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Change trader hours on the server that actually runs your world. On older and many dedicated-server setups, stop the server, back up its files, and edit every trader entry in Data/Config/traders.xml. Set each entry’s open_time and close_time, save the XML, restart the server, and test in game. Servers using the newer 3.x sandbox settings may instead expose a built-in Trader Hours selector, including Always Open and BM Closed. That setting is separate from the 24 Hour Cycle and Daylight Length controls.
Choose the method your server supports
7 Days to Die has two configuration models in circulation. Older guides generally point to direct XML editing. A current 3.x server-settings reference places many gameplay sliders in the sandbox-code system rather than in the ordinary serverconfig.xml file. Check the server’s sandbox settings first; if there is no Trader Hours control, edit the active traders.xml file instead.
| Method | Where you change it | Scope | Client installation | Blood-moon option |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sandbox Trader Hours | Server’s sandbox settings editor | Preset applied by the server | Server-side setting | Includes BM Closed |
| Direct XML | Data/Config/traders.xml |
Each <trader_info> entry can have its own times |
Server-side file | Controlled by the times and other configuration in the file |
| Server-side mod | Server’s Mods folder |
Depends on the mod; TradersNeverSleep patches every trader | Install on the server; check the mod’s compatibility requirements | Depends on the mod’s behavior |
Do not edit only a local client copy when you are playing on a dedicated or rented server. The running server reads its own configuration. A change on your PC will not alter a remote world unless that PC is also the machine hosting the server.
Before editing: stop, back up, and identify the active server
- Stop the dedicated server cleanly. Editing while the process is running can leave the file unchanged, overwritten, or partially read.
- Back up the current configuration. Copy the whole server configuration folder, or at minimum
Data/Config/traders.xmland the server’s sandbox settings. Give the copy a date-based name so you can restore the previous schedule. - Identify the installation used by the running instance. On a self-hosted server, this is the game-server directory launched by your service, script, or command line. On a rented host, use the provider’s file manager or SFTP connection and work in the server’s installation, not in a downloaded client installation.
- Check for a sandbox editor. If the control panel or current 3.x settings interface has a Trader Hours field, use it and save the server settings there. If that control is absent, continue with the XML procedure.
Change hours in the sandbox settings editor
When the server exposes the newer sandbox control, open its settings editor and locate Trader Hours. The available presets documented for the current 3.x model are:
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| Preset | Hours | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Default | Preset-defined | Uses the server’s default trader schedule. |
| Morning | 04:00–12:00 | Traders are available during the morning window. |
| Mid Day | 10:00–18:00 | Traders are available through the middle of the day. |
| Evening | 16:00–22:00 | Traders are available from late afternoon into the evening. |
| Night | 22:00–04:00 | Traders are available overnight. |
| BM Closed | Preset-defined | Closes traders during the blood moon according to the preset’s rules. |
| Always Open | 24 hours | Keeps traders available continuously through the in-game day. |
- Open the server’s sandbox settings editor.
- Select the required value under Trader Hours.
- Save or apply the settings using the control panel’s normal save action.
- Restart the server if the panel does not automatically restart it.
- Join the world and test a trader during a period that was previously closed.
Trader Hours is independent of 24 Hour Cycle and Daylight Length. Changing the length of a game day does not, by itself, make traders stay open longer or alter their opening and closing times. Those controls affect the passage of time and daylight, while Trader Hours defines availability.
Change custom hours in traders.xml
Direct XML editing is the useful fallback when the sandbox editor does not offer Trader Hours, and it is also the way to create schedules that do not match the built-in presets.
1. Open the correct file
In the active server installation, open:
Data/Config/traders.xml
The Fun Pimps community guidance identifies this as the file to edit and notes that a rented server uses the same location on the server. Use a plain-text editor that preserves XML and saves the file with the .xml extension. Do not rename it to .txt, and do not edit a similarly named file in a client-only installation.
2. Find every trader entry
Search for <trader_info. The documented schema includes the attributes id, reset_interval, open_time, and close_time. A documented example is:
<trader_info id="1" reset_interval="3" open_time="4:05" close_time="21:50">
Do not remove attributes that are unrelated to hours. Preserve the surrounding XML structure, quotation marks, and closing tags. A malformed document can prevent the server from loading the configuration.
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3. Set the opening and closing times
Replace the values of open_time and close_time with the desired 24-hour times. Apply the change to every trader entry that should share the schedule. If you edit only trader ID 1, the other traders can retain their original hours.
For example, a custom schedule opening at 06:00 and closing at 23:00 would use:
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Use the same time format throughout the file. Keep the colon separator and valid hour-and-minute values. The exact schedule is per entry, so repeat the edit for each trader that needs the new window.
4. Save, restart, and verify
- Save
traders.xmlin the same directory with the same filename. - Start or restart the dedicated server so it reloads the XML.
