[Software] Archi's Steam Farm (ASF), Steam idler (and much more) [Windows/Linux/OS X]

I added some nice answers for questions people ask me quite frequently: https://github.com/JustArchi/ArchiSteamFarm/wiki/FAQ

Can I get VAC ban for using this?
Is it safe?
Can I get banned for this?
Did somebody get banned for it?

The situation is actually much better than with Idle Master, but I know that everybody reading this thread already knows that.

Q: Can I get VAC ban for using this?

A: No, it's not possible because ASF (unlike Idle Master or SAM)

Does Idle Master trigger VAC?! :o Never heard about it before.

It's more like possibility to trigger VAC, and lack of that. I never heard of anyone getting VAC because of using IM, but it IS possible, while it's not with ASF.

It is enabled by default, because "statistics" consists only of joining the group and the chat, and I don't consider it as major privacy issue, rather a tip for me how many people are using ASF.

There is !status command, and there are plans on improving it in future with more information.

"Whitelist" is not going to happen because it'd have to alter cards farming algorithm, and ASF is supposed to work as effectively as possible. It already farms faster than idle master, and I want to keep it like that.

Hello Archi,
I thought it was best not to use idle master while playing, to prevent vac ban. Especially if you play a valve game (dota, CS etc).
Do you think there is the same issue with your soft or can I use it for that purpose (playing dota AND farming a bit) ?
Thanks
Hippa

https://github.com/JustArchi/ArchiSteamFarm/wiki/FAQ -> VAC.

Steam Support

Are using Archi's Steam Farm / ArchiSteamFarm and/or Steam Idle Master NOT against STEAM(R) SUBSCRIBER AGREEMENT etc.?

Ticket number -
Category Steam Client > Community/ Friends List
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Operating System Windows 7/Vista

This Question's Message(s)
1 Message by you on Tue, Feb 9 2016 16:28

Are using Archi's Steam Farm / ArchiSteamFarm and/or Steam Idle Master NOT against STEAM® SUBSCRIBER AGREEMENT etc.? [Sorry for my English etc.]

Archi's Steam Farm / ArchiSteamFarm:

https://github.com/JustArchi/ArchiSteamFarm
http://steamcommunity.com/groups/ascfarm
http://www.steamgifts.com/discussion/gCxhN/archis-steam-farm-asf-idle-master-alternative

Steam Idle Master:

http://www.steamidlemaster.com/
https://github.com/jshackles/idle_master
https://steamcommunity.com/groups/idlemastery

If I'm not mistaken - developer of Steam Idle Master (and Enhanced Steam) with 'jshackles' nickname on Reddit wrote:

'I'm pretty certain that this was just a server hiccup on Valve's part, not some conspiracy to ban Idle Master users.

As I've mentioned before, I've contacted a few people at Valve several times in the past and let them know that if they (as a company) took issue with Idle Master to simply let me know - I'd rather take the tool offline and discontinue further work on it than have the users suffer any sort of ill consequence for using it. The people who responded back were all very nice and let me know that I'd be the first to hear of any rumblings. Of course, Valve works in mysterious ways though...

In this case, people in the topic you posted are already starting to see their badge pages return to normal, so I don't think there's anything to see here'.

Source - https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/3qxb19/steam_idle_master_users_can_no_longer_get_any/cwj5w58

Other link about Steam Idle Master etc.:

https://www.reddit.com/r/Steam/comments/2fgkey/is_idle_master_safe_app_to_extract_cards_from/?sort=confidence

2 Message by you on Tue, Feb 9 2016 16:46

ArchiSteamFarm - FAQ - https://github.com/JustArchi/ArchiSteamFarm/wiki/FAQ

Can anybody get for example also VAC Ban for using Archi's Steam Farm / ArchiSteamFarm (ASF) and/or Steam Idle Master (IM) (when not playing and/or playing any game with VAC - Valve Anti-Cheat enabled and using ASF and/or IM at the same time and/or not at the same time etc.)?

3 Message by Support Tech Jennifer on Thu, Feb 11 2016 11:21

Hello Kamil,

Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

We do not provide analysis of third party software for VAC compliance. Any third party software, skins or other modifications you use in conjunction with Steam should be done at your own discretion.

Only cheats (modifications designed to give one player an advantage over other players) will trigger a VAC ban.

If you have questions about a specific third party application, please contact the developer of the application for assistance.

For more information on the VAC System, please see this article:

Title: Valve Anti-Cheat System (VAC)
URL: https://support.steampowered.com/kb_article.php?ref=7849-RADZ-6869

If you have any further questions, please let us know.

We do not provide analysis of third party software for VAC compliance.

As expected. I made anti-cheat a little while ago, and they said the same thing.

Only cheats (modifications designed to give one player an advantage over other players) will trigger a VAC ban.

As expected (2). Neither IM nor ASF can trigger VAC ban.

Sorry, found out your post today.

You can't get VAC by using ASF, in any case, and it's explained in the FAQ why. It's physically not possible because ASF does not communicate with your steam client and your launched games at all, so it's not possible that the process could be considered as a cheat tool. I can 100% guarantee that. IM can't guarantee that, as they in fact use DLL to communicate with steam client and imitiate launching the game. ASF does not do that.

What can be really interesting is if ASF violates steam ToS, as this is bannable offense, but I'm more than sure that steam support won't answer that question. This is the same case as with idle master - it's third-party tool, that does certain thing, but nobody neither agreed that it's OK, neither said that it's not OK, so we can consider it as a grey zone. It's very unlikely that Valve starts banning ASF/IM users, but if they do, nobody will be responsible for that, as stated in the FAQ.

