How to Adjust the Most Important Gameplay Settings on Your SCP: Secret Laboratory Server

The config_gameplay.txt file controls how your server behaves in-game. This guide bundles the most important settings for the intercom, AFK kick, idle mode, spawn protection, round restarts and broadcasts — each with a short overview of the keys and a ready-to-use recipe.

Prerequisite

The guide Edit configuration files shows you where the configuration files are located, how to edit them and how to apply changes safely. All settings in this guide belong in the following file — replace <Port> with the game port of your server shown in the Overview of the dashboard:

/.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/config/<Port>/config_gameplay.txt

Warning

Stop your server before editing the file, and make sure you are working in the folder of the current game port — multiple port folders can exist under /.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/config/, but the server only reads the one matching the current game port. See the guide Edit configuration files for details.

Intercom

The intercom lets players make an announcement to everyone. These keys control how long players may speak and how long the intercom is locked afterwards:

Key	Default	Effect
intercom_cooldown	120	Time in seconds before the intercom becomes available again after an announcement
intercom_max_speech_time	20	Maximum speech time in seconds per announcement

Recipe — longer announcements, shorter cooldown:

intercom_max_speech_time: 30
intercom_cooldown: 60

AFK Kick and Idle Mode

AFK kick

Inactive players are removed from the server automatically:

Key	Default	Effect
afk_time	90	Time in seconds until an inactive player is kicked — SCP-079 gets an extra 13 seconds
constantly_check_afk	false	Enables the constant AFK check
afk_kick_message	AFK	Message shown to the kicked player

Recipe — more patience with inactive players and a clearer kick message:

afk_time: 180
afk_kick_message: You have been removed from the server for inactivity.

Idle mode

In idle mode, the server lowers its tickrate while nobody is connected — this saves CPU resources on empty servers:

Key	Default	Effect
idle_mode_enabled	false	Enables or disables idle mode
idle_mode_time	5000	Time in milliseconds until idle mode activates
idle_mode_preauth_time	30000	Idle mode wait time in milliseconds after a connection attempt (preauth)
idle_mode_tickrate	1	Tickrate of the server while in idle mode

Recipe — save CPU while the server is empty:

idle_mode_enabled: true

You can leave the remaining idle mode values at their defaults.

Spawn Protection

Spawn protection keeps freshly spawned reinforcements from being killed right as they enter the game:

Key	Default	Effect
spawn_protect_enabled	false	Enables spawn protection
spawn_protect_time	8	Spawn protection length in seconds
spawn_protect_can_shoot	false	Controls whether protected players may shoot — by default, protection ends as soon as a player equips a firearm
spawn_protect_prevent_all	false	Set to true, the protection blocks all damage; by default only friendly fire damage is blocked
spawn_protect_team	1, 2	Teams with spawn protection — 1 = MTF, 2 = Chaos Insurgency

Recipe — enable spawn protection for reinforcements:

spawn_protect_enabled: true
spawn_protect_time: 10

Round Restarts

These keys control what happens after a round ends and whether late joiners still spawn in:

Key	Default	Effect
auto_round_restart_time	10	Time in seconds between the end of a round and the automatic round restart
restart_after_rounds	0	Full server restart after the specified number of rounds — 0 disables the feature
enable_fast_round_restart	false	Enables the fast round restart — according to the official reference, this feature can be buggy
fast_round_restart_delay	3.2	Delay of the fast round restart
late_join_time	0	Time in seconds after the round starts during which newly joining players still spawn in

Recipe — free up memory regularly: A full server restart every few rounds counteracts slowly growing memory usage. Since your server runs behind LocalAdmin, it is restarted automatically after shutting down — you do not have to do anything in the dashboard.

restart_after_rounds: 15

Broadcasts for Kicks and Bans

Your server can show a message to all players when someone is kicked or banned. The guide Kick and ban players shows you how to kick and ban players.

Key	Default	Effect
broadcast_bans	true	Shows a broadcast message when a player is banned
broadcast_ban_text	%nick% has been banned from this server.	Text of the ban message — %nick% is replaced with the player name
broadcast_ban_duration	5	Display duration of the ban message in seconds
broadcast_kicks	false	Shows a broadcast message when a player is kicked
broadcast_kick_text	%nick% has been kicked from this server.	Text of the kick message — %nick% is replaced with the player name
broadcast_kick_duration	5	Display duration of the kick message in seconds

Recipe — enable kick broadcasts with custom messages:

broadcast_kicks: true
broadcast_kick_text: %nick% was kicked from this server.
broadcast_ban_text: %nick% was banned from this server.

Special Topics in the Same File

Two frequently requested topics also live in config_gameplay.txt but have their own guides:

• Friendly fire including the automatic teamkill punishments: Configure friendly fire
• Whitelist, so only listed players can join: Set up a whitelist

Note

The default values in this guide match the official configuration reference as of 2026. Game updates can change values and keys — when in doubt, check the comments directly in your own config_gameplay.txt, they describe every setting.