Launcher Maintenance Mode
Learn how to enable maintenance mode for your Stash Launcher from Stash Studio or the Stash CLI. Block game downloads and launches during server maintenance while keeping the launcher itself updatable.
The launcher is currently in beta.
When your game servers are down for maintenance, you can put the launcher into maintenance mode. While it is on, players see a standard maintenance screen in your launcher's branding, and game downloads, updates, and launches are blocked. You can turn it on and off from Stash Studio, or from the Stash CLI so your maintenance tooling can automate it.
What players see
Players see a full screen message in the launcher, styled with your game's logo and background:
Down for maintenance
The game is temporarily unavailable while maintenance is performed. Please check back soon.
This copy is standardized and translated automatically in the launcher. It cannot be customized, and there is no message field to fill in.
While maintenance mode is on:
- New game downloads, game updates, and game launches are blocked.
- Players already in a running game are not affected. Maintenance mode only blocks new launches.
- Launcher self updates keep working, so a launcher fix can still ship during your maintenance window.
- The launcher download page keeps working, so new players can still install the launcher itself.
Maintenance mode applies to your whole game: every release channel, every platform, every build. It cannot be enabled for a single channel.
Launcher maintenance mode is separate from web shop maintenance mode. Enabling one does not affect the other.
Enable maintenance mode in Stash Studio
- In Stash Studio, go to Launcher > Maintenance.
- Turn on the Maintenance Mode switch.
- Confirm in the dialog. The page shows a preview of the exact message players will see.
Turning it off works the same way: turn the switch off and confirm.
You need the Admin or Developer role for the game to change maintenance mode. The switch always shows the current state, including changes made through the CLI.
Enable maintenance mode with the Stash CLI
Use the Stash CLI to control maintenance mode from scripts and pipelines, for example as part of the same automation that takes your game servers down and brings them back up.
The CLI reads your API secret from the STASH_API_SECRET environment variable. It is never passed as a command line flag, so it cannot leak through process listings or CI logs. Find your secret in Settings > API Secrets in Stash Studio.
export STASH_API_SECRET=<secret_from_stash_studio>
stash-cli maintenance --env=prod --onstash-cli maintenance --env=prod --offstash-cli maintenance --env=prodParameters
| Parameter | Description | Required |
|---|---|---|
env | The environment to target: test or prod | Yes |
on | Enable maintenance mode | No |
off | Disable maintenance mode | No |
Run the command with neither --on nor --off to print the current state. Passing both is an error.
The command is idempotent: enabling maintenance mode when it is already on succeeds without changing anything, so pipeline retries are safe. The command exits with code 1 for usage or connection problems and 2 when the request is rejected, so your scripts can fail loudly.
How quickly it takes effect
- Launchers that are open pick up the change within about five minutes, or as soon as the player brings the launcher window back into focus.
- Any attempt to launch the game checks the live state first, so a player cannot start the game in the window between you enabling maintenance mode and their launcher showing the screen.
- Players who go offline keep the last state their launcher saw, so an offline launcher still shows the maintenance screen.
- Turning maintenance mode off clears the screen the same way. Players do not need to restart the launcher.
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