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SteamCMD Update Failed

Tags: steamcmd, update, stale build, 3.0 experimental, troubleshooting, server

SteamCMD update problems split into two kinds: hard failures (disk space, permissions, an interrupted appmanifest) and the sneakier one where SteamCMD reports success but the server stays on the old build. The second kind is causing a wave of version mismatches right now because of the V3.1 Henpocalypse update. Both fixes are below.

The fix for "Success, No Error" but the old build: app_info_update

If SteamCMD prints "Success! App already up to date" (or "Success, No Error") and yet your server is still on the previous build, you are hitting a stale Steam PICS (product info) cache. SteamCMD trusts a cached copy of the app's metadata and never sees that a newer build exists, so it keeps the old files. Force a fresh product-info refresh with +app_info_update 1:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_info_update 1 +app_update 294420 validate +quit
  • Without +app_info_update 1, SteamCMD can report success while silently staying on the old build - this is the exact cause of the "I updated but players still get a version mismatch" problem.
  • Use appid 294420. That is the 7 Days to Die dedicated server. Do not use 251570; that is the game's store appid and a different application. The dedicated server is always updated with 294420.

Why this is happening during the V3.0 launch

V3.1 "Henpocalypse" is the current stable build on the default public branch; V3.0 and V2.6 are older lines. When a server flips between stable and experimental, the new branch points at a different build than the one SteamCMD has cached. Without a forced product-info refresh, SteamCMD keeps the cached branch info and reports success on a stale build, so clients on the new branch are rejected with an incompatible version. Add +app_info_update 1 to clear the cache, and add the beta flag when moving branches:

steamcmd +login anonymous +app_info_update 1 +app_update 294420 -beta latest_experimental validate +quit

To return to stable, run the update with no -beta flag (or -beta ""). On managed hosts with auto-update enabled, the server runs its Steam update on every start or restart, so the practical fix is usually to confirm the branch and restart - the update runs before the server boots.

Clean update command (general failures)

steamcmd +login anonymous +force_install_dir /path/to/7d2d +app_update 294420 validate +quit

Fix checklist for hard failures

  • Ensure the install directory has free disk space.
  • Run SteamCMD as the same user that owns the server files.
  • Stop the server before updating to avoid file locks.
  • If updates fail repeatedly, remove appmanifest_294420.acf and retry.
  • If it reports success but nothing changed, re-run with +app_info_update 1 (see above).

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