- Join the world and note the actual in-game time.
- Visit a trader during a period that used to be closed.
- Test both sides of the boundary: just before opening and just after closing.
If the trader still shows as closed, assume the running server did not load the file until you have confirmed the path, restart, and schedule. Check the server log for XML parsing errors if the service fails to start.
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How to make traders open 24/7
Use the built-in option when available
Select Always Open in the sandbox editor when that preset is exposed by your server version. This is the least invasive approach because it uses the server’s own settings model and does not require a separate mod.
Use XML when no sandbox option exists
Set each relevant trader’s opening and closing values to cover the entire day, using the format accepted by that version’s XML. The documented direct-edit approach is to change every <trader_info> entry rather than changing only one. Restart the server and test at more than one in-game time.
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Use a compatible server-side mod
TradersNeverSleep is documented as a server-side mod that patches every trader’s open_time and close_time to 00:00–23:59. Install a compatible version in the server’s Mods folder, not merely in a client folder. Check for another mod that also patches traders.xml; two modifications targeting the same entries can overwrite one another or produce an unexpected schedule.
A mod is not automatically safer than editing XML. It adds a version-compatibility dependency and another possible source of conflicts. Prefer the built-in setting when the server provides it, and keep a backup before installing or removing a mod.
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What the default schedule means
Current mod documentation describes the vanilla-style schedule as traders closing at 21:50 and reopening at 04:05. The XML example uses those same values. The newer sandbox reference lists an XML Default preset of 04:00–22:00, so the displayed default can differ by configuration model or version. Treat the values shown by your server as authoritative for that installation rather than assuming every release uses one universal pair of times.
The five-minute difference at each boundary matters when testing. A character arriving at 04:00 may still find a trader closed under a 04:05 XML schedule, while a 21:50 closing value may reject a transaction that would be allowed under a 22:00 preset.
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Self-hosted dedicated server
Find the directory used by the dedicated-server executable or launch script. If several game installations exist, compare the path in the service configuration with the directory you are editing. Stop the service, back up the file, make the change, and restart that same service.
Rented server
Connect through the host’s file manager or SFTP. Browse to the server installation’s Data/Config/traders.xml, edit the remote file, save it, and use the host’s restart control. A client-side copy on your gaming computer does not change the rented instance.
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Peer-hosted or local game
Use the installation belonging to the machine that creates the game session. Other players receive the schedule from that host. If the world is later moved to a dedicated server, repeat the configuration on the new server because the active installation has changed.
Preserve or change blood-moon behavior
If you want traders available normally but closed during blood moons, choose BM Closed when the sandbox editor offers it. A direct XML schedule changes the regular opening and closing attributes; it does not automatically reproduce a named sandbox preset’s special blood-moon logic. A mod can also implement its own behavior, so read its compatibility notes before assuming that an always-open patch preserves blood-moon closures.
Troubleshooting: when the hours do not change
The file appears unchanged in game
- Confirm the edit was made on the server, not in a local client folder.
- Check that the path is exactly
Data/Config/traders.xmlunder the active installation. - Restart the server after saving; many hosts do not reload XML while the process is running.
- Verify that you changed every trader entry that you intended to change.
- Check the in-game clock and test a time clearly inside the new window, not exactly on a boundary.
The server will not start after editing
- Restore the backup to confirm that the XML edit caused the failure.
- Inspect the edited line for a missing quote, angle bracket, or closing tag.
- Make sure the editor did not add a second extension such as
.xml.txt. - Preserve all attributes and surrounding elements; change only the time values until the server loads successfully.
A mod keeps reverting the schedule
Look in the server’s Mods folder for modifications that patch trader definitions or copy a replacement traders.xml. Disable conflicting modifications one at a time, restart, and test again. If the mod is required, make the schedule change through its documented configuration rather than editing a file that the mod regenerates.
Only one trader follows the new hours
Each <trader_info> entry can carry its own times. Search the entire file and update the other entries, then restart. Do not assume that changing the first matching line changes all traders.
A safe change-and-test checklist
- Server process stopped before editing.
- Current configuration backed up.
- Active server installation identified.
- Sandbox Trader Hours checked first on a 3.x server.
- Correct remote file used for a rented server.
- Every intended
<trader_info>entry updated. - 24-hour time format preserved.
- XML structure and surrounding attributes left intact.
- Server restarted after saving.
- Opening and closing boundaries tested in game.
- Mods checked for conflicts with
traders.xml.
Which approach should you use?
Use the sandbox editor’s Always Open, BM Closed, or time-window preset when your 3.x server exposes it. It is the clearest way to select a supported schedule. Use direct XML editing when you need per-trader control or a custom window, or when the server has no Trader Hours setting. Use a server-side mod only when you need behavior supplied by that mod and have confirmed that its version matches the server and does not conflict with another trader-file modification.
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