Killing Floor Whitelist System - Whitelisted, Greylisted, Server-Side Mods Explanation of the Killing Floor 1 whitelist and greylist system, stat progression behavior, server-side mods, server-client mods, and client-only modifications.
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Killing Floor Whitelist System
The whitelist system decides whether a modified Killing Floor session can still grant perk and achievement progress. If a mod is greylisted, progression stops until the game is restarted.
Glossary
| Term | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Blacklisted | Older state where the whole perk system was disabled. Later replaced in practice by greylisting. |
| Greylisted | A modification state that prevents perk progression. The warning may or may not be visible in menus. |
| Whitelisted | A modification state that allows stats and perks to keep progressing. |
| Server-side | Runs only on the server; clients do not download the package. |
| Client-side or server-client | Runs on clients too, or has files clients must receive. |
General Behavior
The original purpose was to let Tripwire approve maps and mutators where players could gain stats safely. Mod authors had to submit packages for approval, and that process was slow, inconsistent, and often had to be repeated after game updates.
Important historical behavior:
| Version period | Practical meaning |
|---|---|
| Before later patches | Custom maps and gameplay mods often required explicit approval. |
| Around v1043 | Custom maps stopped requiring Tripwire sanctioning. |
| Around v1064 | Most server-side mods became effectively safe for progression, whether by design or quirk. |
Dedicated Servers
On dedicated servers, server-side packages usually allow clients to keep progression. Logs may show security warnings for custom server packages, but in most normal cases those warnings do not mean stats are disabled.
Rare exceptions can happen when a mod explicitly triggers cheat or greylist behavior, or when an extreme setup stresses game systems in unusual ways.
Listen Servers
Listen servers behave similarly for clients, but the host can be treated differently. A non-whitelisted mod can greylist the host even while connected clients continue gaining progress.
Server-Client Mods
Mods that clients download are much stricter. Only a small set of packages has been treated as whitelisted over time, and that list changed historically. If a server-client gameplay mod is not whitelisted, assume perk progression will stop.
Restart the game after playing a greylisted session if you want to return to normal progression.
Client-Only Mods
Retextures, sound replacements, and similar client-only edits can be made online-compatible if packaged correctly. The important difference is that cosmetic replacement is not the same as gameplay modification.
Practical Checklist
- Identify whether the mod is server-side, server-client, or client-only.
- Check whether it affects gameplay or only presentation.
- Watch for greylist warnings in perk or ESC menus.
- Restart after greylisted sessions.
- Tell players the whitelist status in Workshop descriptions.