Set Spawn Protection on a Terraria Server

Spawn protection stops ordinary players from building or breaking blocks around the world's spawn point. It keeps the first area of your world tidy, but it is off on a new server, and the size of the protected circle is a separate setting.

This needs TShock, which is the default software. A tModLoader server has no spawn protection setting. Checked against TShock 6.2.1 (Terraria 1.4.5.8), October 2026.

Turn spawn protection on or off

1. Open the Server Settings tab and find the Gameplay section.
2. Switch Spawn protection on to protect spawn, or off to let anyone build there.
3. Set Spawn protection radius to the number of tiles around spawn you want protected. The default is 10, and the box takes 0 to 500.
4. Press Save changes in that section.
5. Restart the server from the Console tab so the settings take effect.

Spawn protection is off by default, so a brand new server lets players build at spawn until you switch it on. TShock's settings page lists the default as True, but TShock 6.2.1's code sets it to false, and so does the panel. The radius does nothing while the switch is off.

TShock measures the radius as a straight-line distance in tiles from the world's spawn tile. A radius of 10 protects a circle 20 tiles across, and a radius of 50 covers a much bigger area.

Who can still build at spawn

TShock checks a permission, tshock.world.editspawn, for anyone who tries to build inside the circle. A player without it is turned away. A player with it builds normally.

On a default server that permission belongs to the newadmin group and every group above it, which are admin, trustedadmin and owner. Ordinary logged-in players, in default, don't have it. The Terraria TShock admin commands and groups guide shows how to put a player in a group or give a group a permission.

You can also toggle protection while the server runs. In the Console tab type:

protectspawn

TShock answers "Spawn is now protected." or "Spawn is now open." depending on which way it flipped, and tells everyone in game. Use the tab to set it the way you want it kept.

Move the spawn point

The circle sits around wherever the world's spawn is. To move it, an admin stands where they want the new spawn and types /setspawn in game. This one can't be run from the Console, since it uses the player's position. The permission for it is tshock.world.setspawn.

Other build limits

The Gameplay section has a related switch, Building off. With it on, players without permission can't place or break blocks anywhere in the world. TShock checks it before spawn protection, so it overrides the settings above. Turn it off again for normal play.

If players still build at spawn

• Check Spawn protection is on and you pressed Save changes, then restarted.
• Check the player isn't in newadmin or a group above it. Admins can build at spawn on purpose.
• Check the player is logged in. Players who haven't logged in are in the guest group instead of default.