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1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesAn Arma 3 headless client (HC) is a separate Arma 3 client process that joins your dedicated server and runs mission-side AI away from the server process. Set it up by allow-listing the HC host in server.cfg, giving the process its own profile, matching the mission’s game and mod set, and launching it with -client, -connect and -password. The mission must also contain a playable headless-client slot.
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The HC can run on the dedicated-server machine, another host or a container. The server must allow the source IP it actually sees, and the HC must use compatible BattlEye, signatures, build and mods. A successful network connection alone does not guarantee that AI groups have been transferred; that behavior belongs to the mission framework or its locality scripts.
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What an Arma 3 headless client does
A headless client is an Arma 3 client session without a human player. It connects to the dedicated server, occupies a free playable HC slot and can become local to AI groups assigned by the mission. Moving AI locality to another process can reduce work in the main server process, but there is no universal percentage improvement or recommended HC count. Results depend on mission scripting, AI load, hardware and network design.
The engine does not automatically move every AI group merely because an HC is connected. The mission has to detect the HC and transfer or create groups for it. Frameworks differ, so use the framework’s documented HC option or implement the required locality logic in the mission.
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Choose the deployment layout first
| Layout | What the server must allow | Operational consideration |
|---|---|---|
| HC on the same machine | The server must allow the local source address, commonly 127.0.0.1 when the connection remains on the host. |
The official HC documentation says multiple HCs can run on one machine. Give every process an isolated profile and watch CPU, memory and disk contention. |
| HC on another host | Add the HC host’s source IP to headlessClients[] and, where appropriate, localClient[]. |
Use the address visible to the server after routing or NAT, not an address that exists only on the HC’s private interface. |
| HC in a container | Allow-list the container or host egress IP that the server actually sees. | The container’s internal address may not be the address presented on the game connection. Test reachability to the published game port. |
Use one layout for the first installation. Once the mission works with one HC, add additional processes one at a time so a networking or profile problem is not confused with a mission-locality problem.
Prepare and validate the dedicated server
Confirm the normal server works first
Install or update the Arma 3 dedicated-server files, then start the server with its ordinary configuration and verify that the mission runs without an HC. Typical forms are:
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Add the HC allow-list entries
In server.cfg, add the source address from which the HC will connect:
headlessClients[] = {"127.0.0.1"};
localClient[] = {"127.0.0.1"};Replace 127.0.0.1 with the HC host’s real source IP when the HC is on another machine or network namespace. The headlessClients[] entry is the server’s explicit allow-list for HC connections. localClient[] identifies local or trusted clients for server treatment that depends on locality. Keep the two lists accurate; adding an internal container address when the server sees the host’s egress address will not authorize the connection.
Use the server’s normal password, signature and security settings. The server configuration reference also documents a file-patching rule in which value 1 permits HCs; apply that setting only when the mission or deployment requires it and keep the rest of the security configuration intact.
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Keep BattlEye and signatures enabled
If BattlEye is enabled, accept its license in the HC profile by setting:
battleyeLicense=1Keep the same security and signature policy on the HC and server. Disabling anti-cheat or signature checks should not be the first response to a failed connection. Correct the allow-list, profile, password, game build and mod/signature set before changing security controls.
Create an isolated profile for each HC
An HC should not share the server’s profile directory or a human client’s profile. The profile stores settings, BattlEye acceptance and generated logs; sharing it makes ownership, permissions and diagnosis needlessly difficult.
- Create a directory dedicated to HC profiles, such as an HC profile directory beside the server installation or in a service-data location.
- Give the process a distinct name with
-name, for exampleHC1. UseHC2,HC3and so on for additional processes. - Pass the profile directory explicitly with
-profiles. The official profile options use-nameto select the profile and-profilesto set a custom profile directory. - On Linux, make the directory writable by the account that runs the HC service. On Windows, quote a path containing spaces; the examples below use
"so the quotation marks remain visible in HTML. - Place the HC’s
battleyeLicense=1setting in that profile and confirm that its RPT and BattlEye logs are written there.
Some launch wrappers and community examples expose a singular -profile=HC option in addition to -name=HC. Follow the syntax supported by the executable or wrapper you are using, but preserve the essential separation: a unique profile name and a known, writable profile location for every HC.
Make the mission HC-compatible
Add a playable HC slot
The mission must contain at least one playable headless-client unit. When the HC joins, the engine assigns it to a free HC slot. If the mission has no such unit, the process may reach the server but cannot occupy the intended role.
