Set a Vintage Story server MOTD with the administrator command /serverconfig motd Your welcome message. It takes effect while the server is running and appears when players join. If you edit serverconfig.json instead, stop the server first, save valid JSON, and restart it. The exact player-name placeholder depends on whether you use the official command or a hosting panel.
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What the Vintage Story MOTD does
MOTD means “message of the day.” In Vintage Story, the motd server setting controls the message shown to players when they join. It is a server-wide join message, so use it for information every player should see: a short rules reminder, a community link, an orientation note, or a maintenance notice.
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The official server setup documentation identifies motd as the join message and documents changing configuration through commands while the server is operating or by editing the configuration file after stopping the server: Vintage Story server setup documentation.
The quickest method: run the MOTD command
You need administrator-capable access to the target server. That can be the dedicated-server console or authorized in-game chat. Enter:
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/serverconfig motd Hi {playername}! Please remember to follow the rules!The command name is /serverconfig, the setting is motd, and everything after the setting becomes the message. You can replace the example text with your own wording.
Step-by-step command procedure
- Confirm that you are an administrator or otherwise allowed to change server configuration.
- Open the dedicated-server console, or join the server and open chat with an account that has the required administrative permission.
- Enter
/serverconfig motd, followed by one space and the message you want players to see. - Submit the command. The server can remain online; this method does not require a restart.
- Leave and rejoin with a test account, or ask a player to connect, to verify the text shown on the actual server.
For example:
/serverconfig motd Welcome to Pine Valley! Read the rules and ask for help in Discord.Keep the text readable. A single concise paragraph is less likely to be missed than a long block of instructions. Include only information that remains useful between routine server changes; put detailed rules in a linked document or your community channel.
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A command entered by a regular player will not provide a reliable configuration change. If nothing happens, first check your administrative role and confirm that the console or chat is connected to the intended instance. Multiple worlds, test servers, or separate installations can each have their own configuration and MOTD.
Editing serverconfig.json instead
Direct file editing is useful when you manage files rather than an interactive console, or when a host exposes the JSON configuration but not the command. Stop the server before opening the file. A running server can keep configuration in memory and later write that in-memory state back to disk, erasing an edit made while it was online.
Default configuration paths
| Environment | Documented default path | Important qualification |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | %appdata%/VintageStoryData/serverconfig.json |
The path is relative to the Windows user profile running the server. |
| Linux | /var/vintagestory/data/serverconfig.json |
This is the documented package layout; another installation method may use a different data directory. |
| Custom installation | The serverconfig.json file under the directory supplied with --dataPath |
Use the actual data path passed to your server rather than assuming a system default. |
Safe file-edit procedure
- Stop the Vintage Story server cleanly and wait for the process to finish.
- Locate
serverconfig.jsonusing the applicable path or the server’s--dataPathvalue. - Make a backup copy before changing the file. This gives you a rollback if a syntax error or unwanted setting change prevents startup.
- Open the file in a plain-text editor and locate the existing
motdproperty. If it is absent, add it in the position allowed by the surrounding JSON structure. - Replace only the value, preserving JSON quotation marks, commas, and braces. A message value must be a valid JSON string.
- Save the file as UTF-8 plain text, validate the JSON, and check that the editor did not add a second extension such as
.json.txt. - Start the server again and watch the startup output for configuration or JSON errors.
- Join with a test account to verify the message.
Do not paste a command such as /serverconfig motd ... into the JSON file. The command is for the console or authorized chat; the file contains a property and its value. Keep any quotation marks inside the message escaped according to JSON rules, and avoid untested formatting tricks.
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Changing the MOTD through a hosted-server panel
Managed hosts wrap the same server settings in their own control panels. Field names, restart behavior, and placeholder syntax are provider- and version-specific, so follow the labels currently displayed for your server rather than an old screenshot.
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Documented panel workflow
One documented Vintage Story hosting workflow uses this sequence:
- Stop the server from the hosting panel.
- Open Files, then Config Files.
- Select Vintage Story Server Settings.
- Enter the message in Welcome Message.
- Save the configuration and start the server.
- Join and confirm that the new text appears.
That guide notes that its control-panel screenshots and some details are old, so your current interface may use different menu names. If the panel does not expose a welcome-message field, inspect its current Vintage Story settings documentation or use the supported file editor, if direct editing is permitted.
Another panel naming convention
A 2026 hosting guide describes a WelcomeMessage setting available through a configuration panel or direct JSON editing, followed by a restart. Treat that spelling as an example, not a universal Vintage Story key: the panel or configuration schema for your specific provider and server version takes precedence.
