To mount Counter-Strike: Source and Team Fortress 2 content, install or update each game’s dedicated-server content in a directory outside your running Garry’s Mod server, then edit <server>/garrysmod/cfg/mount.cfg with the keys cstrike and tf. Restart the server and run path in its console to confirm that both directories are active search paths.
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This arrangement supplies Garry’s Mod with the base-game models, materials, sounds and maps that many maps and addons expect. It does not install Workshop addons; those use the server’s Workshop collection mechanism instead.
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What mounting game content does
Garry’s Mod does not automatically search every game installed on the machine. A dedicated server has its own file system and search-path order. A mount entry tells it which external game directory to scan when it looks for assets. The Garry’s Mod Wiki describes the function this way: “Instructs Garry’s Mod to scan the specified folders, mount any sub-folders & VPK files.”
For this setup, cstrike refers to Counter-Strike: Source content and tf refers to Team Fortress 2 content. The entries must point to the games’ actual content directories, not to a random addon folder, a Workshop download, or the top-level Steam library.
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Mounting is useful when a map or addon uses CSS textures, sounds or models, or TF2 materials and models. If those files are absent from the server’s search paths, clients may see missing textures, error models or console messages about missing content even when the games are installed somewhere on the host.
Plan a safe directory layout first
Keep external game files separate from the live Garry’s Mod server root. The official content guidance recommends a shared location such as C:BaseContent for SteamCMD-managed content and warns against directing SteamCMD at the running Garry’s Mod server directory. Updating into the live root can overwrite files that the server needs and make recovery harder.
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- Garry’s Mod server: the directory containing the dedicated server executable and its
garrysmodfolder. - Shared content: a separate directory containing the Counter-Strike: Source and Team Fortress 2 dedicated-server files.
- Configuration:
<server>/garrysmod/cfg/mount.cfg, which points from the server to those external directories.
One shared content directory can be mounted by more than one Garry’s Mod server on the same host. This avoids maintaining duplicate copies; update the shared files with SteamCMD, and each server reads the same mounted paths after its next restart.
Check access before configuring
- Make sure the Counter-Strike: Source directory and the Team Fortress 2 directory really exist on the host.
- Use the account that runs the dedicated server when checking readability. A directory visible to an administrator may still be inaccessible to a service account.
- On Linux, check spelling and capitalization exactly. Linux paths are case-sensitive, so
/srv/BaseContent/tfand/srv/basecontent/tfare different paths. - Leave enough disk space for SteamCMD to download and update both games’ content. Do not place those files inside a directory that is routinely replaced during Garry’s Mod updates.
Install or update the content with SteamCMD
SteamCMD should manage the Counter-Strike: Source and Team Fortress 2 content in the separate location you chose. The exact SteamCMD app selections depend on the dedicated-server packages you use, so use the package names and app IDs appropriate to your installation rather than copying an ID from an unrelated guide.
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- Create the external content directory. On Windows, a path such as
C:BaseContentis suitable. On Linux, choose a directory outside the Garry’s Mod server tree, such as a dedicated path under/srvor the service account’s data directory. - Run SteamCMD as the account that will maintain the files. If the server runs under a restricted service account, either run updates as that account or grant it read and directory-traversal permission on the content tree.
- Set SteamCMD’s install target to the external directory. Do not select the live Garry’s Mod server root. SteamCMD’s install target controls where the downloaded dedicated-server files and game folders are written.
- Install or update both games’ content. Complete the SteamCMD update for Counter-Strike: Source and then for Team Fortress 2, using the dedicated-server packages required by your host. Let validation finish so missing or damaged files are downloaded again.
- Locate the final game folders. You need the directory that contains the Counter-Strike: Source files for the
cstrikemount and the directory that contains the Team Fortress 2 files for thetfmount. The path may be under SteamCMD’ssteamapps/commontree or another location you selected. - Record the exact paths. Copy them directly from the file system instead of retyping them. A single missing directory level, trailing typo or capitalization mismatch is enough to make the mount fail.
