Steam Support on ASF and Steam ToS

[Gabgobie]

Hey y'all! I read through the wiki, especially the section discussing whether using ASF is bannable and as there was still doubt remaining I decided to message steam support and ask them to clarify. As expected their answer wasn't very helpful but I figured it would probably still be worth it to share the messages with you.

Hope this helps in alleviating any uncertainties about using this tool.

Best,
Gabgobie

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Ihre Nachricht vom 9. Mai um 20:17 | vor 1 Tag und 8 Stunden
Subject: Inquiry about ArchiSteamFarm

Dear Steam Support,

I am writing to you as a loyal customer of Steam who values my account and its security. I have a question regarding the use of a third-party tool called ArchiSteamFarm (https://github.com/JustArchiNET/ArchiSteamFarm),,) which claims to be a legitimate way of farming playtime in certain games without running them on my computer.

I have read the Steam Terms of Service and I understand that using bots or other automated methods to access or use Steam is prohibited. However, the developers of ArchiSteamFarm argue that their tool does not violate the terms of service because it does not interfere with the Steam client or servers, nor does it provide any unfair advantage or harm to other users.

I would appreciate it if you could clarify whether this interpretation is correct or not, and whether I can safely use ArchiSteamFarm without risking my account being suspended or terminated. I respect your policies and I do not want to do anything that would jeopardize my account or the Steam community.

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Gabgobie

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Thank you for contacting Steam Support.

We do not provide analysis of third party software for VAC compliance. Any third party software 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, but we do not provide guidance on what software you can and cannot use alongside a VAC-secured game.

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

For specific software and program types that will cause issues with VAC, please see our Disconnected by VAC article. Additional information regarding Valve Anti-Cheat can be found here.

If you have any further questions, please let us know - we will be happy to assist you.

Steam Support

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Dear *******,

Thank you for your response to my previous inquiry about the use of ArchiSteamFarm. I appreciate the information you provided about VAC compliance and third-party software.

However, my original question was not about VAC compliance but rather about whether the use of ArchiSteamFarm is in compliance with Steam’s Terms of Service.

Could you please clarify whether using ArchiSteamFarm is allowed under Steam’s Terms of Service? I value my account and its security and do not want to do anything that would jeopardize it.

Thank you for your time and attention. I look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,
Gabgobie

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Hello Gabgobie,

Unfortunately, we can't comment on the issue involving a third party software, nor are we able to offer interpretations of Steam's Rules and Guidelines.

As my colleague mentioned previously, any third party software 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 violate Steam's Rules.

We have provided all the information regarding this matter on our previous response.

If you have an unrelated issue please reply here and I'll be happy to help.

Steam Support

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