# Stardew Valley Troubleshooting & FAQ (/docs/stardew-valley/troubleshooting)



First start takes a few minutes [#first-start-takes-a-few-minutes]

On the **first** boot the server downloads the game and installs SMAPI. This is normal and only happens once — watch the **Console** until you see the green **INVITE CODE** banner and the panel shows **Running**.

Players can't join [#players-cant-join]

* **Use the latest code.** The invite code **changes on every restart** — grab the current one from the Console or `invite-code.txt`. See [Invite & Join](/docs/stardew-valley/join-server).
* **Use the Steam code.** If both `S…` and `G…` are shown, use the `S…` (Steam) code — it's far more reliable.
* **Server must be Running.** Check the panel status before sharing the code.
* **Mod mismatch.** If you added SMAPI mods, every player needs the same mods/versions. See [Install SMAPI Mods](/docs/stardew-valley/mods).
* **Password servers:** players must `!login <password>` in chat after joining. See [Server Password](/docs/stardew-valley/server-password).

"Setup Required: API Key" banner [#setup-required-api-key-banner]

Safe to ignore. The API key is **optional** — it only protects the management API / Discord bot. Your farm runs without it. See [Discord Bot & HTTP API](/docs/stardew-valley/discord-api).

Server won't start after editing settings or mods [#server-wont-start-after-editing-settings-or-mods]

* **Bad `server-settings.json`:** invalid JSON stops startup. Fix the syntax, or delete the file to regenerate defaults, then restart.
* **Broken mod:** the Console log names the mod that failed — remove it from `game/Mods` and restart. See [Install SMAPI Mods](/docs/stardew-valley/mods).

Harmless console messages [#harmless-console-messages]

These appear during a normal boot and are **not** errors:

* `dlopen ... steamclient.so: cannot open` immediately followed by `[S_API] Loaded ... steamclient.so OK`
* `[S_API FAIL] ... before SteamAPI_Init succeeded`
* `flock /sys/devices/.../id ... errno = 13`

Lost items / spawned in an empty lobby [#lost-items--spawned-in-an-empty-lobby]

That's the password lobby. Type `!login <password>` in chat to reach your cabin, and **don't drop items** while in the lobby.

Still stuck? [#still-stuck]

Open a ticket with your server ID and a copy of the **Console** log — that's the fastest way for support to help.