- Open the mission in its editor or inspect its mission files.
- Add a unit configured as playable for a headless client, using the mission framework’s documented unit type and naming convention.
- Ensure the number of available HC slots is at least the number of HC processes you intend to run.
- Check the framework’s HC detection and AI-locality settings. A slot by itself does not guarantee that existing AI groups will be handed to the HC.
Match the mission’s complete mod set
Load the same game and mission mods on the HC that the mission expects on the server. Keep the order consistent where the server or framework requires a specific order. A connection can fail, be rejected after joining or behave incorrectly when the HC’s -mod= list, signatures or build differs from the server.
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Do not add client-only visual or sound modifications merely because they are present on a player’s installation. Start with the server’s required mission and dependency set, then add only what the mission documentation requires for the HC.
Launch the headless client
Minimal Linux launch
./arma3server -client -connect=SERVER_IP -port=SERVER_PORT -password=SERVER_PASSWORD -name=HC1 -profiles=/path/to/hc-profiles -nosoundReplace SERVER_IP, SERVER_PORT and SERVER_PASSWORD with the address, port and password used by the dedicated server. Include -port when the server is not using its default port. Add the mission’s required mod list to the same command, for example:
./arma3server -client -connect=SERVER_IP -port=SERVER_PORT -password=SERVER_PASSWORD -name=HC1 -profiles=/path/to/hc-profiles -mod=MOD_A;MOD_B -nosoundMOD_A;MOD_B is a placeholder for the exact server and mission mod list, not a pair of required Arma 3 mods. Preserve the delimiter and order expected by your platform and launcher.
Windows launch
arma3server.exe -client -connect=SERVER_IP -port=SERVER_PORT -password=SERVER_PASSWORD -name=HC1 -profiles="C:Arma3HCProfiles" -nosoundIn an actual Windows command prompt, use ordinary double quotation marks around a path containing spaces. The HTML entity above displays those quotation marks without breaking the article’s JSON. Add the same -mod= list used by the server when the mission requires it.
What each important switch does
| Switch | Purpose |
|---|---|
-client |
Starts the executable as a headless client rather than as the dedicated server. |
-connect=... |
Specifies the dedicated server address to join. |
-port=... |
Specifies the server’s game port when it is not the default. |
-password=... |
Supplies the server password. |
-name=HC1 |
Selects the HC’s profile name; use a different name for each process. |
-profiles=... |
Sets the custom directory in which the HC profile and logs are stored. |
-mod=... |
Loads the mission’s required mods in the required order. |
-nosound |
Runs without audio output, which is appropriate for an unattended HC. |
The official HC command form uses -client, -connect and -password; the other switches isolate profiles, select the correct port and reproduce the mission environment.
Run more than one HC safely
The official documentation states that an arbitrary number of HCs can run on the same machine, subject to the limits imposed by your hardware, mission and network. Start with one process and confirm its slot and AI behavior before adding another.
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- Copy the working launch command.
- Change
-name=HC1to a new name such as-name=HC2. - Use a separate profile directory or a separate profile within the managed directory so logs and settings cannot collide.
- Confirm that the mission contains another free playable HC slot and that its framework supports the additional HC.
- Start the second process and verify it independently in the server RPT and HC RPT logs.
Do not infer a useful performance gain from the number of connected clients. If the mission’s scripts do not assign AI to the additional HC, the extra process adds overhead without moving the intended workload.
Automate an HC with a service manager
For a persistent Linux deployment, manage the HC as a separate service from the dedicated server. A LinuxGSM-style configuration illustrates the required pattern:
startparameters="-client -connect=${ip}:${port} -password=CHANGEME"The service definition should also provide the HC’s unique -name, profile directory, mod list and -nosound option. Keep the HC service’s restart policy separate from the main server’s policy so a crashed client can restart without unnecessarily restarting the mission server.
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- Set the service account and directory permissions before the first start.
- Store the password in the service manager’s protected configuration rather than exposing it in shared documentation.
- Capture stdout, the RPT file and BattlEye logs so an automatic restart does not erase the evidence of the failure.
- Start the server first, then the HC. On restart, wait until the game port is listening before launching the client.
Verify that the HC is doing useful work
Check the connection
Watch both the dedicated-server RPT log and the HC RPT log while the process starts. Confirm that:
- the HC reaches the intended server address and port;
- the server accepts the source IP as an HC;
- the HC appears as connected and occupies the intended playable HC slot;
- the HC remains connected after mission start; and
- the HC’s profile and BattlEye logs are created in the isolated directory.
