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To keep a Don’t Starve Together dedicated server running when nobody is connected, stop the server, open DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini, and set pause_when_empty = false in the [GAMEPLAY] section. Save the file, then start or restart the server. The change keeps world simulation advancing while the server is empty.
What pause_when_empty controls
pause_when_empty is a cluster-level gameplay option in the dedicated server’s cluster.ini file. The Steam Community dedicated-server guide defines it as “Pause the server when there are no players connected.” The value determines whether the simulation stops after the last player disconnects.
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|---|---|---|
true |
The world pauses when everyone disconnects. | World time, scheduled events and other simulation activity wait until someone returns. |
false |
The world continues running while empty. | Seasons, spoilage, crops, farms, mobs, timers and other time-based systems can continue progressing without players online. |
Use false when you want a persistent world that progresses between play sessions. This is useful for farms, timers or long-running progression, but it also means the world can change while the server has no players to supervise it. Food can spoil, crops can advance, seasonal conditions can change and creatures or other timed systems can continue following the normal simulation.
Before you edit the file
Stop the server first
Shut down the dedicated server from its console or control panel before editing. A running process may rewrite configuration during shutdown or overwrite your change when it saves its current state. A clean stop also ensures that the next launch reads the saved value.
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Confirm which installation is active
Dedicated servers can have more than one world, backup or test installation. Identify the cluster that your server actually starts. Editing a similarly named directory, an old backup or a client-side configuration will not affect the live world.
Keep a recoverable copy
Make a copy of cluster.ini before changing it. The only intended edit for this task is the value of pause_when_empty; a backup lets you restore the previous configuration if another setting is accidentally changed.
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Change the setting on a self-managed dedicated server
- Stop the server. Use the normal shutdown command or your service manager and wait until the process is fully stopped.
- Open the cluster configuration directory. The file is normally at
DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini. A common Linux container path is/home/container/DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini. - Open
cluster.iniin a plain-text editor. Do not use a word processor that can add formatting or alter punctuation. - Find the
[GAMEPLAY]section. Configuration sections are marked by a name in square brackets. The option belongs under[GAMEPLAY], not in a shard-specific save file or a client configuration. - Locate the key. Find the line named
pause_when_empty. If the file already contains the key, edit only its value. - Set the value to lowercase
false. The resulting line should be exactly:pause_when_empty = false - Save the file. Preserve the
.iniextension and the existing section layout. - Start or restart the server. The setting is loaded when the cluster starts; changing the file while the server is running does not reliably apply it to the current process.
- Verify the behavior. Join once to confirm that the edited cluster is the one you use, then have every player disconnect. After the server has been empty for a while, reconnect and check whether time-based world activity advanced.
If the key is absent, add pause_when_empty = false inside the existing [GAMEPLAY] section rather than creating a second section with the same name. Keep one active definition of the key so that the server has an unambiguous value to read.
Change it through a managed-host control panel
Managed providers expose the same file through labels such as Files, Configuration or File Manager. The button names differ, but the file and value do not.
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- Open the server’s control panel and use its stop or shutdown control.
- Open the file browser, configuration editor or file-management area.
- Browse to
DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini. In a containerized service, the visible root may include/home/container/. - Open the active cluster’s
cluster.iniand locate[GAMEPLAY]. - Change the line to
pause_when_empty = false, or add that line under[GAMEPLAY]if the key is missing. - Save the file using the panel’s save or apply control.
- Start or restart the server from the panel. Some panels keep a cached process or template, so a restart is required before the new value is read.
If the panel offers a generated configuration or startup template, check whether it repopulates cluster.ini whenever the server is installed or reset. In that case, edit the provider’s authoritative configuration field as well as the file, or the template may restore true on the next deployment.
Multi-shard and multi-machine clusters
A cluster can contain more than one shard or run components on separate machines. The option remains a cluster-level setting, but the file you edit must be the one used by the active cluster. Do not assume that changing an arbitrary shard directory changes the whole installation.
Identify the authoritative file
Follow your host’s documented layout to determine which cluster.ini controls the cluster. If the provider presents one cluster-level editor, use that instead of editing a copied file on an individual node. When several directories look identical, compare their modification times and startup configuration, or ask the provider which path is mounted for the live service.
Check whether values must match
The Steam dedicated-server guide notes that some settings are master-only while others must match in each cluster.ini. Apply the host’s instructions for this option. If the setup requires matching files, set pause_when_empty = false consistently wherever the provider says the cluster reads gameplay settings. If the host identifies a master-only file, do not add conflicting values to secondary copies.
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Restart all required processes
In a multi-shard arrangement, restarting only one process can leave the cluster using mixed configuration. Stop and start the components the host identifies as belonging to the cluster, then test with all players disconnected.
