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To create a cluster token, open Don’t Starve Together, press the ~ (tilde) key to open the developer console, run TheNet:GenerateClusterToken(), and press Enter. The game writes cluster_token.txt to your Klei data folder. Copy that file into your server’s cluster directory—normally DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1—make sure it contains only the token, then restart the server. A missing or invalid token keeps the server offline.
This guide covers the in-game method, the account-site method described by some hosting guides, exact file locations, hosted-panel setups, security, and the failures that prevent a cluster from appearing online.
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A cluster token is a secret string that identifies a Don’t Starve Together server cluster to Klei’s online services. It acts as proof that the cluster is licensed and gives Klei a way to moderate the server. The token is read when the server starts; without a valid value, the cluster cannot complete its online registration.
The token belongs to the cluster, not to an individual shard. A typical world uses a master shard and one or more caves shards under the same cluster directory. Place one token at the cluster level so every shard launched from that cluster can use it.
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Do not confuse a cluster token with a player account identifier. A token authorizes the server connection. A KU_ user ID identifies a player and is entered separately in adminlist.txt when you want to grant that player administrative privileges.
Before you generate a token
- Install and launch Don’t Starve Together on the account that will generate the token.
- Log in to the game and make sure the developer console can open with the tilde key. On layouts where tilde is difficult to access, try the key that produces a backtick (
`) or the equivalent key assigned by your keyboard layout. - Know which operating-system account runs your dedicated server. The token file is first written to the Klei data directory of the account running the game, which may not be the same account used by a service or hosting panel.
- Stop the dedicated server before replacing its token. Copying a new file while the process is running can leave the current process using the old value.
- Have access to the cluster directory. The default cluster is usually named
Cluster_1, but a custom launch command or hosting panel may use a different cluster name.
Method 1: Generate the token in the game console
This is the most consistently documented method. Community references describe the following command; a Klei help page confirming the command was not available in the material reviewed, so verify the command if a future game update changes console behavior.
- Launch Don’t Starve Together and sign in.
- From the game, press
~to open the developer console. - Enter
TheNet:GenerateClusterToken()exactly, including the capital letters, colon, parentheses, and no quotation marks. - Press Enter. The command should create a file named
cluster_token.txtin your Klei data directory. - Exit or minimize the game and locate the newly created file. If you already had a token, check its modified time so you do not accidentally copy an older file.
- Copy the file into the cluster directory used by the dedicated server, then restart the server.
The command creates the file; it does not necessarily place it directly inside the dedicated server’s cluster folder. Treat the generated file as the source copy and install a copy in each cluster that needs to run online.
Where the command writes the file
| Operating system | Klei data directory | Expected token path |
|---|---|---|
| Unix-like systems, including Linux | ~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether |
~/.klei/DoNotStarveTogether/cluster_token.txt |
| Windows | DocumentsKleiDoNotStarveTogether |
DocumentsKleiDoNotStarveTogethercluster_token.txt |
On Linux, the tilde means the home directory of the user who launched the game. A dedicated-server service may run as another user, so a token generated under your desktop account will not automatically appear in that service user’s home directory. In that case, copy the file explicitly to the server user’s cluster directory and preserve its contents exactly.
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Put cluster_token.txt in the cluster folder
The server expects the token file inside the cluster directory, normally DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1/cluster_token.txt. The exact parent path depends on your installation and launch configuration; the important part is that the file is in the cluster folder selected by the server, not merely somewhere in the game installation directory.
- Stop the server process.
- Open the directory containing your cluster configuration files. A normal cluster contains files such as
cluster.ini, shard folders, and world settings. - Open the cluster named by your launch configuration, commonly
Cluster_1. - Copy
cluster_token.txtdirectly into that folder. Do not put it insideMasterorCavesunless your hosting panel explicitly documents a different layout. - Open the file with a plain-text editor and check that it contains the token as one line. Remove leading or trailing spaces, blank lines, quotation marks, and explanatory text.
- Save the file with the exact name
cluster_token.txt. On Windows, disable hidden extensions or inspect the full name to ensure it did not becomecluster_token.txt.txt. - Start the server and wait for registration to complete.
Keep a private backup of the token only if you can protect it. Do not paste it into public support posts, screenshots, repository files, or chat messages.
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Using a hosting control panel
Hosted servers may hide the filesystem and provide a token field instead. Some panels place this setting on a Startup tab or in a cluster-configuration page. If the panel offers a dedicated cluster-token field, paste the token there rather than creating a second file that the panel will overwrite.
- Stop the instance from the panel.
- Open the panel’s Startup, Configuration, or cluster settings area and look for a field labeled Cluster Token or Token.
- Paste only the token string. Do not include
cluster_token.txt, quotes, spaces, or a code block. - Save the configuration and restart the instance.
- If the panel provides a file manager instead, open the active cluster folder and upload
cluster_token.txtthere. - Confirm that the panel is starting the same cluster folder where you uploaded the file. A token in an unused cluster directory will not be read.
Panel labels and layouts change, so follow the provider’s current path when it conflicts with a generic file layout. The underlying requirement remains the same: the running cluster must receive one valid token value.
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Method 2: Create a token from the Klei account site
Several hosting guides describe a web-based alternative. They instruct you to sign in to the Klei account site, open the games area, choose Don’t Starve Together game servers, select Add New Server, name the server, and copy the token shown by the site. One path cited by those guides is accounts.klei.com/account/game/servers?game=DontStarveTogether.
