How to enable allow-fs-read so FiveMonitor can read txAdmin playtime

Why FiveM blocks reading txAdmin's file

FiveMonitor gets your players' real playtime by reading the playersDB.json file generated by txAdmin. That file lives inside your server's txData folder.

The catch is that, for security reasons, FiveM (FXServer) restricts filesystem access. A resource cannot read arbitrary paths on disk unless the server is started with explicit permission. If you don't grant it, the file read fails silently and FiveMonitor receives no playtime data at all: that's why you'll see 0 hours on every player, even though txAdmin is tracking time correctly.

The fix: start FXServer with --allow-fs-read

To let the resource read txAdmin's file you need to add the --allow-fs-read argument when FXServer starts. There are two ways to do it.

Option 1: allow the whole filesystem

The simplest approach is --allow-fs-read=*. This lets the server read any path, so you don't have to worry about where exactly your txData folder is:

FXServer.exe +set txAdminPort 40120 --allow-fs-read=*

Option 2: scope it to the txData folder (recommended)

If you prefer to be stricter, you can limit the permission to just the folder where txAdmin stores its data. That way the resource can only read that path and nothing else:

--allow-fs-read="C:/txData"

Adjust the path to the real location of your txData folder. With txAdmin's installer it usually sits next to the server artifacts; on shared hosting your provider will tell you where it is.

Where to add the argument based on your setup

• Manual startup (Windows/Linux): add the flag to the command line or to the .bat / .sh script you use to launch FXServer.
• txAdmin as the process manager: if you start the server from txAdmin's interface, add --allow-fs-read=* to the FXServer startup arguments in your deployment configuration.
• Managed hosting (Zap, etc.): look for the "additional arguments" or "startup arguments" field in your provider's panel and add it there.

After changing the arguments you must fully restart the FXServer process (a resource refresh or restart is not enough), because --allow-fs-read only takes effect at server startup.

Set the txAdmin path in the FiveMonitor panel

Once FXServer starts with the permission, you still need to tell FiveMonitor where the file is. Go to the panel, open the API Key page and fill in the path to your txData folder (or directly to playersDB.json, depending on what the field asks for). FiveMonitor will use that path to read playtime periodically.

If the path is correct and the permission is active, each player's hours will start showing in the monitor within minutes.

Checklist if playtime is still 0

• Did you start FXServer with --allow-fs-read and fully restart the process?
• Does the path in option 2 point exactly to the folder containing playersDB.json?
• Does the path configured on the API Key page match the real path on the server?
• Has txAdmin been running long enough to have recorded any playtime for your players?

Next steps

With the permission enabled you can take full advantage of playtime tracking. To understand how the measurement works, read our guide on how to track playtime on FiveM. And if you also want to watch your players live, check out how to monitor players live.

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