Config file tuning vs commands
Commands change the live session; the config file changes the rules. Use commands for incidents and the settings file for anything you want to persist across restarts.
Updated for the current Palworld patch
- ✓What belongs in the config
- ✓What belongs in a command
- ✓Edit safely
- ✓Document your values
What belongs in the config
Rates, caps, day length, death penalty, player limits and passwords. These should survive a restart and be reviewed as a group.
What belongs in a command
Kicks, bans, saves, broadcasts and shutdowns — everything reactive and momentary.
Edit safely
Stop the server, copy the config, edit one block at a time and restart. Changing ten values at once makes a bad outcome impossible to attribute.
Document your values
Keep a copy of the live config alongside your backups. Rebuilding a tuned server from memory is miserable.
Patch-day drift
Updates can introduce new settings keys with defaults you would not choose. Diff the generated config against yours after each patch.