Steam Master Server Query CLI

Steam Master Server Query CLI (smsq) — a command-line tool to retrieve and filter game server lists from the Steam Master Server. It supports advanced filtering, JSON and table output formats, and is designed for server administrators, gamers, and automation scripts.

Note

A valid Steam API Key is required to use this tool.

Features

• Query Steam Master Server for game servers.
• Filter results by AppID, map, tags, or server properties (e.g. VAC, password).
• Output in JSON (for easy jq parsing) or formatted table view.
• Supports NOR and NAND filters for exclusion logic.
• Cross-platform: Linux, Windows, MacOS binaries.
• Lightweight and with minimal dependencies.

Why smsq

The Steam Master Server Query API requires constructing complex filter strings (e.g., appid\221100\map\namalsk) and remembering all supported keys. smsq simplifies this by providing all filter keys with built-in descriptions and validation, so you can build powerful queries using simple key=value pairs without memorizing obscure syntax.

It replaces manual curl calls and raw JSON parsing with a clean, user-friendly CLI.

Installation

You can download the latest version of the programme by following the links:

• MacOS arm64
• MacOS amd64
• Linux i386
• Linux amd64
• Linux arm
• Linux arm64
• Windows i386
• Windows amd64
• Windows arm64

For Linux you can also use the command

curl -#SfLo /usr/bin/smsq \
  https://github.com/WoozyMasta/smsq/releases/latest/download/smsq-linux-amd64
chmod +x /usr/bin/smsq
smsq -h && smsq -v

Parameters

This help information is available when running the program with the --help flag

smsq --help

Usage:
  smsq [OPTIONS]
  smsq -f appid=221100 -f map=namalsk -t -l 10

Steam Master-Server Query CLI.

Application Options:
  -k, --api-key=      Steam Web API key [$STEAM_API_KEY]
  -f, --filter=       Filter: key=value (repeatable)
  -x, --nor=          NOR filter: key=value (repeatable)
  -X, --nand=         NAND filter: key=value (repeatable)
  -l, --limit=        Max servers to fetch (Steam API limit 10 000) (default: 100)
  -p, --pretty        Pretty‑print JSON
  -t, --table         Print result as table
  -c, --column-width= Max width for NAME column when --table is used (default: 64)
  -v, --version       Show build info and exit
  -h, --help          Show help message

Filter keys:
  white                1 — Whitelist on, 0 — off
  gametype             sv_tags entry, e.g. "battleye"
  dedicated            1 — Dedicated servers, 0 — Non-dedicated
  password             1 — Password protected, 0 — Open
  gameaddr             Exact IP[:port], e.g. "192.168.1.1:27015"
  empty                1 — Not empty, 0 — Empty
  proxy                1 — Proxy servers, 0 — Normal servers
  collapse_addr_hash   1 — One server per IP, 0 — many
  gamedata             Hidden gamedata tag, e.g. "tag1"
  version_match        Wildcard version, e.g. "1.3.*"
  secure               1 — VAC/BattleEye, 0 — Insecure
  gamedir              Game dir, e.g. "tf", "cstrike", "dayz"
  map                  Map name, e.g. "ctf_2fort"
  linux                1 — Linux host, 0 — Other OS
  appid                Exact AppID, e.g. 221100
  name_match           Wildcard name, e.g. "*server*"
  full                 1 — Not full, 0 — Full
  napp                 Exclude AppID
  noplayers            1 — Zero players, 0 — One or more players

Example usage

smsq -k <API_KEY> -f appid=221100 -l 5 -t

#   ADDR                   NAME                                      MAP             PRODUCT   VERSION       PLAYERS
1   212.124.22.212:27010   Test Development Server 1 chernarusplus   chernarusplus   dayz      1.28.160123   0/5
2   212.124.22.212:27012   Test Development Server 3 sakhal          sakhal          dayz      1.28.160123   0/5
3   94.181.44.83:27016     DAYZ 323                                  chernarusplus   dayz      1.28.160123   0/60
4   95.79.97.108:27016     lyskovo                                   chernarusplus   dayz      1.28.160123   0/64
5   193.238.44.61:2803     [FXT] FOXTROT DeathMatch [1PP] S          enoch           dayz      1.28.160123   0/10

More examples

# Query DayZ servers with a table view (limit 5), pass token in option
smsq -k <API_KEY> -f appid=221100 -t
# Query DayZ servers with a table view (limit 5), pass token in variable
STEAM_API_KEY=key smsq -f appid=221100 -f map=namalsk -t -l 5
# Export token
export STEAM_API_KEY=key
# Filter with jq to show only servers with players
smsq -f appid=221100 | jq '.[] | select(.players > 0) | .name'
# Show address, map, and player count
smsq -f appid=221100 | jq -r '.[] | "\(.addr) | \(.map) | \(.players)/\(.max_players)"'

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