TF2 Bot Commands: Add, Kick and Control Bots on Your Server

TF2 bot commands come in two families, and only one of them works without cheats. The tf_bot_* commands control TFBots, the AI bots Valve built on the NextBot system. They don't need sv_cheats, and achievements stay enabled. The bare bot command spawns puppet bots, which stand still until you drive them, and it does nothing unless cheats are on. Most "my bot command doesn't work" questions come from using the second family on a server with cheats off.

This guide sticks to what Valve's own TF2 source code says the commands do. Valve published it in the Source SDK 2013 repository, and in one important place it contradicts the community wiki: how tf_bot_quota behaves. You will find the add, kick and quota commands, why bots return after you remove them, how to get bots moving on maps without official support, and the few commands that do need cheats.

Where to Type TF2 Bot Commands

Every tf_bot_* command checks that it came from the server itself or from RCON. Typed into your game console on a dedicated server without rcon, it is silently ignored.

• GSK panel: open your server's Console tab and type the command as it is, e.g. tf_bot_add 4.
• In-game: authenticate once with rcon_password YOUR_PASSWORD, then prefix each command, e.g. rcon tf_bot_add 4. Team Fortress 2 admin commands covers setting the RCON password in tf/cfg/server.cfg.

Adding Bots with tf_bot_add

tf_bot_add [count] [class] [team] [difficulty] [name] [noquota]

Every argument is optional and they can come in any order. The server works out what each one is:

Examples:

tf_bot_add 6                         // six bots, random classes, auto-balanced teams
tf_bot_add 3 heavyweapons red easy   // three easy RED Heavies
tf_bot_add medic blue expert         // one expert BLU Medic
tf_bot_add sniper red "Crocodile"    // one named RED Sniper

Note that the Heavy is heavyweapons, not heavy. Any word the server doesn't recognise as a class, team or difficulty is taken as the bot's name, so tf_bot_add 1 heavy gives you a random-class bot called "heavy".

Bots take player slots. On your GSK server the player cap is the Max Players value on the Startup tab (set by your plan). With tf_bot_auto_vacate at its default of 1, the quota system always leaves one slot free for a human to join. Adding bots beyond the slot count fails with a console error.

Removing Bots with tf_bot_kick

tf_bot_kick all      // every bot
tf_bot_kick red      // every RED bot
tf_bot_kick blue     // every BLU bot
tf_bot_kick "Black Mesa"   // one bot by name; quote names with spaces

Add moveToSpectatorTeam to move the bots to spectator instead of kicking them. To kill bots without removing them, use tf_bot_kill with the same arguments.

Always remove bots with tf_bot_kick, not with kick or kickid. The reason is how the quota works.

Why Bots Keep Coming Back: tf_bot_quota

This is where Valve's source code and the TF2 wiki disagree. The wiki says tf_bot_quota "only has effect if tf_bot_quota_mode = fill or match". The actual quota code treats the default normal mode as a quota too: it keeps tf_bot_quota bots on the server. In addition:

• tf_bot_add raises tf_bot_quota by the number of bots it adds. tf_bot_add 6 on a fresh server leaves tf_bot_quota at 6.
• tf_bot_kick lowers it by the number of quota bots it kicks, never below 0.
• A plain kick or kickid doesn't touch the quota, so the server notices it is a bot short and adds a new one a moment later.

So after tf_bot_add 6, the server keeps six bots through map changes until you run tf_bot_kick all or set tf_bot_quota 0. That is the usual answer to "I kicked the bots and they came back."

To have a server that fills itself with bots and hands slots to real players as they join, put this in tf/cfg/server.cfg:

tf_bot_quota 12
tf_bot_quota_mode fill
tf_bot_difficulty 2
tf_bot_join_after_player 1

Bots added with noquota are outside all of this. The quota won't replace them, and tf_bot_kick removes them without changing tf_bot_quota.

If teams keep getting reshuffled as bots join, check mp_teams_unbalance_limit. Autobalance treats bots like players.

Controlling Bot Classes and Behaviour (No Cheats)

tf_bot_difficulty applies only to bots added afterwards. To change the skill of bots already on the server, kick them and add them again, or name a difficulty directly in tf_bot_add.

Maps Without Bot Support

TFBots need a navigation mesh to move. Valve ships meshes for a set list of official maps, including the egg's default map cp_dustbowl. On other maps the bots join but stand in spawn. You can generate a mesh yourself. It needs cheats while you do it:

1. In the Console tab, run sv_cheats 1.
2. Run nav_generate. The server builds the mesh, saves it as tf/maps/<mapname>.nav and reloads the map. Large maps take a while.
3. Run sv_cheats 0, then add bots with tf_bot_add.

The .nav file stays next to the map, so you only need to do this once per map. Don't edit a nav mesh while bots are on the server, because the official wiki warns it is likely to crash the game.

Even with a mesh, bots don't play some modes: Arena, Versus Saxton Hale, Special Delivery, Robot Destruction, PASS Time and Player Destruction all leave most bots in spawn. On Mann vs. Machine the robot side works but player-side bots rarely do. Control Points, King of the Hill, Payload and Capture the Flag maps work best.

Commands That Need sv_cheats

sv_cheats 1 applies to everyone on the server and disables achievements for the session. Turn it back off when you are done.

FAQ

Do TF2 bots need sv_cheats?

No. tf_bot_add, tf_bot_kick, the quota and the class and difficulty convars all work with cheats off, and achievements stay enabled. Only puppet bots (bot), nav mesh generation and a handful of debugging convars need cheats.

How do I add bots to only one team?

tf_bot_add 6 blue. For humans against bots, also set mp_humans_must_join_team red so players can only join RED. Set mp_teams_unbalance_limit 0 too (its default is 1, and 0 disables the check), or autobalance will even the teams out.

Why does tf_bot_add do nothing?

It was typed in your own game console without rcon. Server-only commands are ignored when a regular client sends them. Use the panel's Console tab or rcon tf_bot_add.

How do I remove all bots permanently?

tf_bot_kick all, which also brings the quota back to zero. If bots return on the next map, something in tf/cfg/server.cfg sets tf_bot_quota above 0. Remove that line.

What to Read Next

• Team Fortress 2 admin commands: RCON setup and the SourceMod command list
• Getting started with your Team Fortress 2 server: server.cfg baseline and first boot
• How to use custom maps and set up FastDL for Team Fortress 2: maps you may need to generate a nav mesh for

Made with 💜 by GameServerKings