How to Install LabAPI Plugins on Your SCP: Secret Laboratory Server

LabAPI is Northwood's official plugin loader for SCP: Secret Laboratory. It is already included in every dedicated server build — there is nothing to install, you can start uploading plugins right away.

LabAPI and EXILED

EXILED is built on top of LabAPI: the Exiled Loader is itself loaded as a LabAPI plugin. Both systems therefore run alongside each other without issues. EXILED plugins still belong in their own directories — see Install EXILED Plugins.

Note

Many plugins are released in separate variants for LabAPI and EXILED. When downloading, check which framework the .dll file was built for — this guide covers LabAPI plugins.

Where are the LabAPI folders?

LabAPI creates its folders automatically on the first server start. Replace <Port> with the Game Port of your server — you can find it in the dashboard under Overview:

Directory	Purpose
/.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/LabAPI/plugins/global/	Plugins the server always loads
/.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/LabAPI/plugins/<Port>/	Plugins loaded only with this Game Port
/.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/LabAPI/dependencies/global/	Additional libraries some plugins require
/.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/LabAPI/configs/	Configuration files of the plugins

Tip

Use the plugins/global/ folder for your plugins. The Game Port is assigned automatically and can change — plugins in the global folder are not affected by this and are always loaded.

Install a plugin

1. Download the plugin
   Download the .dll file of the plugin you want to install — usually from the GitHub release page of the plugin developer. Also download any dependencies the plugin lists in its description.

2. Stop the server
   Stop your server via the dashboard.

3. Connect via SFTP
   Connect to your server via SFTP.

4. Upload the plugin
   Upload the .dll file to the following directory:

   /.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/LabAPI/plugins/global/

5. Upload dependencies
   If the plugin requires additional libraries, upload them to the following directory:

   /.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/LabAPI/dependencies/global/

6. Start the server
   Start your server via the dashboard. LabAPI loads the plugin automatically on start-up and reports it in the start-up output of the console.

Warning

If a plugin lists another plugin as a dependency, that plugin still belongs in the plugins folder, not in the dependencies folder. Only plain libraries go into the dependencies folder.

Configure a plugin

After a plugin is loaded successfully for the first time, LabAPI creates a dedicated configuration folder for it — replace <Port> with the Game Port of your server:

/.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/LabAPI/configs/<Port>/<plugin name>/

It always contains a properties.yml, which lets you enable or disable the plugin. If a plugin has settings of its own, its configuration file is stored there as well — a config.yml by default. All files use the YAML format.

1. Edit the configuration
   Open the configuration file of your plugin and adjust the values to your liking. Make sure the file remains valid YAML — otherwise the plugin falls back to its default values or fails to load.

2. Restart the server
   Restart your server so the changes take effect.

Note

Some plugins store their configuration under /.config/SCP Secret Laboratory/LabAPI/configs/global/<plugin name>/ instead — it then applies regardless of the Game Port.

Warning

The plugin version must match the LabAPI version of your server. LabAPI is updated together with the server build — a plugin built for a different major version of LabAPI will not be loaded, and the console shows a corresponding error message on start-up.

Tip

Install plugins one at a time and watch the console during server start after each new plugin. Loading errors appear right at the beginning — this makes it much easier to spot conflicts or incompatibilities.