Check locality and AI transfer
Observe the mission’s own HC status, locality diagnostics or framework log messages. Confirm that the expected AI groups become local to the HC and that scripts continue to execute correctly. If the HC is visible in the server but AI remains server-local, the network setup is working; the missing step is in the mission’s HC module or locality code.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshoot common failures
“Steam authentication failed” or the HC cannot join
- Check the exact server address, port and password in the HC command.
- Compare the connection’s source IP with the value in
headlessClients[]. For a container or NAT path, use the egress address visible to the server. - Confirm that the HC profile contains
battleyeLicense=1when BattlEye is enabled. - Read the server and HC RPT/BattlEye logs for the rejection reason before changing security settings.
A typo in the password and a missing allow-list entry can look similar from the client console, so validate each value rather than relying on a single error line.
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The HC connects and is immediately kicked
Compare the HC and server game builds, -mod= lists, mod order and signature files. Check whether the server’s duplicate-client policy or BattlEye policy is rejecting the process. If the HC uses a profile shared with another client, move it to the isolated profile described earlier and retry.
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No headless-client slot is available
Open the mission and verify that a playable HC unit exists and is free. Then compare the number of slots with the number of HC processes. A mission designed for one HC cannot necessarily accept several simply because the server can technically run several processes.
The HC cannot find its profile or write logs
Use explicit -name and -profiles values. On Windows, quote paths containing spaces. On Linux, check ownership, permissions and the service account’s ability to create files in the profile directory. A process that starts with a fallback profile can appear to run while silently writing logs somewhere other than the location you are monitoring.
The HC is connected but AI stays on the server
Inspect the mission framework’s HC option, initialization order and locality scripts. Confirm that the framework recognizes the HC’s assigned slot and that groups are eligible for transfer. The launch command cannot compensate for a mission that never assigns AI to the client.
A containerized HC cannot reach the server
Test connectivity from the container to the published game port, then inspect the server log to identify the source address it receives. Put that address in headlessClients[]. Opening a port or allow-listing only the container’s internal address does not fix a connection when outbound NAT rewrites the source.
Security and maintenance practices
- Allow-list only the addresses that should run HCs. Do not use a broad network range when a single host address is sufficient.
- Keep the server password out of public scripts, screenshots and shared chat. Protect service-manager configuration files.
- Keep BattlEye, signatures and server security enabled unless a documented, controlled test requires a temporary change.
- Update the server and HC together. A mismatched build can produce an authentication or post-join kick even when the network settings are correct.
- Synchronize mission mods deliberately. Record the exact mod list and order used by the working server so an HC restart does not load a different set.
- Rotate or archive RPT and BattlEye logs so repeated restarts do not exhaust disk space.
- After changing
server.cfg, restart or reload the dedicated server according to its normal configuration procedure and verify that the new allow-list is active.
Limits you should plan for
No authoritative general figure defines how much CPU an HC saves or how many HCs every server should run. An AI-heavy mission with expensive scripts may benefit from offloading, while a lightly scripted mission may gain little. Additional clients also consume CPU, memory, storage and network resources. Measure the mission’s behavior with one HC, then add another only when the server and mission logs show a specific workload that the extra process can handle.
Network placement matters as well. A same-host HC avoids an external route but competes for the machine’s resources. A separate host can provide more CPU isolation but introduces firewall, NAT and latency variables. A container simplifies packaging but adds another network namespace and permission boundary. Choose the layout that you can monitor and restart reliably, not merely the one that starts fastest.
Quick Recap
Quick installation checklist
- The dedicated server starts normally with its ordinary
server.cfg. - Every HC source IP visible to the server appears in
headlessClients[]. localClient[]contains the intended local or trusted address where the deployment needs that treatment.- The HC has a unique
-nameand an explicit, writable-profilesdirectory. - The HC profile accepts BattlEye with
battleyeLicense=1when BattlEye is enabled. - The mission contains enough playable HC slots for the processes you will launch.
- The HC uses the same game build, mission mods, signatures and required mod order as the server.
- The launch command includes
-client,-connect,-passwordand the correct port, plus profile and mod options. - Server and HC RPT logs show a stable connection and the intended HC slot.
- The mission framework confirms that AI groups, not just the network session, are being assigned to the HC.
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