How to Configure DST Mods with modoverrides.lua

Enable mods, set their per-mod options, and apply them to both Master and Caves shards on your Don't Starve Together server.

Don't Starve Together uses a two-file mod system that confuses everyone:

mods/dedicated_server_mods_setup.lua — tells the server which mods to download
Cluster_1/Master/modoverrides.lua — tells each shard which mods to enable and how to configure them

This page covers the second half — modoverrides.lua. If you haven't downloaded the mods yet, start with Install Mods.

File Locations

Each shard has its own modoverrides.lua:

DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1/Master/modoverrides.lua
DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1/Caves/modoverrides.lua

If a file doesn't exist, create it. Both shards need their own copy if you want the mod active in caves too — placing it only in Master/ means caves run vanilla.

File Format

return {
  ["workshop-2902364746"] = {
    enabled = true,
  },
  ["workshop-378160973"] = {
    enabled = true,
    configuration_options = {
      LANG = "english",
      ICON_SCALE = 1.5,
      SHOW_CRAFTING = true,
    },
  },
}

Part	Required	Description
`["workshop-XXXXX"]`	Yes	The Steam Workshop ID prefixed with `workshop-`
`enabled = true`	Yes	Without this the mod is downloaded but not loaded
`configuration_options = { ... }`	No	Per-mod options — only some mods have these

Find a Mod's Configuration Options

Mod options come from each mod's modinfo.lua file. To find them:

After the server downloads a mod, navigate to:

mods/workshop-<MOD_ID>/modinfo.lua

Look for a configuration_options table near the bottom. Each entry has a name and a default value:

configuration_options = {
  {
    name = "LANG",
    label = "Language",
    options = {
      { description = "English", data = "english" },
      { description = "中文", data = "chinese" },
    },
    default = "english",
  },
}

Use the name and one of the valid data values in your modoverrides.lua:

configuration_options = {
  LANG = "english",
}

If a mod doesn't have a configuration_options block in modinfo.lua, it has no settings — just enabled = true is enough.

Add a Mod to Both Shards

Stop the server

Edit Master/modoverrides.lua

Open DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1/Master/modoverrides.lua (create it if missing). Add your mod entry:

return {
  ["workshop-2902364746"] = { enabled = true },
}

Copy the same file to Caves

Open or create DoNotStarveTogether/Cluster_1/Caves/modoverrides.lua with identical contents:

return {
  ["workshop-2902364746"] = { enabled = true },
}

Start the server

Mods load on boot. Watch the console for [workshop-XXXXX] Mod loaded lines.

Disable a Mod Without Removing It

Set enabled = false instead of removing the entry. This keeps the mod downloaded so re-enabling later doesn't trigger another download:

return {
  ["workshop-2902364746"] = { enabled = false },
}

Example: Common Mod Pack

return {
  -- Global Positions: shows all players on the map
  ["workshop-378160973"] = {
    enabled = true,
    configuration_options = {
      SHOWFIREICONS = true,
      SHAREMINIMAPPROGRESS = true,
    },
  },

  -- Combined Status: shows hunger/sanity/HP numbers
  ["workshop-376333686"] = {
    enabled = true,
  },

  -- Geometric Placement: snap-to-grid building
  ["workshop-351325790"] = {
    enabled = true,
  },

  -- Storage Sort: tooltip search in chests
  ["workshop-2487113060"] = {
    enabled = true,
  },
}

Drop this into both Master/modoverrides.lua and Caves/modoverrides.lua, restart, and you have a quality-of-life-modded server.

Common Issues

Problem	Cause	Fix
Mod downloaded but not active	Missing `enabled = true`	Add it
Mod active on surface but not caves	Only in `Master/modoverrides.lua`	Copy file to `Caves/modoverrides.lua`
Server crashes on boot after adding a mod	Lua syntax error or incompatible mod	Remove the offending entry, restart, fix syntax
Players see "missing mods" error	Server has the mod, players don't	DST auto-prompts players to download. They must click yes.
`configuration_options` ignored	Wrong key name (must match `name` field in modinfo.lua exactly, case-sensitive)	Read the mod's `modinfo.lua`

How to Configure DST Mods with modoverrides.lua

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