Nightingale Admin Password: Kick, Ban and Cheats on a Server

A Nightingale dedicated server has no admin list. Instead you set an AdminPassword on the server, and any player who enters that password in game can kick and ban others. Cheats are a second, separate switch: the server must be started with -EnableCheats, the player's own game must also be launched with -EnableCheats, and the player still has to authenticate with the admin password before the cheat and debug menu works for them. No password, no admin, on either count.

The three passwords and switches at a glance

Everything below comes from Inflexion's dedicated server document (the guide for the 0.8 update and later), its FAQ, and the patch notes that introduced the Admin Panel in July 2025.

Step 1: Set the admin password

There are two ways in, and the command line wins if both are used.

In the config file. Copy NWX/Config/ExampleServerSettings.ini to NWX/Config/ServerSettings.ini and add the line under the existing section:

[/Script/NWX.NWXServerSettings]
Password=hearthfire
AdminPassword=only-the-two-of-us

On the command line. Add it to the start command, or in the Steam client under the server's Properties > Launch Options:

NWXServer.exe -log -ini:ServerSettings:[/Script/NWX.NWXServerSettings]:AdminPassword=only-the-two-of-us

Restart the server after either change. Pick an admin password that is different from the connection password. If they match, everyone you let in can also ban everyone else.

Step 2: Authenticate in game

Join the server as normal (Play, your character, Join a Game, IP/LAN). Once you are in, open the pause menu with Escape. Players on the Steam forums describe the admin settings there, where you enter the admin password to switch admin mode on for your session. Inflexion's guide only says players "authenticate in-game" with the password, so the exact wording on the button can shift between patches, but it lives on the Escape menu.

If the password is refused, the server is probably using a different value from a command line argument, covered in the problems table below.

Step 3: Kick or ban a player

Once authenticated, open the Social tab, which lists the players on the server. Select the player and use kick or ban from there. Players report bans happen through this menu, including one who was banned by accident by a host who did not read English, so slow down before clicking.

• Kick removes the player now. They can rejoin if they know the connection password.
• Ban stops the account from rejoining.

Inflexion has not published an unban command, and players asking on the forums have not found a ban list file to edit. Two practical rules follow from that:

1. Take a backup before a ban you might regret. Inflexion lists NWX/Saved/Offline, NWX/Saved/Config and NWX/Config as everything needed to capture a server's state. Realms and characters live in Saved/Offline, so the server's other saved state is in the two config folders. Restoring NWX/Saved/Config from a backup taken before the ban is the most likely undo, but Inflexion has not documented where bans are stored, so keep the full backup too.
2. Do not reset to unban. The official reset (deleting NWX/Saved/Offline and NWX/Saved/Config) also wipes every realm on the server.

If someone is a nuisance but not malicious, changing the connection password and restarting keeps them out without a ban.

Step 4: Turn on cheats with -EnableCheats

The July 2025 Dedicated Server update added what Inflexion calls the Admin Panel: "some of the debug tools and cheats our team finds helpful". It is off by default and has two halves.

On the server

Add -EnableCheats to the start line. Inflexion's guide is clear that it "can't currently be set in the config file":

NWXServer.exe -log -EnableCheats -ini:ServerSettings:[/Script/NWX.NWXServerSettings]:AdminPassword=only-the-two-of-us

On Linux the same arguments go after ./NWXServer.sh.

On each player who wants cheats

The client must also be launched with -EnableCheats. In Steam: right click Nightingale, Properties, and add -EnableCheats to Launch Options. On Epic, add it under the game's additional command line arguments in the launcher settings. Then join and authenticate with the admin password as in Step 2. Without the admin password, a player with the launch option gets nothing.

Where the cheats are

There are no typed cheat commands in Nightingale. Players who use it describe a debug menu that appears in the upper right corner of the in game menus (inventory, journal, map) once admin mode is active, with item spawning that lets you pick the item and then its characteristics and components. That makes it handy for testing an estate build or replacing gear lost to a bug, and easy to abuse, so keep the admin password to people you trust.

How it works outside dedicated servers

From Inflexion's guide, for comparison:

Problems and fixes

If players cannot get onto the server in the first place, that is a connection problem rather than an admin one; see Nightingale cannot connect to dedicated server.

On a GamezServers Nightingale server

On a Nightingale server from GamezServers, Admin Password and Connection Password are fields in the control panel, passed on the start line every time the server starts, so change them there rather than in ServerSettings.ini. Cheats need -EnableCheats on the start line; if you want a cheats enabled start option set up for your server, email support@gamezservers.com. One click backups cover the folders Inflexion lists, which is your safety net before a ban or a big debug session. Server setup from scratch is in how to host a Nightingale server.

FAQ

How do I become admin on a Nightingale dedicated server?

Set AdminPassword on the server, join, and enter that password in the admin settings on the Escape menu. There is no SteamID admin list.

How do I kick someone in Nightingale?

Authenticate with the admin password, open the Social tab, select the player and kick or ban them.

How do I enable cheats on a Nightingale server?

Start the server with -EnableCheats, launch your own game with -EnableCheats, then authenticate with the admin password.

Can I set -EnableCheats in ServerSettings.ini?

No. Inflexion's guide says it only works on the command line.

How do I unban a player in Nightingale?

There is no documented unban command. The most likely fix is restoring NWX/Saved/Config from a backup taken before the ban, with the server stopped.