How to Fix a Trackmania Server That Is Not Listed

A Trackmania server that runs but never appears publicly has almost always failed to authenticate with the master server. The panel console says so plainly, so start there.

1. Read the console

Open Console in the panel and read from the top of the last start. Trackmania logs its master server login attempt and the result. A failure names the reason.

2. Check the dedicated server account

In UserData/Config/dedicated_cfg.txt:

<masterserver_account>
  <login>yourserverlogin</login>
  <password>yourserverpassword</password>
  <validation_key>ABCDE</validation_key>
</masterserver_account>

• The account has to be a dedicated server account created on the official server account page, not your own player account.
• The validation key is usually five characters and is easy to mistype.
• An account already in use by another running server will fail to log in here.

3. Check the ports

The system_config section holds the server port and the XML-RPC port. Both must match the values allocated to your server on the overview page. An arbitrary port produces a server that starts and is unreachable.

4. Check the config is valid XML

The file is XML even though it ends in .txt. A missing closing tag stops the server from starting, and the console names the line. Download a copy from Files before editing so you always have a known good version.

5. Check the match settings loaded

A server with no valid playlist has nothing to run. The console reports maps it could not find. Confirm the match settings file named on your Startup Settings page exists in UserData/Maps/MatchSettings/ and that its map paths are correct.

6. Give it time

After a successful start, allow a few minutes before deciding the server is missing from the list.

Players can spectate but not race

That is the play password being set in server_options while the spectator password is empty. Either share the play password or clear it.

What to send support

Open a ticket with your IP, your server and XML-RPC ports, and the first hundred lines of the console from a fresh start. Do not include your master server account password or your SuperAdmin password.