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Managing Servers

This guide covers everyday operations: starting, stopping, and inspecting your CS2 servers using the csm binary.

Using csm

The main entrypoint for managing servers is the csm CLI/TUI:

sudo csm       # Launch interactive TUI (installs, updates, status, logs, cleanup)

From the TUI you can:

  • Install or repair servers (wizard).
  • Start / stop / restart all servers.
  • Check status and logs.
  • Run game or plugin updates.
  • Install / manage the auto-update monitor.

You can also call common actions directly from the CLI:

sudo csm install-deps           # Install core system dependencies
sudo csm bootstrap              # Install/redeploy servers
sudo csm start                  # Start all servers
sudo csm stop                   # Stop all servers
sudo csm restart                # Restart all servers
sudo csm status                 # Show tmux status in the CLI
sudo csm update-game            # Update CS2 game files
sudo csm update-plugins         # Update plugins (download + deploy)
sudo csm monitor                # Run one iteration of the auto-update monitor
sudo csm install-monitor-cron   # Install cron-based auto-update monitor
sudo csm cleanup-all            # Danger: remove all CS2 data and user

Consoles and logs via csm

Servers run inside tmux sessions for easy console access. The csm binary provides helpers:

sudo csm status          # See all server sessions
sudo csm attach 1        # Attach to server 1 console
sudo csm logs 1 100      # Show last 100 lines of console output
sudo csm list-sessions   # List all tmux sessions
sudo csm debug 1         # Run server 1 in foreground for debugging

When attached to a tmux session:

  • Press Ctrl+B, then D to detach without stopping the server.
  • Type commands directly into the CS2 console.

Where servers live

By default, server directories are under the CS2 user’s home, for example:

/home/cs2servermanager/server-1
/home/cs2servermanager/server-2
/home/cs2servermanager/server-3

Each server has its own game folder with CS2 binaries and configs. Shared configuration is managed via the repo’s overrides/ directory (see Guides → Configuration & Overrides).