How to Add an Admin by SteamID

SteamID is the only admin identity worth using. Names can be spoofed and IPs change, but a SteamID is bound to the account (or, on non-Steam servers, to a stable Reunion ID). This is the exact procedure to promote someone by SteamID in AMX Mod X, including the console shortcut that avoids editing files by hand.

1. Get the player's SteamID

With the player connected, run status in the server console or via RCON:

rcon status

Each row shows a STEAM_0:x:yyyyyyy authid. From inside the game an admin can also use:

amx_who

which prints every online player's SteamID and current flags. Copy the full ID including the STEAM_0: prefix and both colon-separated numbers.

If the player is not on the server right now, you need the ID from another source: their Steam profile URL (the friend/community ID converts to a SteamID), a previous status log line, or your ban/stats database. The one thing you must not do is guess — an off-by-one in the last number silently grants nothing. If status shows STEAM_ID_PENDING next to the name, the client has not finished authenticating yet; wait a few seconds and run it again before you copy anything.

2. Add the line to users.ini

Open addons/amxmodx/configs/users.ini and add one line. For a full admin:

"STEAM_0:0:12345678" "" "abcdefghijklmnopqrstu" "ce"

The four fields are identity, password, access flags, and account flags. The password is empty and the account flags are ce: c says "this is a SteamID", e says "no password needed". For a moderator instead of a full admin, swap the access column, e.g. cdefiju. The field meanings are broken down in users.ini explained.

3. Reload without changing the map

amx_reloadadmins

Run it in the console or as rcon amx_reloadadmins. The admin list is re-read immediately and connected players are re-evaluated, so the new admin gets access on the spot — no restart, no map change.

4. The shortcut: amx_addadmin

You do not have to edit the file by hand. The admincmd plugin provides:

amx_addadmin <name | #userid | authid | ip> <access flags> [password] [account flags]

For a connected player you can do it by name and let AMXX resolve the SteamID:

amx_addadmin "PlayerName" "abcdefghijklmnopqrstu" "" "ce"

This appends the correct line to users.ini and reloads admins for you. It is the safest route because it writes the SteamID in the exact format AMXX expects, avoiding transcription mistakes.

The trade-off is that amx_addadmin only writes to the flat users.ini; if you have moved admin management into a database with AMXBans, add the admin through that system's tables instead, or the two sources will disagree. On a plain users.ini server, though, amx_addadmin is the command to reach for during a live session — no file editor, no path confusion, and the reload happens automatically.

5. The universe-digit gotcha

Since the 2023 (25th Anniversary) client update, some setups report SteamIDs with a leading STEAM_1: instead of STEAM_0:. AMXX matches the string literally, so STEAM_0:0:12345678 and STEAM_1:0:12345678 are treated as different admins. If the player is not recognised, copy the ID exactly as status prints it for your server, or add both variants. On non-Steam servers, Reunion controls this format via its authid mode.

Common errors

• Admin prompted for a password — you used account flags c without e. It must be ce for a passwordless SteamID admin.
• Nothing happens after editing — you forgot amx_reloadadmins, or edited a copy of users.ini in the wrong server directory. Confirm the path under addons/amxmodx/configs/.
• Player still shows no flags in amx_who — SteamID mismatch: wrong universe digit, or you typed the numbers slightly wrong. Re-copy from status.
• Works, then breaks after a client update — the leading digit changed. See the universe-digit note above and admin not recognised.
• Non-Steam admin randomly loses access — without Reunion, non-Steam IDs are not stable. Install and configure Reunion first.

Verification

Have the new admin reconnect and type amx_who — their row must show the flag string you assigned. Then have them run one privileged command, for example amx_map de_dust2 (needs flag f): success confirms the grant end to end. If amx_who shows them with no flags, the identity line did not match and you are back to step 1 with a corrected SteamID.