ARK Cluster Transfer Config Builder

Configure multi-map ARK clusters with per-server transfer restrictions. Add up to 6 server instances, set survivor, item, and dino transfer permissions independently per map, then export ready-to-use launch flags and GameUserSettings.ini snippets.

Cluster Settings

Cluster ID — must match on all servers

Used for -clusterid= on every server in the cluster.

Cluster Directory Override

Shared folder path for -ClusterDirOverride=. All servers must have read/write access.

-NoTransferFromFiltering

Prevents players from cross-cluster transferring into this cluster from any other cluster. Recommended for private clusters.

Servers (2 / 6)

Incoming Transfers (Download to this server)

Survivors

Items

Dinos

Outgoing Transfers (Upload from this server)

Survivors

Items

Dinos

Advanced

No Tribute Downloads

Foreign Dino Downloads

Incoming Transfers (Download to this server)

Survivors

Items

Dinos

Outgoing Transfers (Upload from this server)

Survivors

Items

Dinos

Advanced

No Tribute Downloads

Foreign Dino Downloads

Transfer Matrix

Shows what a player can bring when moving FROM one server TO another. Determined by the source server's upload setting AND the destination server's download setting — both must allow.

FROM \ TO	TheIsland	Fjordur
TheIsland	—	S I D
Fjordur	S I D	—

S = Survivors · I = Items · D = Dinos

⚠️

ASA vs ASE — Cross-Platform Note

ARK: Survival Ascended (ASA) uses Epic Online Services (EOS) IDs for player identity — cluster transfers between ASA servers work through EOS, so the -clusterid and -ClusterDirOverride flags still apply but EOS handles identity validation.
ARK: Survival Evolved (ASE) uses Steam IDs and relies entirely on the shared -ClusterDirOverride folder for transfer data. You cannot mix ASA and ASE servers in the same cluster.

TheIsland

Launch Flags

-clusterid=MyCluster -ClusterDirOverride=/opt/arkcluster -NoTransferFromFiltering

Add these flags to your server's start command or batch script. They are identical for every server in the cluster.

GameUserSettings.ini — [ServerSettings]

[ServerSettings]
PreventDownloadSurvivors=False
PreventDownloadItems=False
PreventDownloadDinos=False
PreventUploadSurvivors=False
PreventUploadItems=False
PreventUploadDinos=False
noTributeDownloads=False
CrossARKAllowForeignDinoDownloads=False

These settings are unique per server. Paste them under [ServerSettings] in each server's GameUserSettings.ini.

Fjordur

Launch Flags

-clusterid=MyCluster -ClusterDirOverride=/opt/arkcluster -NoTransferFromFiltering

Add these flags to your server's start command or batch script. They are identical for every server in the cluster.

GameUserSettings.ini — [ServerSettings]

[ServerSettings]
PreventDownloadSurvivors=False
PreventDownloadItems=False
PreventDownloadDinos=False
PreventUploadSurvivors=False
PreventUploadItems=False
PreventUploadDinos=False
noTributeDownloads=False
CrossARKAllowForeignDinoDownloads=False

These settings are unique per server. Paste them under [ServerSettings] in each server's GameUserSettings.ini.

Setting Reference

Setting / Flag	Location	Effect
-clusterid=	Launch flag	Unique cluster identifier. Must be identical across all servers in the cluster. Case-sensitive.
-ClusterDirOverride=	Launch flag	Shared filesystem path for cluster transfer data. All servers must have read/write access to this folder simultaneously.
-NoTransferFromFiltering	Launch flag	Prevents players from importing characters/dinos from outside this cluster. Recommended for private or economy-balanced clusters.
PreventDownloadSurvivors	GameUserSettings.ini	True = blocks incoming survivor character downloads on this server. Players cannot arrive here with a transferred survivor.
PreventDownloadItems	GameUserSettings.ini	True = blocks incoming item downloads. Useful to keep a starter/beginner map economy separate from endgame maps.
PreventDownloadDinos	GameUserSettings.ini	True = blocks incoming tamed dino downloads. Prevents high-level dinos from flooding easier maps.
PreventUploadSurvivors	GameUserSettings.ini	True = prevents players from uploading (departing with) their survivor character from this server.
PreventUploadItems	GameUserSettings.ini	True = prevents players from uploading items from this server. Useful to contain progression to specific maps.
PreventUploadDinos	GameUserSettings.ini	True = prevents players from uploading tamed dinos from this server.
noTributeDownloads	GameUserSettings.ini	True = disables all downloads from the Tribute/Obelisk terminal on this server.
CrossARKAllowForeignDinoDownloads	GameUserSettings.ini	True = allows downloading dinos from outside the cluster (e.g. modded dinos, foreign maps). Off by default.

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