Uhhh... This is illegal.

I'd love to test it, but I like my account clean of VAC bans.

Thanks, anyways.

I'd like you to not spread false information, as ASF is completely VAC-free, and you can read in the FAQ why.

Whether you want to use it or not is up to you, but claiming that it's illegal is simply wrong.

Guarantee of being VAC-free - where is guarantee? It just words, describe it more or send me link where i can make sure, it's true. Even SDA wrote, there not 100% VAC-free, if you launch game with Valve Anti-Cheat during idling. So, can i know your proofs?

Maybe more document, technology of work? Even in this case it's just program code, but it's not proof 100% Vac-free. Steam agreement don't let us use any additional programs that type, so nobody can't be 100% sure he safe with these programs. I just want to proof "100% Vac-Free". Not words "there were no cases yet", not words "really 100%", i want read true proofs to make sure i can use this program safe.

VAC-ban activates only when you use a program to alter the content of a protected game to cheat (and get detected).

ASF alters content of NOTHING.

→ VAC-free.

No proof even needed.

I know that, no in-game processes, so SDA too just idling cards and don't interfere in game's files.
So, they can give other ban for using these programs? If there idling games even without steam?

Here words in agreement.
You may not use Cheats, automation software (bots), mods, hacks, or any other unauthorized third-party software, to modify or automate any Subscription Marketplace process.
So it my mistake, yes, NOT VAC-Ban, but just Ban for account. Yes, there seems really VAC-FREE, like in SDA. But different ban? They can delete account for using this program? Or there no-guarantee?

You should start with the wiki, especially FAQ which explains it a little.

Here is more technical explanation (I'll compare with idle master):

Idle master can't work without Steam client installed and running. It firstly launches process that is supposed to emulate given game, then it communicates with Steam through special DLL library in order to announce that we launched a game. Steam then accepts this request, and forwards logic to steam network, which registers it and shows us as in-game.

So look at actual communication:
IM <-> DLL <-> Steam <-> Steam Network

VAC resides between DLL and Steam, as Steam scans PC for currently hooked DLLs into various processes (especially games which IM announces), and other stuff. You can't control VAC process, because you're not controlling Steam client. Whether it does trigger on IM, it's DLLs, or emulated games, or not - is out of your control and based purely on Steam.

ASF works in totally different way. ASF includes it's own mini steam client based on open-source SteamKit2 project - a reverse-engineered attempt to provide a steam client for usage of bots and alike. What ASF is doing is not launching any "game emulation", neither using any DLL for communication. It directly communicates with Steam network through request, the same request that normal Steam client would send to it.

Look at actual communication:
ASF <-> Steam Network

See lack of Steam above? Yes, that means you can use ASF on a PC without steam client installed at all, not even mentioning the fact that it doesn't have to be running. There is no way to issue VAC in this case, because in order to issue VAC, Steam would need to communicate with Steam Network and send a request that asks Steam Network to VAC ban current client. Because there is no Steam Client, only my own ASF code that interacts with Steam Network, there is no physical way that ASF could send such request, because it's not even implemented. Likewise, if Steam Network asks ASF to perform VAC scan, for any reason, ASF will simply ignore such request, because it's not implemented in any way.

In other words, there is no physical way of getting VAC ban from using ASF. The only way of getting VAC ban is either triggering it through normal Steam client, or getting VAC ban directly from Steam Network. First thing can trigger as explained above, in specific scenarios that ASF doesn't even touch (and you can even turn Steam client off, so it can't trigger at all), while second thing - Steam Network VAC bans, doesn't exist to my knowledge, and even if it existed against my knowledge, then Steam Network can't issue VAC ban because it doesn't have enough data to work with - it can't decide whether to issue VAC ban or not, because ASF doesn't have any VAC reporting statistics logic implemented. VAC banning ASF would result in also VAC banning all currently available steam bot, lots of innocent users using outdated and current Steam clients, as well as other people I'm not even capable of guessing.

If that answer doesn't satisfy you or doesn't answer your question, then I'm afraid that you'll need to examine source code yourself, and spend potentially hundreds of hours into understanding how VAC works.

Hope it helps.

hello, can i download a game from steam when using this? any vac risk?

can i play VAC prtected games as CSGO without risk meanwhile the program is running?

I have 2 questions:

1) My anti-virus detects this program as a virus, Is it false alarm?

2) If I run this program in the background and in the meantime I play VAC secured game. Is it likely that I will be banned?

May I use ASF and bluestacks at the same time?
Will it lead to VAC ban?
Thank you.

What VAC has to do with bluestacks?

It's like asking if you get VAC banned if you play a game on your phone. They just aren't related to each other in any away at all.

Well, since I was VAC banned for doing too many push-ups while having Steam open on my laptop and PC, everything is possible.

Everything is, because Steam is filled with fuckups, but the probability of such unlikely event to happen is close to 0, and that should be enough for majority of people to ignore such thing. To be honest stuff that I usually run in the background on my PC, such as Visual Studio, various debuggers, memory dumpers, disassemblers, SCP Toolkits for controllers integration and crapload of other things has much higher chance of hitting false VAC, and I'm yet to receive one. It's not perfect system, but we can say that across those 10 or more years of Steam it reached the point that it can be trusted even if you have potentially dangerous (in terms of cheating) stuff in the background.

I'm also getting the 403 Forbidden error. Never been VAC'd, never been banned, never had any issue of any kind, honestly. But this is definitely not working. Any recent thoughts on when this error crops up?