical sequence remains the same:

1. Use the panel’s Stop or Shutdown action and wait for a stopped status.
2. Open the server settings, configuration editor, or file manager that corresponds to the active instance.
3. Download or copy the current INI before editing if the panel offers a backup option.
4. Change the single legacy key or Build 42 named option, preserving the panel’s spelling and value format.
5. Save or apply the change, then start the server and watch the console for a completed startup.

Panel labels and file locations differ by provider, and a panel may regenerate the file when you change a setting elsewhere. If your manual edit vanishes, check for a separate “advanced,” “raw INI,” or startup-configuration view and make the change there. Verify the host’s documentation for the server branch it supports rather than applying a legacy example to a Build 42 instance.

Rollback and recovery

Restore the backup

Stop the server, replace the edited INI with the backup made before the change, and start again. If you changed several options, restore the complete file instead of trying to remember each original value.

Remove an invalid Build 42 value

If the server refuses to start after a numeric edit, stop it and restore the generated value from the backup. Build 42 enum fields may reject a value that is valid for another option or revision. Never substitute a Boolean or an arbitrary number simply because it worked on a different server.

Check for regeneration

Some startup scripts or panels recreate missing configuration entries. After a restart, stop the server again and confirm that the intended key still has the value you set. If it reverted, identify which management layer owns the setting and edit that layer.

Operational checklist

• Server branch identified as Build 41 legacy or Build 42.
• Server stopped cleanly before editing.
• Original INI backed up.
• Exact kick message and implicated type or option recorded.
• Only the implicated legacy key or named Build 42 option changed first.
• Build 42 value verified against the generated comment for the installed revision.
• Server restarted and logs checked.
• Affected player reconnected and reproduced the issue.
• Public-server protections left enabled unless there is a specific, reviewed reason to change them.
• Backup retained so the change can be reversed after a mod or game update.

What this setting does—and does not do

The INI change alters server-side enforcement. It does not repair a broken mod, synchronize client files, change the player’s permissions, or guarantee that another anti-cheat check will not trigger. It also provides no measured improvement in CPU use, network speed, or connection time; available documentation describes configuration behavior rather than performance statistics.

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