How to stop Workshop updates from breaking your Garry's Mod server

Your Garry's Mod server worked yesterday and breaks today, because the server pulls every Workshop addon update at each start and nothing asks you first. RCON Hub fixes it: its GMod Manager pack pins your addons to the versions you have, checks each item against the Workshop, and restarts the server if a bad update freezes it.

Why Workshop updates break Garry's Mod servers

A Garry's Mod server downloads its Workshop addons by itself, every time it starts. If an author pushed an update overnight, your server gets it at the next restart.

Most updates are fine. Some aren't. One update throws Lua errors on every map. Another clashes with an addon it used to work with. A few are worse: an addon that turns bad and ships backdoor code.

Facepunch's own advice is to turn off updates at start with host_workshop_autoupdate 0. Doing that by hand is the easy part. The hard part:

• Remembering which addons you froze, and when you last updated them.
• Spotting which addon changed when the server breaks.
• Noticing when an author removes an item or makes it private.

You find out from your players, usually at peak time.

What the game and other tools leave out

• Updates land at every start. The server takes whatever the Workshop has, with no review. GMod Manager's version pin writes host_workshop_autoupdate 0 for you, so the server keeps the versions it has.
• No sign of what changed. The server doesn't tell you which item updated. GMod Manager shows when each item was last updated on the Workshop, right in your item list.
• Pulled items fail quietly. A removed or private item just stops downloading. GMod Manager checks your items against the Workshop and flags removed, private and wrong-game items.
• A bad update can freeze the server. A Lua addon stuck in a loop freezes the server without it stopping, so a plain crash check misses it. GMod Manager restarts the server when it answers neither Steam's query nor RCON, after 90 seconds by default.
• New code arrives unchecked. GMod Manager checks changed addons for backdoor code after every start, and only warns.

How RCON Hub fixes it

GMod Manager handles updates from its Workshop page. Pin the versions, and the server keeps them until you choose to update. When you do, unpin, start the server once, and the changed items get checked for backdoor code. Pin again when you're happy. Missing textures are a separate fix: see how to make players download Workshop addons.

Step-by-step setup

1. Install RCON Hub. Download it from rconhub.gg and run the installer. It's free for Windows 10 and 11.
2. Add the Garry's Mod game pack. Open RCON Hub. On Your games, click Add game, pick Garry's Mod and click Install.
3. Set up your server. Open the Garry's Mod card. Click Install it for me to download the dedicated server with SteamCMD (about 6.5 GB). Already have one? Paste the folder that holds srcds.exe and click Use it.
4. List your addons. Open the Workshop page. In Add a mod, paste your collection or item links. Each item under Items shows when it was last updated on the Workshop.
5. Check the list. Click Check on the Workshop. Any item marked with a problem is removed, private or not a Garry's Mod item. Replace it or click Remove.
6. Pin the versions. Under Updates, tick Keep these versions (no updates at start). It applies at the next start.
7. Turn on the watchdogs. On the Server page, tick Restart the server automatically if it crashes. Under Port, program and extra launch options, set Restart when frozen after (seconds; 0: never).
8. Update on your terms. When you want updates, untick the pin and restart at a quiet time. Click Check for backdoors, test the server, then tick the pin again.

Don't leave the pin on forever. An outdated map can stop players joining, so take updates now and then.

The pin and the backdoor check work on servers on this PC, where GMod Manager writes the server's config and reads its downloads.

Is it safe?

Yes.

• It runs locally. RCON Hub and GMod Manager run on your own Windows PC. GMod Manager never opens the RCON port in your firewall or on your router.
• No injection. RCON Hub never touches the game client or your players' games. There's nothing for VAC to flag, so it won't get anyone banned.
• Nothing gets deleted. The pin only stops updates, and the backdoor check only warns.
• Your secrets stay put. The Game Server Login Token is stored encrypted, and the RCON password never goes on the command line.

It's beta software. Back up your server's settings and data before you change things.

Update when you choose, not when the Workshop does

Your server should only change when you say so. Download RCON Hub, add the Garry's Mod pack, and pin your addons today.

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