Hytale server: become an adminGrant operator rights via the console - even to players who are offline right now

Published on October 4, 2026 · last updated on November 8, 2026

What an admin can do in Hytale

An operator - OP for short - has access to every command and tool the server offers. That includes moderation with kick and ban, switching the game mode, teleports, managing the whitelist and the creative tools for building. Regular players see none of this, because they lack the permissions.

Without admin rights, you as the owner have two routes left: the console in the web interface and the configuration files. For almost everything you do day to day, though, it is far more convenient to run commands directly in the game. An overview of the most important commands is in Hytale server commands.

Making yourself an admin

The way in is the console, because you do not have any rights in the game yet:

1. Start the server and wait until it has fully booted. On the very first start, you confirm a link and a code with your Hytale account once beforehand - both appear automatically in the console.
2. Connect to the server with your Hytale account, see Join a Hytale server.
3. Open the console in the web interface.
4. Type op add YourName and send it. In the console, you can leave out the slash in front of the command.

The console confirms the new operator. No restart is needed, the rights take effect immediately. From now on, you can also run commands in the game, then with a slash: /op add Name.

Many players know the /op self command from single player. It is meant for your own world - on a dedicated server, the route is op add in the console.

Making offline players an admin

Every Hytale account has a UUID, a fixed identifier that stays the same even when the player changes their name. With it, you grant rights to someone who is not connected right now:

op add 34ef6c2d-13be-3de0-ba01-6bca1d9af96b

There are two ways to find a player's UUID:

• Via command. /whoami prints your own player information, including the UUID, in the chat. The player can simply send it to you.
• Via the files. If the player has been on the server before, there is a file named after their UUID in the universe/players folder - reachable via the WebFTP file manager or via SFTP.

The UUID is also the safe choice when someone changes their name often: the rights are then tied to the identifier, not to the current name.

Taking admin rights away again

Going back is just as easy: op remove Name or op remove UUID. The player loses operator status immediately and is a regular player from then on.

That is the right step when someone leaves the group or a moderator only needed rights for one event. If you want to get rid of a player entirely, combine it with a ban - /ban Name - and remove them from the whitelist if needed, see Whitelist and password.

The permissions.json file

The server stores all operators and permission groups in the permissions.json file in the server directory. It records which player belongs to which group, for example the operator group.

In principle, you can edit the file with the config editor, but everyday operation does not require it. Two rules in case you do:

• Only while the server is stopped. Hytale reads the file at startup and rewrites it as soon as rights are granted in the game. Changes to a running instance are therefore overwritten.
• Valid JSON. A missing comma or an unclosed bracket is enough to stop the server from reading the file. Download a copy first, then the old state is back quickly.

For finer rights than "admin or not", there is the /perm command, which assigns specific permissions to groups and individual users. If you are planning an elaborate rank system, you will often reach for a permissions plugin - how plugins get onto the server is explained in Install mods and plugins.

Web interface access is something else

Admin rights in the game and access to the web interface are two separate things. An operator can do anything in the game, but cannot reach the files, the console or the restart button. If you want a fellow player to help with administration, give them their own web interface access via the subuser feature - with their own login, without sharing your password.

Conversely, not every subuser needs admin rights in the game. Especially for a shared round among friends, it is often enough for two people to be operators and for one of them to also get into the web interface, for example to change the settings or download a backup.

Hand out admin rights with care

An operator can ban players, change worlds and spawn items. On a public server, a carelessly granted OP status is therefore the biggest risk to your world. What has proven itself:

• Full operator rights only for you and a few fellow players you know well.
• Moderators in a group of their own with limited rights instead of blanket OP status.
• Before bigger actions - such as testing new building tools - download a copy of the world.

Frequently asked questions