Fix: amx_ Commands Return 'Unknown command'

You type amx_slap or amx_who in the console and get back Unknown command: amx_slap. That single response tells you something specific: AMX Mod X is not running. The amx_ commands are registered by AMXX plugins, so if the console does not recognise them, the whole chain that loads AMXX has broken somewhere. Trace it from the bottom up.

1. Understand the load chain

Admin commands only exist if this entire stack is intact, in order:

1. The mod's liblist.gam (or addons/metamod/... wiring) loads Metamod.
2. Metamod's plugins.ini loads the AMX Mod X core module.
3. AMXX reads its configs/plugins.ini and loads admin.amxx and the command plugins.
4. Those plugins register the amx_ commands.

"Unknown command" means the break is at step 1 or 2 — AMXX itself is not up. "Command works but I have no access" is a different, later problem.

2. Is Metamod loaded?

From the server console, ask Metamod directly:

meta version

If you get Unknown command: meta version, Metamod is not loaded at all — nothing above it can run. The mod is not chaining to Metamod. Check that the game DLL line points at Metamod. On a Linux ReHLDS/HLDS install, cstrike/liblist.gam should hand the game off to Metamod, for example:

gamedll_linux "addons/metamod/dlls/metamod_i386.so"

(Path and filename vary by build — the point is that the mod loads Metamod, not the stock game DLL directly.) If meta version does respond, Metamod is fine and the problem is above it.

3. Is the AMXX module loaded under Metamod?

meta list

This lists every Metamod plugin and its status. AMX Mod X should appear as running. If it is missing, its line is absent from addons/metamod/plugins.ini; add it. If it shows bad load or an error, the AMXX module path is wrong or the binary does not match the platform — a Windows .dll on Linux, or vice versa.

4. Did the admin plugins actually load?

If AMXX is running under Metamod, drop into AMXX's own view:

amxx plugins

You are looking for admin.amxx and the command plugins reading running. If admin.amxx is missing, its line is commented or absent in addons/amxmodx/configs/plugins.ini; if it says bad load, a required module failed — see module failed to load. Order matters here too: admin.amxx must load early, per plugins.ini load order.

5. Command exists but is refused (a different symptom)

If amx_slap is recognised but tells you that you lack access, AMXX is loaded correctly — your admin entry is the problem. That is not "Unknown command"; that is an access-flags issue in configs/users.ini. Confirm your SteamID and flags are set and that you authenticated. This is covered in the admin-setup material rather than here, since AMXX is clearly running.

6. The most common single cause

In practice, the overwhelming majority of "amx_ commands are unknown" reports come down to one of two things, and it is worth checking them before anything else. The first is that Metamod never loaded because the game-DLL line still points at the stock game binary — someone reinstalled the mod, or an update overwrote liblist.gam, and the Metamod hand-off was lost. meta version returning Unknown command confirms it instantly. The second is a platform mismatch: an AMXX or Metamod binary for the wrong operating system, which loads as bad load and takes every amx_ command down with it. A Linux server needs the .so builds throughout; copying a Windows setup onto a Linux box, or the reverse, breaks the whole chain even though every config file looks correct.

Work the chain in order — Metamod, then the AMXX module under it, then the plugins — and do not skip ahead. Fixing plugins.ini is pointless if Metamod itself is not loaded, and the three console commands below tell you exactly which rung is broken.

Troubleshooting

• meta version is Unknown command — Metamod is not loaded. Fix the game-DLL wiring so the mod loads Metamod, then restart.
• meta list does not show AMX Mod X — its line is missing from Metamod's plugins.ini. Add it and change map.
• AMXX shows bad load in meta list — wrong-platform binary or a bad path. Match the .so/.dll to your OS.
• amxx plugins is missing admin.amxx — the line is commented or absent in AMXX's plugins.ini. Enable it.
• Command recognised but access denied — not an "Unknown command" case; fix your entry in users.ini.
• Everything looks loaded but commands still unknown — you are typing in in-game chat, not the console, or you edited a config that is only re-read on map change. Change the map and retry from the console.

Verification

Walk the chain top to bottom in the console and confirm each layer answers:

meta version
meta list
amxx plugins

Metamod should report a version, meta list should show AMX Mod X running, and amxx plugins should show admin.amxx running. Once all three are healthy, amx_who will return a player list instead of "Unknown command." If you fixed a config file along the way, change the map first — Metamod and AMXX only re-read their plugin lists on map change or restart.