---
title: "Troubleshooting"
description: "The errors Asphyxia can print, what each one means, and how to fix it."
---

> Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.asphyxia.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Troubleshooting

Start with `asphyxia status` in your server console — it tells you whether the
config loaded, whether the integrity check is passing, and whether debug mode is
on. Most problems are visible from there.

## Asphyxia won't start

### "asphyxia_license is missing from your server.cfg"

```text
[Asphyxia.] › ✖ error Asphyxia can't start: `asphyxia_license` is missing from
                  your server.cfg. Copy it from your dashboard.
```

The convar isn't set, or it's set after `ensure asphyxia`. Copy the value from
your dashboard and make sure the `set` lines come **before** the `ensure`.

The same applies to `asphyxia_server_id`.

Also check you used `set` and not `setr` — and that there's no typo in the
convar name, since a misspelled one fails exactly like a missing one.

### "your license couldn't be verified"

```text
[Asphyxia.] › ✖ error Asphyxia can't start: your license couldn't be verified.
```

Working through the likely causes:

- **The license expired.** Check the [License page](/website/license).
- **The key or server ID is wrong.** Re-copy both from the dashboard; they're
  easy to swap.
- **The server can't reach the internet.** Asphyxia validates against
  `api.asphyxia.dev` at startup. A firewall blocking outbound HTTPS stops it.
- **The license is already in use on another server ID.** Each license is tied
  to the server it was issued for.

### "This server has no saved configuration yet"

```text
[Asphyxia.] › ✖ error This server has no saved configuration yet. Open your
                  dashboard, adjust the settings, press Save, then restart.
```

Asphyxia downloads its configuration from your dashboard at startup and won't
run without one. Open [Configuration](/website/configuration), press **Save**
once — even with no changes — and restart.

### "Couldn't reach the Asphyxia API"

Network-level. Confirm the server can make outbound HTTPS requests, and check
[status.asphyxia.dev](https://asphyxia.dev) in case the API itself is down.

### "its own files or the Lua runtime have been modified"

```text
[Asphyxia.] › ✖ error Asphyxia has stopped protecting this server — its own
                  files or the Lua runtime have been modified.
```

Asphyxia verifies its own files and key game functions at startup, and again
periodically. This means one of three things:

- **A file inside the resource was edited.** Even a comment counts. Replace the
  folder with a clean download.
- **The folder was renamed, or files added to it.** Keep it exactly as shipped.
- **Another resource replaced a core Lua function.** Some poorly-written
  resources overwrite globals. Stop other resources one at a time to find it.

The resource stops working, but nobody is kicked and nothing is deleted — your
server keeps running, just unprotected.

## Players get disconnected unexpectedly

### "their client never checked in after joining"

The player's game didn't finish loading in time, or the anti-cheat never
started on their machine. Occasional occurrences are normal.

A **sudden increase** usually means a resource on your server is stalling
clients during join. Look at what changed recently, and at any resource doing
heavy work on spawn.

### "their client stopped responding"

The player's game froze or crashed, or their connection dropped. They can
reconnect immediately.

Persistent cases across many players point at server performance. Check your
server's `resmon` output for a resource hogging client frame time.

> **Note**
>
> Neither of these is a ban. If a player says they were "banned for no reason"
> but you see one of these, they were disconnected and can rejoin. Check the
> [Bans page](/website/bans) to confirm no ban exists.

## A detection is firing on innocent players

1. **Confirm it's actually wrong**

   Open the [Strikes](/website/strikes) or [Logs](/website/logs) page and read the
   details. They record what was observed — a speed, a distance, a model name —
   which usually makes it obvious whether the reading was plausible.

2. **If it's one player, whitelist them**

   A developer or a scripted event tripping a check doesn't justify weakening
   protection for everyone. See [Whitelisting](/anticheat/whitelisting).

3. **If it's many players, raise the threshold**

   Most detections have adjustable limits on the
   [Configuration page](/website/configuration). Loosen the threshold before
   disabling the detection outright.

4. **Only then, disable it**

   If a detection is genuinely incompatible with your server, switch it off — but
   tell us on [Discord](https://discord.gg/asphyxia) first. A detection that
   misfires on your server probably misfires on others, and that's fixable.

## The admin menu won't open

Working down the list:

1. **Are you registered as an admin?** Check the
   [Admins page](/website/admins). Matching is by identifier, so the account
   you're playing on has to be the one you registered.
2. **Do you have `openAdminPanel`?** Without it, the command does nothing.
3. **Did you add yourself after the server started?** Run `asphyxia reload`, or
   restart.
4. **Is `screencapture` running?** The menu shares its NUI page.

## The dashboard says my server is offline

The dashboard reaches your game server directly over HTTP.

- Your server's HTTP port must be reachable from the internet.
- The IP, port and resource name on the
  [Servers page](/website/servers) must match reality.
- If your IP changed, update it — there's a cooldown between changes, shown on
  the page.

## Discord Lookup isn't working

| Message | Fix |
| :--- | :--- |
| "No Discord bot token is configured" | Set `asphyxia_discord_bot_token` — see [Server configuration](/anticheat/server-config) |
| "Discord rejected the bot token" | The token was reset or copied wrong. Generate a new one. |
| "No Discord account exists with that ID" | The ID is wrong, or the account was deleted. |
| "Discord is rate-limiting this server" | Too many lookups too fast. Wait a moment. |

## Still stuck

Join the [Asphyxia Discord](https://discord.gg/asphyxia). Bring:

- The output of `asphyxia status`
- The exact console error, copied rather than screenshotted
- Your server's build and framework
- What changed just before it broke

Source: https://docs.asphyxia.dev/anticheat/troubleshooting/index.mdx