AMX Mod X Installed but Not Loading: The Install Checklist

You copied AMX Mod X into addons/, restarted, typed amx_version, and got nothing. AMX Mod X not loading is almost never mysterious — it is a broken link in a fixed chain: the engine loads Metamod, Metamod loads the AMX Mod X core, the core loads its modules and then your plugins. If any link fails, everything above it silently does nothing. This checklist walks the chain from the bottom up so you find the broken link instead of guessing.

1. Confirm Metamod is loaded first

AMX Mod X is a Metamod plugin, so if Metamod is not loaded, AMX Mod X cannot be either. Metamod is enabled by a gamedll line in liblist.gam (or metamod.dll/.so referenced there). At startup the console prints Metamod's banner; if you never see Metamod announce itself, fix that before touching AMX Mod X. See Metamod bad load. Confirm at runtime from the server console:

meta list

AMX Mod X must appear in that list with a RUN status. If it is not in meta list at all, Metamod is not being told to load it — check addons/metamod/plugins.ini (the Metamod one, not the AMXX one) for the line pointing at the AMX Mod X core:

linux addons/amxmodx/dlls/amxmodx_mm_i386.so
win32 addons\amxmodx\dlls\amxmodx_mm.dll

2. Verify the core actually initialised

If AMX Mod X is in meta list but shows a bad status, the core loaded but failed. Check the console at boot for the AMX Mod X banner and any error, and run:

amxx version

No response here means the core is not running even though Metamod referenced it — usually a wrong path in the Metamod plugins.ini or a 32/64-bit mismatch (below).

3. The 32-bit trap on Linux

HLDS/ReHLDS and the AMX Mod X binaries are 32-bit. On a 64-bit Linux host without the i386 C libraries, the .so cannot be loaded and Metamod reports it failed. The tell is a load error mentioning the library cannot be opened or wrong ELF class. Install the 32-bit libraries as in 32-bit libraries on Linux. This is the single most common reason a fresh AMX Mod X install "does nothing" on a modern 64-bit server, and it produces no obvious message unless you read the load lines carefully, so check it early rather than reinstalling everything in frustration.

4. Check plugins.ini and the plugins folder

The core can load fine while your plugins do not. Plugins are listed in addons/amxmodx/configs/plugins.ini and the .amxx files live in addons/amxmodx/plugins/. Run:

amxx plugins

Each plugin shows running, paused, or bad load. A bad load means the file is missing, corrupt, or needs a module you do not have — see plugins bad load. If the list is empty, plugins.ini is not being read: wrong path, or you edited a copy in the wrong configs folder. Remember the list is only re-read on map change, so change the map after editing.

5. Check the modules the plugins need

Plugins that need a module (cstrike, fun, csx, sqlx) fail to load if that module is not enabled in addons/amxmodx/configs/modules.ini. Confirm the modules are running:

amxx modules

A module reading bad load here cascades into every plugin that depends on it; see module failed to load and installing modules.

Common errors

• amx_version unknown command — the core is not running. Work up from meta list; AMX Mod X is not in Metamod's chain.
• AMX Mod X missing from meta list — the Metamod plugins.ini line is wrong or absent, or the path points at a file that does not exist.
• Load error mentioning the .so cannot be opened — missing 32-bit libraries on a 64-bit host. Install i386 libs.
• Core runs but no admin commands — plugins loaded but you are not recognised as admin; that is a users.ini/auth problem, not a load problem.
• Edited plugins.ini, nothing changed — it is re-read on map change only. Change the map.

Verification

Walk the chain in order and confirm each rung: meta list shows AMX Mod X as RUN, amxx version prints a version, amxx modules shows your modules running, and amxx plugins shows your plugins running. When all four are clean, amx_version in the console returns the version string and admin commands respond. If any rung is broken, that rung is your problem — everything above it will stay silent until you fix it. For a clean install from scratch, follow installing AMX Mod X 1.9.