Updating the external directory is safe to repeat. When a game receives an update, run SteamCMD again against that same location, then restart each Garry’s Mod server that uses it. Because the files are shared, you do not need a separate copy for every server.
Create and edit mount.cfg
The file belongs in the Garry’s Mod configuration directory:
<server>/garrysmod/cfg/mount.cfg
If the file does not exist, create a plain-text file named mount.cfg in that exact cfg directory. Do not put it beside the server executable, in the main SteamCMD directory, or in an addon folder.
Use the required mount keys
The minimal structure is:
"mountcfg"
{
"cstrike" "C:\steamcmd\steamapps\common\Counter-Strike Source Dedicated Server\cstrike"
"tf" "C:/mytf2server/tf"
}The two paths above are examples only. Replace them with the real directories on your host. The key names are not arbitrary: use cstrike for Counter-Strike: Source and tf for Team Fortress 2.
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Windows path rules
- Windows paths can use forward slashes, such as
C:/BaseContent/tf. - If you use backslashes inside the configuration, follow the doubled-backslash style shown in the official example, such as
C:\BaseContent\cstrike. - Keep the path inside the quoted value. Do not append comments or extra characters on the same line.
- Verify the target is the folder containing the game content, not merely
C:BaseContentif the actual files are one level deeper.
Linux path rules
- Use the absolute Linux path, for example
/srv/basecontent/cstrikeand/srv/basecontent/tf. - Match capitalization exactly. The directory name in
mount.cfgmust be identical to the name on disk. - Check read and execute permissions on every parent directory as well as on the files. The server process needs to traverse the path, not just read individual files.
- Do not copy Windows drive-letter syntax to Linux. Linux has no
C:prefix.
Example using one shared directory
If SteamCMD placed both games under one shared tree, your configuration might look like this after substituting your actual directories:
"mountcfg"
{
"cstrike" "/srv/basecontent/Counter-Strike Source Dedicated Server/cstrike"
"tf" "/srv/basecontent/Team Fortress 2 Dedicated Server/tf"
}Spaces in a directory name are fine when the complete path remains inside the quotation marks. The important part is that each target exists and is readable by the dedicated-server process.
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Restart the server and verify the active paths
- Save
mount.cfgas plain text. - Stop the Garry’s Mod dedicated server completely. A live reload is not the reliable way to apply mount changes.
- Start the server again and wait until it reaches its normal console prompt.
- Run
pathin the server console.
The File Search Paths documentation says that path lists the active search paths, including the real filesystem path and its search-path designation. Confirm that entries for the Counter-Strike: Source directory and the Team Fortress 2 directory appear, with the expected cstrike and tf locations. If they are absent, the problem is configuration, path resolution, permissions or depot availability—not the map or addon that first exposed the missing asset.
Troubleshoot missing CSS or TF2 content
The server starts, but cstrike or tf does not appear in path
- Open
<server>/garrysmod/cfg/mount.cfgand compare its structure with the example above. Confirm the outermountcfgblock, quoted keys and quoted paths. - Check every directory in the path manually. A valid parent directory does not prove that the final
cstrikeortffolder exists. - Look for an accidental filename such as
mount.cfg.txt, which can happen when a Windows editor hides known extensions. - On Linux, correct capitalization and inspect permissions for the account running the server.
- Restart after every correction, then run
pathagain. The mount is not confirmed until the expected search paths are listed.
The paths appear, but a map still has missing textures or models
First determine whether the missing asset belongs to the base game or to an addon. A successful mount only makes files present in the mounted game directories available to Garry’s Mod. It cannot supply a third-party model or material that was never installed.
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- Check that the mounted directory is the dedicated-server content directory, not a partial client cache or a folder containing only one map.
- Run SteamCMD’s update or validation operation again for the affected game content. Incomplete downloads can leave the directory present while individual assets are missing.
