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Enable Don’t Starve Together’s Griefer Spawn Protection by setting spawnprotection to always in the affected shard’s worldgenoverride.lua file, then restart that shard and test with a newly spawned player.
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return {
override_enabled = true,
settings = {
spawnprotection = "always",
},
}On a dedicated server, the file normally belongs in the cluster’s Master directory, with a matching override in Caves if your cluster runs an underground shard. Back up the cluster before changing an existing world: this is a world-generation override, and the safest verification is a clean restart followed by a fresh spawn.
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What spawn protection does in DST
Don’t Starve Together labels this setting Griefer Spawn Protection. When it is active for a newly spawned player, that player can walk through structures and creatures or other players cannot target them during the protection period described by the game’s setting.
The configuration key is spawnprotection. The value always explicitly enables the protection rule. This is different from ordinary server permissions or a temporary invulnerability command: it is a world setting applied through the world-generation override system.
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Klei’s support documentation describes Don’t Starve Together as highly moddable and notes that the default for this option depends on the platform. If you need predictable behavior for every new player, use always rather than relying on the platform-dependent default.
Choose the correct value
| Value | Protection level | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
never |
None | Use this when new players should receive no spawn protection. |
default |
Automatic behavior | Delegates the decision to the game’s normal, platform-dependent behavior. |
always |
Always enabled | The value to use when you want Griefer Spawn Protection enabled explicitly. |
Only these three values are relevant for this setting. Spelling matters: the key is lowercase spawnprotection, and the accepted value is lowercase always.
Find the right server folder
A dedicated DST cluster is split into shards. The surface shard is normally named Master. If the cluster has an underground world enabled, its second shard is normally named Caves. Each shard can have its own worldgenoverride.lua.
Klei documents the default configuration roots as ~/.klei on Linux and Documents/Klei on Windows and macOS, with DoNotStarveTogether as the default configuration directory. A typical cluster is named Cluster_1, but you must use the actual cluster directory name on your installation.
| Operating system | Typical Master path |
|---|---|
| Linux | ~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1/Master/worldgenoverride.lua |
| Windows | %USERPROFILE%/Documents/Klei/DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1/Master/worldgenoverride.lua |
| macOS | ~/Documents/Klei/DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1/Master/worldgenoverride.lua |
These are default locations, not guaranteed locations. A hosting panel may expose the same directories through a file manager, and an administrator may have selected a different cluster name or configuration root. Locate the folder that contains the server’s active cluster, then open the shard directory inside that cluster.
Master or Caves: which shard should you edit?
Master controls the surface shard
For a normal surface world, put the override in the cluster’s Master directory. If players normally enter the game through the surface world, this is the first file to check when protection does not appear to work.
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Caves controls the underground shard
If the cluster runs a Caves shard and you want the setting represented there as well, place the corresponding worldgenoverride.lua in the Caves directory. Editing only Master does not automatically create a file in Caves; each shard has its own configuration location.
Apply the change to the shard that is actually being started. A cluster can contain both directories even when only one shard is currently enabled, so the presence of a folder alone does not prove that the server process is using it.
Back up the cluster before editing
- Stop the affected shard. Use the control panel or service procedure provided by your host, or stop the dedicated-server process through your normal administration method. Do not edit the file while that shard is actively writing configuration or world data.
- Back up the whole cluster directory. Include the cluster’s configuration and save data, not just the one Lua file. Give the backup a date-based name so you can identify the pre-change state.
- Record the active shard. Note whether the server starts
Master,Caves, or both. This prevents a correct edit from being placed in an unused directory.
The caution matters most for an already generated world. worldgenoverride.lua is a world-generation override, so changing it after generation should be treated as an operational change rather than as a harmless in-game toggle. A backup lets you restore the previous cluster if startup errors or unexpected behavior occur.
Create or edit worldgenoverride.lua
Minimal file for a shard without existing overrides
If the target shard does not already contain a worldgenoverride.lua, create a plain-text file with exactly this structure:
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override_enabled = true,
settings = {
spawnprotection = "always",
},
}Save the file as worldgenoverride.lua, not worldgenoverride.lua.txt. The extension must remain .lua so the server can load it as a Lua configuration file.
Merge the setting into an existing file
If the file already has a return table, preserve that table and add the setting inside its existing settings table. Do not create a second settings table and do not replace unrelated world-generation options unless you intend to change them.
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For example, an existing file with other settings should be extended in the same table:
return {
override_enabled = true,
settings = {
existing_setting = "existing_value",
spawnprotection = "always",
},
}The example’s other key is illustrative; keep the actual settings already present in your file. If the existing settings table ends its previous entry without a comma, add the comma before inserting spawnprotection. Lua punctuation errors can stop the override from loading.
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Copy the override to a second shard when needed
If both surface and underground shards should use the explicit setting, create the same structure under both Master/worldgenoverride.lua and Caves/worldgenoverride.lua. Treat them as separate files. A change in one shard does not rewrite the other.
