Wesnoth Server Admin Commands (/query admin, kick, ban, motd)

To use admin commands on your own Wesnoth server, type /query admin yourpassword in the lobby chat, using the passwd value from wesnothd.cfg. After that, commands go through /query: /query kick <nick> [reason], /query kban <nick> <time> <reason>, /query ban <nick or ip> <time> <reason>, /query unban <ip>, /query motd <text>, /query lobbymsg <text> and /query stopgame <nick> [reason]. /query help lists everything your server version supports.

These are the commands of wesnothd, the server program. They work on any server you run, and they are the same ones the official server's moderators use.

Logging in as admin

The admin password is the passwd key in wesnothd.cfg:

passwd="a-long-admin-password"

In the lobby, type:

/query admin a-long-admin-password

The server confirms you are an admin. Type it in the lobby chat, not in a private message window or a game's chat, and check for typos before you hit Enter so the password does not end up in public chat. /query signout drops your admin rights again.

If nobody sets a passwd, there is no admin login on that server at all.

Commands anyone can use

Some queries are open to every player:

Finding the right person

Masks accept * and ? wildcards, so /query status Troll* finds every nickname starting with Troll. Wesnoth lobbies without a registration database let anyone pick any free name, so searchlog and clones are how you connect a returning troublemaker to their old names.

Kicking and banning

/query kick Troll42 Spamming the lobby
/query kban Troll42 1D Repeated spam after warning
/query ban 203.0.113.* 7D Ban evasion
/query bans
/query unban 203.0.113.*

• kick disconnects the user. They can come straight back. A reason is optional.
• kban kicks and bans in one step. A time and a reason are required.
• ban bans by nickname mask or IP mask. With a nickname, the server bans the IP that user is connected from. Anything with a dot is treated as an IP mask. A reason is required, the command refuses without one.
• bans lists current bans. unban removes a ban by IP mask.

Bans are IP based, which means two things: shared networks (a school, a dorm) get banned together, and anyone with a new IP is back. Use short bans first.

Ban time format

Times are numbers with units, combined freely:

1D12h is a day and a half, 30m is half an hour. permanent or 0 makes a ban permanent. You can also define your own shortcuts in wesnothd.cfg:

[ban_time]
    name="week"
    time="7D"
[/ban_time]

Then /query kban Troll42 week Repeated harassment works. Keep ban_save_file set in the config so bans survive a restart.

Talking to the lobby

/query motd League round 3 starts Friday 20:00 UTC. Check the forum for pairings.
/query lobbymsg Server restart in 10 minutes, please finish your turns.
/query msg Server restart in 10 minutes.
/query pm Alice Your match is reported, thanks.

motd changes the message of the day until the server restarts. To make it permanent, put it in wesnothd.cfg as motd="...". lobbymsg reaches players in the lobby, msg reaches everyone including players in games, and pm sends a private message as the server.

Ending a game

/query stopgame Hostname Abandoned game holding a slot

stopgame ends the game hosted by that nickname. Use it for games left open by someone who walked away, or for a game being used to harass people.

Game hosts have their own tools inside their game: the host can remove a player from that game without any admin rights. Server admin commands are for the lobby as a whole.

Restricting who can log in

/query dul yes

dul is short for deny_unregistered_login. It only does anything on servers with a user database (the [user_handler] section, which the official server uses with its forum accounts). On a simple private lobby without registration, keep your lobby private with a firewall rule or an unlisted address instead.

Reloading and stopping the server

On Linux you can reload wesnothd.cfg without dropping anyone by sending the process SIGHUP. Remote shutdown and restart through /query are off unless allow_remote_shutdown=yes is in the config; by default they only work through the server's command fifo.

Moderating a lobby with GamezServers

On a Wesnoth server with us, the Admin Password and Message of the Day are fields in the control panel and are written into wesnothd.cfg each time the server starts, so the /query admin password is always the one you set there. Everything else, from ban_save_file to [ban_time] shortcuts, is in the file manager. A restart button applies changes, and the live console shows joins, kicks and bans. For setup see how to host a Battle for Wesnoth server, and if players cannot get in at all, check the version mismatch fix.

FAQ

How do I become admin on my Wesnoth server?

Set passwd in wesnothd.cfg, then type /query admin followed by that password in the lobby chat.

What is the difference between kick, kban and ban in Wesnoth?

kick disconnects without a ban, kban kicks and bans in one step, and ban adds a ban by nickname or IP mask without needing the user to be online if you use an IP.

Why does my Wesnoth ban command fail?

Usually a missing reason or an unreadable time. ban and kban need a time like 1D and a reason after it.

Does /query motd change the message permanently?

No. It lasts until the server restarts. Put the message in wesnothd.cfg, or the panel's Message of the Day field, to keep it.