Install a Steam Workshop Collection on a Garry's Mod Server

Install a Workshop collection on the server

1. Create a Steam Workshop collection with your chosen addons, or open one you already manage. It must be public or unlisted; a dedicated server cannot access a private collection.
2. Copy its numeric ID from the collection URL, after ?id=. Use the collection ID, not an individual addon's ID.
3. Add +host_workshop_collection ID to your server startup parameters, replacing ID with that number. In a hosting panel, look for launch settings or a "Workshop collection" field; check the generated command if the panel hides it.
4. Restart the server and watch its console. Garry's Mod downloads and mounts the collection at startup. Then check in game that a server-side addon or gamemode actually runs.

Example parameter:

+host_workshop_collection 123456789

Nested collections are supported. The server checks for addon updates on restart. You can disable that behavior with host_workshop_autoupdate, but an old map or content version may then prevent players from joining correctly.

New in 2026.09.22: list addon IDs without a collection

From Garry's Mod 2026.09.22 onward, you can create cfg/srcds_workshop_ids.txt with individual addon IDs. This is another way to make the server download and mount those items, and it can supplement a collection. On an older server version, use +host_workshop_collection.

"my_workshop_addons"
{
  "1" { "wsid" "123277559" }
  "2" { "wsid" "111412589" }
}

These IDs are examples from Facepunch's documentation. Replace them with the addons you actually want. Do not put a collection ID in this file.

The addon runs on the server but players cannot see it

resource.AddWorkshop("ID") tells a client to download one Workshop addon before joining. It does not install that addon on the server and does not accept a collection ID. Players can therefore miss a model or sound even when the addon is already active server-side.

First identify the missing item. If it is the current map or gamemode and it comes from the mounted collection, Garry's Mod can already mark it for client download automatically. For another addon containing models or sounds, use that individual addon's ID with resource.AddWorkshop if additional client delivery is needed. Lua files are handled separately; adding a Lua-only addon there will not help the client.

If the server does not load the addon at all, check collection visibility, the startup ID and console messages. A successful client download does not prove the server mounted it.

Choosing a plan for your addons

A large collection can lengthen startup and increase memory needs. Measure your server's actual usage, player count and gamemode behavior before buying more RAM. If your host does not expose startup parameters, files or console logs, ask how it handles Workshop collections.

Compare plans on the Garry's Mod hosting page. The GMod server cost guide covers budget, slots and RAM separately; this guide covers setup.

Frequently asked questions

Public or private collection? Public or unlisted. A private collection is not accessible to the dedicated server.

Why does resource.AddWorkshop fail with my collection ID? It accepts one addon's ID for client download. Install a server collection with +host_workshop_collection.

Do I need to restart after changing the collection? Yes. The server downloads and mounts collection addons at startup.