How to verify that auto-pause is disabled
Verification should distinguish a real setting change from an edit to an inactive file.
- Check the saved text. Reopen the active file after saving and confirm the key reads
pause_when_empty = false, with the spelling and lowercase value intact. - Confirm a clean restart. Ensure the server process stopped before the edit and that the current start operation completed afterward.
- Use a controlled disconnect. Have every player leave, then reconnect after enough time for a visible time-based change. Compare a crop, farm, timer or other system that was observed before disconnecting.
- Check the correct world. If your account can access multiple clusters, verify that you rejoined the same cluster whose file you edited.
- Inspect panel status. A control panel may show the service as running even while a restart is queued. Wait for the new process to start before judging the result.
The setting does not make the server run faster; it changes whether simulation time is allowed to advance while empty. A brief test that ends immediately after disconnecting may not show a noticeable difference, so use a clearly time-dependent world element and a meaningful interval.
Troubleshooting when the world still pauses
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
The file shows false, but behavior is unchanged. |
The edit was made in an inactive cluster, backup or client configuration. | Trace the startup path and edit the active cluster’s DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini. |
| The line looks correct, but the server ignores it. | The value is misspelled, capitalized differently or contains an invalid replacement. | Use the exact key pause_when_empty and the literal lowercase value false. |
| The change worked once and reverted. | A host template, reinstall, reset or panel synchronization rewrote the file. | Update the provider’s authoritative template or configuration field, then restart and recheck the file. |
| One shard behaves differently from another. | Shard files contain inconsistent values or the host expects a master-only setting. | Follow the host’s cluster instructions and apply the value to the files it identifies as authoritative. |
| The panel reports a save, but gameplay does not change. | The process was never restarted, or a queued restart has not completed. | Stop the service, verify the saved line, then perform a full start/restart. |
| The server will not start after editing. | Section structure, punctuation or another unrelated line was altered. | Restore the backup, reapply only pause_when_empty = false under [GAMEPLAY], and start again. |
Check the exact spelling
The key contains underscores: pause_when_empty. Common mistakes include omitting an underscore, using a hyphen, placing the line outside [GAMEPLAY] or typing a word other than the literal lowercase false.
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Check for an overwritten file
Stop the server, save the edit, and immediately reopen the file. If the value changed back before startup, a panel or deployment process is managing the file. The provider’s configuration editor or template is then the place that must be changed.
Check the cluster and shard scope
A server can have several cluster.ini files. Editing a file in a test cluster, an old world or a secondary mount has no effect on the live world. Confirm the cluster name, startup mapping and shard arrangement with the host’s file layout.
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Reasons to use false
- Farms and crops should keep progressing between sessions.
- Timers or scheduled systems should continue even when the player population is zero.
- You want a persistent world whose seasons and other simulation clocks do not wait for the next login.
- Players connect at different times and should find that the shared world has continued to evolve.
Reasons to keep true
- You want to prevent spoilage or other resource loss while nobody can monitor the world.
- Your group plays in short, infrequent sessions and prefers the world to resume where it stopped.
- Your server has limited moderation or backup coverage and you want fewer unattended changes.
- Seasonal or creature activity continuing without players would create unwanted difficulty for your group.
There is no universally correct value. false prioritizes continuous progression; true prioritizes a paused world when empty. Choose the behavior before changing the file, because disabling auto-pause affects every player using that cluster.
Operational considerations after disabling auto-pause
Resource and world-state changes
With the world running unattended, time-based systems can advance during every empty period. Seasons, spoilage, crops, mobs and other simulation timers can be potential effects. Plan storage, food production and seasonal preparation around elapsed real time rather than only around logged-in play time.
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Backups and maintenance
Keep regular world backups through your host or your own maintenance process. A continuously advancing world can accumulate changes while no players are present, so a recent backup is useful if a configuration mistake, provider reset or unexpected simulation result requires recovery.
Planned downtime
When performing updates or file changes, stop the server deliberately instead of relying on auto-pause. Auto-pause is a gameplay setting, not a maintenance lock: it does not protect a running process while you edit files or perform administrative work.
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Player communication
Tell players that the world continues while empty. They can then prepare food, crops, storage and seasonal activities before disconnecting, rather than assuming that the world clock stops with the last player.
Quick reference
| Item | Correct value or location |
|---|---|
| Configuration file | DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini |
| Common Linux container path | /home/container/DoNotStarveTogether/config/server/cluster.ini |
| Section | [GAMEPLAY] |
| Key | pause_when_empty |
| Value that keeps the world running | false |
| Required service action | Stop before editing; start or restart after saving |
The complete setting is:
[GAMEPLAY]
pause_when_empty = falseOnce that line is in the active cluster configuration and the server has been restarted, the dedicated world is allowed to continue simulating while no players are connected.
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