Player-name placeholders: {playername} versus {0}
Placeholder syntax is the most common reason a personalized MOTD displays incorrectly. The official command example uses {playername}:
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/serverconfig motd Hi {playername}! Please remember to follow the rules!Cited hosted-panel guides use {0} for the joining player’s name. These forms are not established as interchangeable. Copy the syntax shown by the interface or configuration schema you are actually using.
| Where you set the message | Documented example | How to apply it |
|---|---|---|
| Official Vintage Story command example | {playername} |
Use it when following the official command syntax. |
| Cited hosted-panel configurations | {0} |
Use it only when that panel or its schema documents it. |
If players see the braces literally, the server did not expand that token. Replace it with the placeholder documented for the method you selected and test again. Do not assume a token from one host works in another.
Which method should you use?
| Decision point | Console or in-game command | Configuration file | Hosted panel |
|---|---|---|---|
| Required access | Administrator-capable console or chat | Operating-system or file-manager access | Permission to edit the host’s server settings |
| Server downtime | None required | Stop before editing; restart afterward | Usually stop, save, and start according to the provider workflow |
| Location | The running target instance | The active serverconfig.json under the correct data path |
The panel’s current Vintage Story settings page or editor |
| Placeholder evidence | {playername} in the official example |
Depends on the schema used by that server | {0} is documented by cited panels, but not universal |
| Best use | Fast changes and no-downtime updates | Scripted, repeatable, or file-based administration | Convenient management when the host controls the server files |
Use the command when you have administrator access and want the least disruption. Use the file method when you control the installation and need a change that can be backed up or deployed with other configuration. Use a panel when it is the only supported route, but check its current labels and restart requirements.
How to verify the MOTD on the real server
A successful save is not the same as a successful player-facing result. Verify the instance that ordinary players join.
- Record the exact server address or panel instance you changed so you do not test a different world.
- Apply the command, file edit, or panel save using the method above.
- Restart only if your method requires it. Do not restart merely because an in-session command was used.
- Connect with a separate test account, or disconnect and reconnect your own account if that is practical.
- Check plain text, punctuation, capitalization, line wrapping, and any player-name replacement.
- If the message is wrong, compare the running instance’s data path and configuration with the location you edited.
The available documentation does not establish a release-wide specification for multiline MOTDs, color codes, or other formatting. Test those features on the exact Vintage Story version and host you operate instead of assuming that a formatting sequence supported elsewhere will work here.
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Troubleshooting common failures
The message does not change
- Confirm that the command was run with administrator privileges.
- Check that you changed the intended server instance, not a test world or a different installation.
- For a panel, make sure the setting was saved and that the server was started after saving if the provider requires a restart.
- For a file edit, verify the active
--dataPathand the timestamp of the file you changed.
A file edit disappears after shutdown
The usual cause is editing while the server was still running. Stop the server first, make the edit, validate the JSON, save it, and then restart. Keep a backup so you can compare the intended value with the value the server loads.
The panel has no MOTD or Welcome Message field
Panel interfaces are not uniform. Look for a current Vintage Story server-settings page, a raw configuration editor, or a file manager. If the host does not permit either a command or a supported file edit, ask its support team which configuration path is enabled for your plan and server version.
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Use the token documented by the active method: the official command example shows {playername}, while the cited hosted panels show {0}. Replace the unsupported token and reconnect to test expansion.
Old instructions do not match the interface
Hosting panels change their navigation and labels. One provider explicitly marks its Vintage Story control-panel article as an old guide. Treat screenshots as historical context and follow the labels in the current panel.
Formatting is broken or unsupported
There is no release-wide authoritative specification in the available documentation for multiline or color behavior. Remove advanced formatting, test a plain sentence, and then add one formatting change at a time on the target version if you need it.
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Writing a useful Vintage Story welcome message
The MOTD is most effective when a new player can understand it at a glance. Put the highest-priority information first and avoid turning the join screen into a complete rulebook.
- Identify the server: use the community or world name if players may join several servers.
- State the first action: point new players to a rules page, spawn area, or help channel.
- Include durable rules: mention conduct or building restrictions that apply every day.
- Use a player name only when it helps: personalization is useful for a greeting, but it should not replace essential instructions.
- Keep temporary notices temporary: remove an event or maintenance warning when it is no longer relevant.
Examples using the official command-style placeholder include:
/serverconfig motd Welcome, {playername}! Read the rules at spawn and ask staff if you need help./serverconfig motd Hi {playername}! This is a cooperative survival server. Please respect builds and chat.Before publishing, check that the text is understandable without knowing your community’s abbreviations and that any external destination is written accurately. Then test it as a new player would see it.
Operational checklist
- Have administrator access or the panel permission required to change server settings.
- Choose the command, file, or panel method that matches your access.
- Use the correct active server instance and data path.
- Stop the server before editing
serverconfig.json. - Preserve valid JSON when changing the file.
- Use the placeholder syntax documented for your method.
- Restart after a file or panel change when required.
- Reconnect and verify the message on the actual public server.
- Remove stale temporary notices and re-test after future version or host changes.
For the official command syntax and configuration context, refer to the Vintage Story wiki’s server setup page. It is the appropriate baseline when a third-party panel presents different labels or options.
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