amx_slap, amx_slay and amx_kick: Moderation Basics

Most in-game moderation on a CS 1.6 server is done with three AMX Mod X commands: amx_slap to nudge or hurt a player, amx_slay to kill them, and amx_kick to remove them. They are the lightest tools in the box — proportionate responses to a player who is being annoying rather than one who needs banning — and knowing how to target them precisely is what separates confident moderation from flailing.

1. amx_slap: a warning with teeth

amx_slap throws the target a short distance and optionally deals damage:

amx_slap <target> [damage]
amx_slap Camper 0      // slap with no damage — a pure nudge/warning
amx_slap Camper 10     // slap and take 10 HP

A zero-damage slap is the classic "knock it off" signal — it moves the player and plays the slap sound without risking a kill. Non-zero damage that exceeds the player's HP will kill them, so keep the number small if you only mean to warn.

2. amx_slay: end their round

amx_slay kills the target outright — useful for a player stuck in a wall, exploiting, or ignoring repeated slaps:

amx_slay <target>
amx_slay Exploiter

It only affects the current round; they respawn next round as normal. It is the right escalation from a slap when a player is actively abusing something and a warning has not landed.

3. amx_kick: send them to reconnect

amx_kick disconnects the player, with an optional reason shown to them:

amx_kick <target> [reason]
amx_kick Griefer "stop team-flashing"

A kick is not a ban — nothing stops them reconnecting immediately. Use it to break up a situation or force a config reload, and step up to a ban when they should not come back at all.

4. Targeting: names, userids and teams

All three commands share AMXX's target syntax, and using it well avoids hitting the wrong person:

• Name fragment — amx_slap Camp matches a player whose name contains "Camp". The match is case-insensitive and partial. If it is ambiguous, AMXX lists the matches instead of guessing, so you can re-run with more of the name.
• #userid — the unambiguous way. Get the userid from amx_who or status, then target it with a hash: amx_slay #12. The userid is stable for the length of that player's connection, so it will not drift the way a partial name can.
• Team and state tokens — many builds accept @CT, @T, @ALL, @ALIVE and @DEAD. For example amx_slay @T slays the whole Terrorist team, and amx_slap @ALL 0 nudges everyone at once. Use these carefully; they hit everyone that matches, so a mistaken @ALL with damage can wipe the server.

When two players have similar names — a real problem on non-Steam servers where impersonation is common — always fall back to #userid. It is the only target that cannot match the wrong person, and getting into the habit early saves you from the embarrassment of slaying an innocent player who happened to share three letters with the offender.

5. Access flags and immunity

Each command is gated by an access flag in users.ini: slap and slay require the slay flag (e), kick requires the kick flag (c). An admin missing the flag gets an access-denied message. All three also honour immunity — a player with the immunity flag cannot be slapped, slayed or kicked by another admin, which is exactly why immunity should be handed out sparingly. For the full letter-to-power mapping, keep the flags reference open.

Common errors

• "That was not a valid target" or multiple matches listed — your name fragment is ambiguous or matches nobody. Use #userid from amx_who.
• A slap kills the player — the damage value exceeded their remaining HP. Use 0 for a warning slap.
• Access denied — the admin lacks the slay (e) or kick (c) flag. Grant it in users.ini.
• Command silently does nothing to one player — that player has immunity. Remove their immunity flag or accept they are protected.
• Kicked player rejoins instantly — that is what a kick does; it is not a ban. Ban them if they should stay out.

Verification

On a test server, slap yourself with amx_slap YourName 0 and confirm the nudge and sound. Slay yourself and confirm you die and respawn next round. For kick, target a second test client by #userid and confirm they disconnect with your reason shown. Check that amx_show_activity in amxx.cfg reports the action to players the way you expect. If you prefer clicking to typing, the same three actions are one keypress away in the punish menu and the built-in amxmodmenu.