---
title: "Essential RCON Commands Every CS 1.6 Admin Needs"
excerpt: "A practical RCON command cheat sheet for CS 1.6 admins: status, changelevel, kick, ban, cvar changes, config exec and log control, with real syntax."
category: "administration"
tags: "rcon, commands"
image: ""
read_time: "8 min read"
---
<p>Once RCON is set up, the day-to-day job is a small set of commands you run from a client console. Any server command works through RCON by prefixing it with <code>rcon</code>; this is the shortlist that covers almost everything an admin does remotely. It assumes you have already set the password client-side as in <a href="/tutorials/rcon-setup-secure">RCON setup and security</a>.</p>

<h2>1. Authenticate first</h2>
<p>In your own client console, set the password once per session:</p>
<pre>rcon_password "your-server-password"</pre>
<p>Every command after that is <code>rcon &lt;command&gt;</code>. If you get <code>Bad rcon_password.</code>, the client value is wrong or empty.</p>

<h2>2. See what is happening</h2>
<table>
<thead><tr><th>Command</th><th>What it does</th></tr></thead>
<tbody>
<tr><td><code>rcon status</code></td><td>Map, hostname, and every player's userid, name, SteamID, ping and IP</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>rcon stats</code></td><td>Server CPU, in/out traffic and current FPS</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>rcon users</code></td><td>AMXX admin list currently recognised</td></tr>
<tr><td><code>rcon cvarlist</code></td><td>Dump all cvars (long; pipe/scroll)</td></tr>
</tbody>
</table>
<p><code>rcon status</code> is the one you will run most — the <code># userid</code> and SteamID it prints feed straight into kick and ban commands.</p>

<h2>3. Move the game along</h2>
<pre>rcon changelevel de_dust2
rcon map de_inferno
rcon sv_restart 1
rcon mp_timelimit 20
rcon mp_maxrounds 30</pre>
<p><code>changelevel</code> switches map without dropping the server; <code>map</code> does a harder reload. <code>sv_restart 1</code> restarts the current round after a one-second delay — handy after a config change.</p>

<h2>4. Deal with players</h2>
<pre>rcon kick #12
rcon kick "PlayerName"
rcon banid 30 #12
rcon banid 0 STEAM_0:0:12345678 kick
rcon addip 60 203.0.113.5
rcon removeid STEAM_0:0:12345678
rcon writeid</pre>
<p><code>#12</code> is the userid from <code>status</code>. <code>banid &lt;minutes&gt;</code> bans a SteamID (<code>0</code> = permanent); the trailing <code>kick</code> drops them immediately. <code>addip &lt;minutes&gt;</code> bans an IP. <strong><code>writeid</code> and <code>writeip</code> persist the ban lists to <code>banned.cfg</code> and <code>listip.cfg</code></strong> — without them the ban is lost on restart. If you run AMX Mod X, prefer <a href="/tutorials/amx-ban-commands">the amx_ban commands</a>, which log a reason and handle persistence for you.</p>

<h2>5. Configuration and logging</h2>
<pre>rcon exec server.cfg
rcon log on
rcon logaddress_add 203.0.113.9 27500
rcon sv_password "private"
rcon sv_password ""</pre>
<p><code>exec</code> re-runs a config file after you edit it. <code>log on</code> enables logging; <code>logaddress_add</code> streams logs to a stats daemon (HLstatsX and similar). Setting <code>sv_password</code> makes the server private; an empty value reopens it.</p>

<h2>6. AMXX through RCON</h2>
<p>Any AMXX admin command runs over RCON too, since RCON has implicit full access:</p>
<pre>rcon amx_reloadadmins
rcon amx_map de_nuke
rcon amx_slay "PlayerName"</pre>
<p>This is how you fix the admin list remotely without an in-game admin present.</p>

<h2>7. Map cycle and votes</h2>
<p>The map rotation is driven by <code>mapcycle.txt</code> in <code>cstrike/</code> and the <code>mapcyclefile</code> cvar. You can inspect and reload it live:</p>
<pre>rcon mapcyclefile
rcon mp_timelimit 20
rcon nextmap</pre>
<p>Editing <code>mapcycle.txt</code> then running <code>rcon exec server.cfg</code> (or a map change) picks up the new rotation. If you run an AMXX map-vote plugin such as <a href="/plugins/csb-mapchooser">CSB Mapchooser</a>, trigger it remotely with <code>rcon amx_startvote</code>-style commands the plugin registers — the built-in engine vote is rarely what a modern server uses.</p>

<h2>8. Shut down cleanly</h2>
<pre>rcon quit</pre>
<p><code>quit</code> (alias <code>exit</code>) stops the server process. If you run under systemd or <code>hlds_run</code>'s auto-restart wrapper, it will come back up — which is often exactly what you want for a clean reload.</p>

<h2>Common errors</h2>
<ul>
<li><strong><code>Bad rcon_password.</code></strong> — set <code>rcon_password</code> in your client console first. See <a href="/tutorials/fix-bad-rcon-password">the fix</a>.</li>
<li><strong>Ban gone after restart</strong> — you banned but never ran <code>writeid</code> / <code>writeip</code>. Always follow a manual ban with a write.</li>
<li><strong><code>kick #12</code> kicks the wrong person</strong> — userids are reassigned as players leave. Re-run <code>rcon status</code> immediately before kicking.</li>
<li><strong>cvar change reverts on map change</strong> — you set it live but did not put it in <code>server.cfg</code>. Live changes do not persist; edit the config and <code>exec</code> it.</li>
<li><strong>Command silently ignored</strong> — a few cvars are marked protected and cannot be set remotely; check the console for a <code>not allowed</code> notice.</li>
</ul>

<h2>Verification</h2>
<p>Run <code>rcon status</code> — a full player table confirms you are authenticated and connected. Then make a harmless change like <code>rcon mp_timelimit 25</code> and confirm it with <code>rcon mp_timelimit</code> (printing it back). If both work, your RCON channel is healthy. For locking that channel down, revisit <a href="/tutorials/rcon-setup-secure">RCON setup and security</a>.</p>