How to Fix GMod Addons Not Loading on Your Server

On a Linux server, Garry's Mod is picky about addon folder names due to case-sensitivity. This guide will help you fix addons that aren't showing up because of naming issues.

What Breaks on Linux?

Linux servers are case-sensitive, which means certain folder names will cause problems:

• Uppercase letters (e.g. Gas-Config won't work)
• Spaces in folder names
• Punctuation and special characters (!, @, #, etc.)
• Folder names must be all lowercase with no spaces

Valid Naming Rules

To ensure your addons load properly on Linux servers, follow these rules:

• Use lowercase only
• Use hyphens (-) or underscores (_) — both work fine on Linux
• Avoid spaces and symbols

Good Examples:

gas-config
my_custom_addon
weather_system
darkrp-modifications
police-jobs

Bad Examples:

Gas-Config        ← uppercase breaks it
Gas Config        ← spaces fail on Linux
Gas_Config!       ← exclamation or symbols aren't allowed
MyAddon          ← uppercase letters cause issues
Custom Addon 2   ← spaces are not allowed

How to Fix Addon Names

Follow these steps to rename your addon folders correctly:

Step 1: Access Your Server Files

Connect via SFTP or use your File Manager in the control panel.

Step 2: Navigate to the Addons Folder

Go to:

garrysmod/addons/

Step 3: Rename Folders

Rename any folders that don't follow the naming rules:

• Convert all uppercase letters to lowercase
• Replace spaces with hyphens or underscores
• Remove any special characters or symbols

Step 4: Restart Your Server

After renaming all problematic folders, restart your server for the changes to take effect.

Important Tips

• Even if you upload from Windows, always double-check the folder names in /addons/ after extraction
• Linux treats Gas-Config, gas-config, and gas_config as completely different folders
• Stick to lowercase + hyphens/underscores to avoid missing addons
• Some addons may be nested inside other folders—check subdirectories too

Still Not Loading?

If your addons still aren't loading after fixing the names:

1. Check server logs for loading errors
2. Verify the addon structure - make sure there's an addon.json or info.txt file
3. Check for missing dependencies - some addons require other addons to work
4. Test with a minimal setup - disable other addons to see if there's a conflict
5. Verify file permissions - ensure the server can read the addon files

Common Error Messages

If you see errors like:

• addon not found
• failed to load addon
• invalid addon structure

These are usually caused by incorrect folder naming or missing files within the addon.

Prevention

To avoid these issues in the future:

• Always use lowercase folder names when creating or uploading addons
• Use a consistent naming convention (all hyphens or all underscores)
• Test addons on a local server before uploading to production
• Keep a backup of working addon configurations