This web workflow is not confirmed by a primary Klei help page in the available documentation, and descriptions differ. In particular, guides disagree about the token’s starting characters and describe lengths of more than 90 characters. Do not rely on a claimed prefix or fixed character count; copy the complete value displayed for your account.
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- Open the Klei account page and sign in with the account associated with your game.
- Navigate to the Don’t Starve Together server area, if it is present in your account.
- Choose the control for adding a new server and provide a recognizable name.
- Copy the entire token exactly as displayed.
- Paste it into the hosting panel’s token field or save it as
cluster_token.txtin the active cluster folder. - Restart the server and check whether it comes online.
If the server-management page or Add New Server control is absent, use the in-game console method instead. Do not substitute an unrelated account value, such as a KU_ user ID, for the cluster token.
Choosing between the two methods
| Consideration | In-game console | Klei account website |
|---|---|---|
| Evidence status | Widely documented community procedure; primary Klei confirmation was not available. | Described by multiple hosting guides; primary Klei confirmation was not available. |
| Where it starts | Inside the game with TheNet:GenerateClusterToken(). |
In the account’s game-server page, when that page is available. |
| Login requirement | Requires an in-game login. | Requires a Klei account-site login. |
| Output | Creates cluster_token.txt in the Klei data directory. |
Displays a token to copy into a file or panel field. |
| Hosted-panel fit | Works when you can upload the generated file or paste its contents. | Convenient when a panel asks for a token value, but availability varies. |
| Best first choice | Use this when you can run the game and access the console. | Use only when the account page is available and the in-game route is impractical. |
Token formatting rules
- The filename must be exactly
cluster_token.txt. - The file should contain the token only, on a single line.
- Do not add spaces before or after the token.
- Do not add blank lines, labels such as
token=, quotation marks, or Markdown backticks. - Use a plain-text editor. Rich-text editors can insert formatting characters that make an otherwise correct token invalid.
- Preserve capitalization and punctuation exactly as generated or displayed.
A token’s visible prefix and length are not reliable validation tests because published guides disagree. The server’s ability to register is the meaningful test.
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Troubleshooting a server that stays offline
No cluster_token.txt appears
Run the command again while logged in and watch for console feedback. Then check the correct Klei directory for your operating system. On Unix-like systems, inspect the home directory of the user who launched the game; on Windows, check DocumentsKleiDoNotStarveTogether. Search for the exact filename, including its extension. If the file was created under a different operating-system account, copy it from that account’s Klei folder.
The file exists, but the server still reports no token
Verify that you copied the file into the active cluster folder rather than the general Klei directory, a shard folder, or an unused cluster such as an old Cluster_1. Check the server’s launch configuration or panel selection to identify the cluster it actually starts. Stop and restart after correcting the location.
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Open the file as plain text and remove every character except the token itself. Common causes are an accidental label, a copied quote, a trailing space, a second line, or a Windows filename with a duplicated extension. If you copied from a browser, copy the token again and compare the beginning and end carefully without assuming a particular prefix.
The web page does not show server management
The account-site workflow is not available for every account or may have changed. Do not guess a URL or use a token from another game. Generate the token with the in-game console and install the resulting file instead.
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The server worked, then stopped after a move
Moving the installation can change the operating-system user, cluster path, or panel-selected directory. Locate the token in the old installation, copy it to the new active cluster, and confirm that the new process has permission to read the file. A token stored only in the old path will not follow the server automatically.
An old guide uses TheNet:GenerateServerToken()
Older forum posts mention that command, but the more widely documented current command is TheNet:GenerateClusterToken(). Use the cluster-token command for this procedure. Another command sometimes suggested online, TheNet:GetServerListingRowAt, is not supported by the documented methods and should not be used to generate a token.
Cluster token versus administrator access
Generating a token and granting administrator privileges are separate operations. The account that generates the token is reported by community documentation to gain in-game admin access, but that does not turn the token into an admin-list entry. To authorize additional players, obtain each player’s KU_ user ID and put one ID per line in adminlist.txt. Never place the cluster token in that file, and never publish either file.
Protecting and replacing a compromised token
Treat the token like a server credential. Anyone who obtains it may be able to impersonate the server, so restrict filesystem permissions and avoid storing it in public version-control repositories or unencrypted shared notes.
Host guides advise deleting a compromised token through the Klei account website and generating a replacement. Because that rotation procedure is not confirmed in a primary Klei policy page here, use the account site’s current controls if they are available; otherwise generate a fresh token with the in-game command and replace the old value everywhere the cluster is configured. Restart every affected server after replacement and remove obsolete copies.
Final pre-launch checklist
TheNet:GenerateClusterToken()was run successfully, or a token was copied from the available account-server page.- The file is named
cluster_token.txt, notcluster_token.txt.txt. - The contents are one token line with no spaces, blank lines, labels, or quotes.
- The file is inside the cluster directory selected by the server, normally
DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1. - The server process was stopped before the file was replaced.
- The process user can read the file.
- The server was restarted after the token was installed.
- The token was kept private and is not being confused with a
KU_ID inadminlist.txt.
Once those checks pass, the cluster should be able to register online. If it remains offline, return to the active cluster path and token contents first; those are the two points most often changed when a server is moved between a desktop, a dedicated machine, and a hosting panel.
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