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Prepare Don't Starve Together dedicated server mods for both shards

Subscribing to a Don't Starve Together Workshop mod on your own computer does not prove that a hosted dedicated cluster has downloaded or enabled it. Review the mod's server requirements and test both forest and caves before inviting players. Keep the working world and its previous mod settings recoverable throughout the trial.

Separate client and server requirements

Klei's mod guidance distinguishes Server and Client mods in the game's hosting interface. Read the Workshop author's installation instructions to determine which category applies and whether the mod supports dedicated servers and caves. Record the Workshop item, version information available to you and any required dependencies. Avoid substituting a similarly named mod.

Ask support which dedicated-mod workflow your panel template supports. It may expose a mod download list and separate activation settings, or expect files prepared through the game's own hosting interface. Do not assume the template reads the same personal Workshop folder your desktop client uses. Keep this distinction clear when reporting a missing mod.

Prepare a controlled two-shard test

  1. Download the current cluster configuration and make a full checkpoint of forest and caves. Record the working mod list and preserve any existing mod-specific data.
  2. Create an isolated test cluster or arrange a maintenance trial with expendable data. Stop both shards before changing their configuration.
  3. Add one compatible server mod through the panel's supported download and activation controls. Follow the mod author's documented shard requirements; do not assume that enabling it on Master automatically configures Caves.
  4. Start the test and inspect each shard's log for the mod load and the first error. A download-complete message does not establish that Lua configuration parsed or that the mod activated.
  5. Join with the required client setup, exercise the intended feature in the forest, travel to the caves and repeat the relevant check. Record where behaviour differs.

Keep diagnostics specific

Collect the first relevant error from each affected shard and the client's message at the same time. Klei identifies separate server-log locations for Master and Caves. Redact tokens and private account details before sharing them. If a dependency fails, record that failure before adding more mods or changing unrelated world options.

Check with an ordinary player as well as an organiser. Client-only interface behaviour can look different from a server feature, and an administrator account may conceal a permissions problem. Keep the original working set written down, including activation options, so you can compare a later update without relying on memory.

Remove a trial without losing world data

Read the author's removal instructions before disabling a mod that adds entities, characters or persistent mechanics. Use a copied world to assess that removal if the live world already contains its content. Klei notes that mods can prevent dedicated-server startup, but disabling everything on a valued save is not a complete recovery plan. Restore the recorded configuration and matching checkpoint when necessary, and preserve the failed test logs for support.

Klei client and server mod guidance; Klei diagnostic log guidance; Klei mod-related startup failures.

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