Granting Admin Privileges on an Eco Dedicated Server

Why Bother With Admins

Eco is a survival game with a built-in deadline. Between collapsing ecosystems and the looming meteor, running a dedicated server without admin access is a special kind of suffering. Adding admins unlocks a long list of server commands, useful for moderation, debugging, spawning entities, adjusting the world, and occasionally rescuing the planet you accidentally polluted.

The process lives entirely inside one config file. This guide walks through finding the right Steam identifier, editing the file, validating the JSON, and running commands once you are in game.

Step 1: Get the Player's SteamID64

Eco identifies admins by their 17-digit SteamID64. Profile names will not work.

1. Open the SteamID.io website in your browser.
2. Paste the target Steam profile URL or vanity name into the input field and search.

1. Confirm the returned profile actually matches the player you want to promote. Mistaken identity is a classic reason an admin command fails later.
2. Find the steamID64 row. The 17-digit number on the right is what you need.

Copy that string somewhere handy. You will paste it into the config in a moment.

Step 2: Edit Users.eco

The admin list lives in `Users.eco`, in the server's config folder.

1. Log in to your server panel and stop the server. Editing a live config can cause writes to be overwritten on shutdown.
2. From your panel menu, open the config files section.
3. Open the Users.eco file in the editor.

1. Scroll near the bottom until you reach the `Admins` block.
2. Replace the empty `"$values": []` line with:

``` "$values": [ "SteamID64" ] ```

1. Swap `SteamID64` for the actual ID string you copied earlier. Keep the quotes.
2. Save the file at the top of the editor, but leave the server stopped for now. There is one more check ahead.

Adding More Than One Admin

For multiple admins, separate each ID with a comma. A clean line break between entries keeps the file readable:

``` "$values": [ "SteamID64_1", "SteamID64_2", "SteamID64_3" ] ```

Every ID needs its own pair of quotes. A missing quote or stray comma is enough to break the file.

Step 3: Validate the JSON

Eco is unforgiving with malformed config files. One stray character and the server crashes the moment it starts. Catching errors before booting saves a lot of confused log reading.

1. Open a JSON validator such as JSONLint.
2. Copy the full contents of `Users.eco` and paste them into the validator.

1. Click Validate and check the result.
2. If the file is clean, you are good to start the server.

If the validator flags an error, scroll to the line it points to and fix the offender. Usually it is a missing comma, an extra comma after the last entry, or an unmatched quote. Save again and re-validate until it passes.

Step 4: Run Commands In Game

Once the server is running and you have joined, admin commands are entered through the chat bar.

• Press / to open chat with the slash already in place.
• Type the command, for example `/noon` to set time to midday.
• Hit Enter to run it.

The chat box prints feedback for success and failure, so you can tell at a glance whether a command landed.

Troubleshooting

Server crashes on startup. Nine times out of ten this is a JSON error in `Users.eco`. Open the server console and look for parse errors, then run the file through a validator again. If you genuinely cannot find the problem, delete `Users.eco`, restart the server to regenerate a fresh copy, and redo the edit. Faster than staring at brackets for an hour.

"You don't have permission." Either the admin entry did not save, or a digit in the SteamID64 is wrong. Try a basic admin command like `/noon` to confirm the failure. Reopen `Users.eco`, double-check that your edits are still there, and verify the ID character by character. Save, restart, and try again.

Useful References

• SteamID.io for finding SteamID64 values
• JSONLint for validating config files
• The rest of the Eco guides in your knowledge base for command lists and world settings