Players are not downloading Workshop content on join: what do I check?
When players join your GMod server, they should automatically download required Workshop addons. If they are not, the most common causes are:
Missing Steam Web API key: Workshop downloads require a valid Steam Web API key configured in the STEAM_ACC startup variable on the Startup page. Without it, the download process silently fails. Get a key from steamcommunity.com/dev/apikey and add it on the Startup page.
workshop.lua not generated: the Workshop Addon Manager (Workshop Search in the sidebar) generates the garrysmod/lua/autorun/server/workshop.lua file that tells the server which addons to download. If this file is missing or empty, no addons will be downloaded. Open Workshop Search and verify your installed addons or Collection tab entries are actually saved.
Collection not published: Steam Workshop collections must be publicly visible. If your collection is set to Friends Only or Private, other players cannot access it. Open the collection on Steam and confirm it is set to Public.
Addon not in collection: If a player is missing specific content, confirm the addon ID is in your collection. Also check that the addon itself is still publicly available on the Workshop; sometimes addon authors unpublish or delete their work.
For very large collections (100+ addons), the download can take 5-10 minutes the first time a player joins. This is expected behaviour; subsequent joins only download updated addons.
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