Restart cleanly and check the startup log
- Save the file and confirm it is in the active shard directory for the correct cluster.
- Start the affected shard again. If both shards are running, restart each shard after its corresponding file has been changed.
- Inspect the startup log for Lua syntax errors, a failure to load the override, or a message indicating that the configuration file was ignored.
- If the log reports an error, stop the shard, restore the backup or correct the Lua table, and start it again before testing gameplay.
A server that starts successfully is not, by itself, proof that the value was applied. The file can be valid Lua while still being in the wrong cluster or shard directory, which is why log inspection and an in-game test are both necessary.
Verify protection with a newly spawned player
Test with a player who newly spawns after the restart. Use the same shard whose file you edited. The documented behavior to check is:
- The newly spawned player can walk through structures.
- Creatures cannot target that newly spawned player.
- Other players cannot target that newly spawned player.
Do not rely on an established character who was already present before the change. Spawn protection is tied to the newly spawned-player behavior, and an existing character may not provide a valid test of the override.
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For a cluster with both Master and Caves, test each shard separately if you installed a file in both locations. A successful surface test does not prove that the Caves process loaded its own file.
Why spawnprotection = "always" may not take effect
The server was not restarted
Editing the file while the server is running does not establish that the active process has reloaded it. Stop and start the affected shard, then perform the fresh-spawn test. If your host uses separate processes for Master and Caves, restart the process that owns the shard you are testing.
The file is in the wrong directory
Check the complete path, including the cluster name and shard name. The common mistake is editing a file under Cluster_1 while the server is configured to use another cluster directory, or editing Master while testing a player in Caves.
The file has a Lua syntax problem
Look for a missing comma, an unmatched brace, a misspelled key, or a second conflicting table. The safest structure is one top-level return table with one settings table containing spawnprotection = "always". Use the startup log to identify override-loading errors before attempting another gameplay test.
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The key belongs inside settings. This is correct:
return {
override_enabled = true,
settings = {
spawnprotection = "always",
},
}Placing the key beside settings, or creating a second settings table later in the file, does not represent the intended configuration and can cause the server to ignore the value.
You tested an old character
Use a newly spawned player after the clean restart. The documented protection behavior is not established by moving an existing character into the world or by checking a player who spawned before the override was applied.
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The platform’s default behavior is masking the change
If the file still contains default, the game selects its normal behavior, and Klei notes that this default depends on the platform. Replace it with always when the requirement is explicit protection. Conversely, if you intentionally want automatic behavior, use default rather than assuming it means the same thing on every platform.
You changed a generated world without a recovery plan
Because this is a world-generation override, an existing generated world deserves extra care. Restore the backup if the server behaves unexpectedly, confirm the file is syntactically valid, and test the setting with a fresh spawn instead of assuming that an in-game world-customization screen has been rewritten.
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Dedicated server
For a dedicated server, use the shard-specific worldgenoverride.lua files described above. This method gives the administrator an explicit, repeatable value and makes the setting part of the cluster’s configuration. It also requires attention to the active cluster name, shard directory, restart procedure, and backup.
World created through the game interface
For a world hosted through the game’s own creation flow, configure Griefer Spawn Protection during world creation when that option is presented. The file-based procedure is intended for the dedicated-server cluster layout; do not assume that editing a dedicated-server path changes a locally hosted world.
The exact interface can vary by platform and game version. If the interface offers the three documented choices, select the option corresponding to always when you want protection enabled explicitly. If you need a setting that survives dedicated-server restarts and can be copied between shards, use the cluster file instead.
Operational checklist
- Confirm the setting name shown by DST is Griefer Spawn Protection.
- Use the exact key
spawnprotection. - Use
alwaysto enable,neverto disable, ordefaultto delegate to automatic behavior. - Identify the active cluster directory rather than assuming its name is
Cluster_1. - Place the file in the relevant shard directory:
Masterfor the surface shard and, when required,Cavesfor the underground shard. - Keep one top-level
returntable and one existingsettingstable. - Back up the cluster before changing an already generated world.
- Restart the affected shard cleanly.
- Check startup logs for Lua or override-loading errors.
- Verify with a player who newly spawns after the restart.
What administrators should expect from the setting
Spawn protection is a controlled arrival window, not a general replacement for server moderation. Its documented purpose is to prevent the newly spawned player from being immediately obstructed by structures or targeted by creatures and other players. Once the protected spawn state no longer applies, normal world interactions resume.
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For a managed DST dedicated server, ask the host for access to the cluster’s shard directories or for a supported file-editing workflow. The required configuration remains the same: the active shard must load a valid worldgenoverride.lua containing spawnprotection = "always", followed by a restart and a fresh-spawn test.
Final answer
To enable spawn protection, stop the server, back up the cluster, add spawnprotection = "always" inside the existing settings table in the active shard’s worldgenoverride.lua, and restart that shard. Use Master for the surface world and add the corresponding file under Caves when the underground shard also needs the setting. Confirm the result with a newly spawned player and the startup log.
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