Installation

Download Knight, run the server, and validate a gamemode. No compiler toolchain, no Pawn, no server.cfg required.

A Knight server is one folder with two programs:

Bin/knight-server — the server. It loads a .sa gamemode and runs it.
**tools/knight-*** — the validator. It checks .sa files without starting a server.

Note

You do not need Go, Pawn or any compiler. The gamemode is compiled by the server at startup; the validator is just an optional pre-flight check.

1. Get the files

Clone the distribution:

bash

git clone https://github.com/ventosilenzioso/knight.git
cd knight

The layout you get:

text

Bin/            knight-server (Linux) and knight-server.exe (Windows)
tools/          knight validator (Linux, macOS arm64, Windows)
Gamemodes/      ready-to-run .sa gamemodes
Gamemodes/modules/  example module and hook
server.cfg      default configuration (optional)
docs/           language, callbacks, natives, plugins, custom RPC

Tip

Only Bin/knight-server is required. Everything else is documentation and examples you can delete.

2. Run the server

Start it with a gamemode and you are online:

bash

./Bin/knight-server -gamemode Gamemodes/minimal.sa
# Windows: Binknight-server.exe -gamemode Gamemodesminimal.sa

Note

-gamemode alone is enough: server.cfg is optional. The gamemode's system::config() supplies the name, port, slots and every other setting.

Using server.cfg instead

If you prefer a file, put gamemode0 in server.cfg and start the server with no flags:

cfg

gamemode0 minimal 1
port 7777
hostname "My Knight Server"
maxplayers 50
connect_timeout 20

bash

./Bin/knight-server -cfg server.cfg

Values declared in system::config() win; server.cfg fills whatever the code leaves out.

3. Validate a gamemode (optional)

The validator catches syntax and type errors without starting a server. It resolves includes and imports and recognises plugin natives.

bash

# Linux
./tools/knight-linux-amd64 -check Gamemodes/minimal.sa
# ok: 4 events, 1 config blocks

# macOS (Apple silicon)
./tools/knight-macos-arm64 -check Gamemodes/minimal.sa

# Windows
toolsknight-windows-amd64.exe -check Gamemodesminimal.sa

-ast prints the parsed tree instead, which helps when an expression does something unexpected:

bash

./tools/knight-linux-amd64 -ast Gamemodes/minimal.sa

4. Optional: put it on PATH

So you can type knight-server from any folder. This is convenience only; the commands above work from the extracted folder without it.

Linux / macOS

bash

sudo install -m 755 Bin/knight-server /usr/local/bin/knight-server
sudo install -m 755 tools/knight-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/knight

# without sudo
mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
install -m 755 Bin/knight-server ~/.local/bin/knight-server
install -m 755 tools/knight-linux-amd64 ~/.local/bin/knight
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc && source ~/.bashrc

Windows (PowerShell)

powershell

$dir = "$env:LOCALAPPDATAKnight"
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Force -Path $dir | Out-Null
Copy-Item Binknight-server.exe "$dirknight-server.exe"
Copy-Item toolsknight-windows-amd64.exe "$dirknight.exe"

$p = [Environment]::GetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "User")
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("Path", "$p;$dir", "User")

Tip

Reopen the terminal after changing PATH. Then knight -check and knight-server work from anywhere.

5. Verify the install

There is no -version flag. Confirm the install by validating a shipped gamemode and watching the server start:

bash

./tools/knight-linux-amd64 -check Gamemodes/minimal.sa
# ok: 4 events, 1 config blocks

./Bin/knight-server -gamemode Gamemodes/minimal.sa
# gamemode loaded: Gamemodes/minimal.sa
# Knight listening port=7777 hostname="Minimal Knight"

Then connect with any SA-MP 0.3.7 or 0.3.DL client on port 7777.

6. Next steps

Goal	Page
Write your first gamemode	Your First Gamemode
Learn the language	Language Guide
Find a native	Native Functions
Split a gamemode into modules	Modules & Imports
Enable a plugin	Plugin Hub
Tune the configuration	Configuration

Common problems

Problem	Fix
`command not found`	Run it with the `./Bin/...` or `./tools/...` prefix, or add the folder to PATH.
`gamemode load failed`	The path is wrong or the file does not compile. Run the validator on it to see the error.
`bind: address already in use`	Another server uses that port. Change `server.port` or `port` in server.cfg.
Player is dropped after a few seconds	Raise `connect_timeout` (default 20) for weak mobile networks.
`Permission denied`	`chmod +x Bin/knight-server` or use `sudo`.
macOS: cannot be opened	Run `xattr -d com.apple.quarantine` on the file.
Windows: `knight` opens the Store	Disable the App Execution Alias for `knight.exe` in Settings → Apps.