- Confirm that the map or addon actually expects Counter-Strike: Source or Team Fortress 2 files. A different game dependency requires its own properly installed content.
- Have a client reconnect after the server restart. A client that cached an earlier error may need a fresh connection to see the corrected server content.
The server log says content is installed, but Garry’s Mod cannot use it
Inspect <server>/garrysmod/cfg/mountdepots.txt. The mounting documentation describes this file as the declaration of which installed depots Garry’s Mod should attempt to mount. If it is missing or corrupt, installed files can appear unavailable even when the paths in mount.cfg are correct.
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A server update broke previously working mounts
Recheck both configuration files after updating Garry’s Mod. Make sure the external directories were not moved, renamed or deleted during maintenance. If several servers use one shared content directory, confirm that the SteamCMD update did not change the directory layout and that all service accounts still have access.
Only Workshop addons are missing
Do not use mount.cfg as a substitute for Workshop delivery. Dedicated-server Workshop collections are a separate mechanism: the server downloads the collection at startup and mounts the downloaded addons. Configure the collection through the server’s Workshop settings, then check startup output for the download and mount process. Base-game files such as CSS or TF2 assets still require the external game-content mounts described above.
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Deployment choices and their trade-offs
| Approach | Advantages | Risks or limitations | Best use |
|---|---|---|---|
| Separate shared content directory | Protects the live server root, supports several servers, and lets SteamCMD update one copy. | Every server needs correct paths and the service account needs permission to read the shared tree. | Most self-managed Windows or Linux deployments. |
| Installing content inside the server root | Paths may look shorter. | SteamCMD updates can overwrite Garry’s Mod files and make the server harder to repair. | Not recommended for a running production server. |
Direct mount.cfg configuration |
Provides base-game assets from known local directories and is easy to verify with path. |
Requires filesystem access, correct permissions and a restart after changes. | CSS and TF2 models, materials, sounds and maps. |
| Workshop collection delivery | Downloads and mounts addon content automatically at server startup. | It does not replace base-game mounts and depends on the collection and startup download succeeding. | Third-party addons distributed through Steam Workshop. |
| Managed Garry’s Mod or Source hosting | The provider may handle the operating system and SteamCMD maintenance. | Support for custom mount paths, external content directories and shared files varies by provider. | Operators who do not want to maintain the host themselves. |
Before choosing managed hosting, ask specifically whether the plan permits custom mount.cfg paths, SteamCMD updates for Counter-Strike: Source and Team Fortress 2, and content stored outside the Garry’s Mod server directory. A host that only accepts files inside its game root may not support this layout safely.
Maintenance practices that prevent future failures
Update content deliberately
Run SteamCMD updates against the external content location, not against the live Garry’s Mod directory. Schedule the server restart after an update so the process starts with a consistent set of files.
Keep paths stable
Do not rename the shared directory or move it between disks without updating every server’s mount.cfg. If you must relocate it, change the paths while the servers are stopped, verify permissions, restart, and use path on each server.
Back up configuration, not downloaded depots alone
Keep copies of each server’s mount.cfg and note which external directories it uses. A backup of the downloaded files is useful, but a missing configuration file still leaves Garry’s Mod unaware of those files.
Use a repeatable verification routine
After host migration, Garry’s Mod updates or SteamCMD repairs, check the directory existence, read permissions, mount.cfg, mountdepots.txt, server restart and path output in that order. This sequence separates a storage problem from a configuration problem and then from an addon-specific problem.
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Reference: the complete workflow
Install both games’ dedicated-server content in a separate, readable directory. Put the exact Counter-Strike: Source and Team Fortress 2 directories behind the cstrike and tf keys in <server>/garrysmod/cfg/mount.cfg. Restart the dedicated server, run path, and confirm both search paths. If they are missing, fix the path, permissions or mountdepots.txt before investigating a map or addon. If only Workshop content is absent, troubleshoot the Workshop collection independently.
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