Updated July 2026
Foundation Management UI & Tabs
The Foundation Management panel is the command center for everything you cannot do with hammer and keyboard alone: renaming your site, reading SCP profit breakdowns, hiring staff, queuing research, and browsing placeable structures. Opening it early and learning each tab prevents the common new-player mistake of overbuilding before checking whether you can afford scientists or the next research tier. This guide walks through every section in the order most players encounter during a fresh save.
Opening Foundation Management
Click the Foundation Management button on the main HUD—typically labeled near your site name or accessed through the central management icon depending on beta UI skin. The panel overlays your facility without unloading the map, so you can keep an eye on NPC movement while adjusting hiring queues. On busy servers, open management in a quiet wing to avoid accidental camera clicks through transparent UI layers.
Each tab corresponds to a major progression pillar: identity and settings on Home, money on Profit, workforce on Staff, unlocks on Research, and catalog browsing on Structures. Grayed-out tabs or buttons indicate missing research stars or insufficient funds. Hover tooltips in beta builds sometimes lag; if a hire button will not click, verify both cash on hand and prerequisite research in the Research tab first.
Home Tab — Site Identity and Overview
The Home section lets you rename your foundation, replacing the default slot label with a custom title visible to visitors on multiplayer servers. While cosmetic, a clear name helps collaborators navigate shared saves. Home may also surface high-level notifications, beta feedback links, and quick reminders about active research timers continuing offline.
Treat Home as your landing tab when loading a save: confirm research timers, check whether a previous session left hiring incomplete, then jump to Profit before spending on new anomalies. Renaming is free and unlimited, so use descriptive names like "Site-19 Annex" or "Safe Wing Alpha" when running multiple save slots.
Profit Tab — SCP Income and Economics
Profit is the most important tab for min-max players. It lists each contained anomaly with per-test payouts and per-minute income estimates. For example, SCP-005 commonly reports around $468 per test in early setups, alongside hourly projections that assume ideal staff routing. Remember that displayed per-minute values often exclude NPC walk time, so real earnings lag until you optimize desk proximity.
Use Profit to compare anomalies before buying expensive Euclid or Keter captures from the Wilderness. Sort mentally by return on investment: purchase price divided by expected test income. Safe-class objects fund mid-game research, while high-tier Euclid anomalies like SCP-4854 can show much larger numbers but require massive upfront capture cost and containment infrastructure. Cross-reference this tab with our SCP income tier list when prioritizing purchases.
Staff Tab — Hiring and Role Management
The Staff section controls hiring for every NPC role: Doctors, Scientists, Class-D inmates, Security, Task Force operatives, and Maintenance workers. Each role requires appropriate furnishings placed in build mode first—Lab Stations for scientists, Test Subject Zones for Class-D, and so on. Security hiring stays locked until you earn enough research stars to unlock the security tier, which typically requires leveling through earlier research milestones.
Staff happiness ties into beta NPC needs systems covered in our NPC needs guide. Underpaid or overworked staff contribute to riots and reduced testing throughput. Use the Staff tab after placing furnishings to fill stations without over-hiring: each Lab Station supports one scientist, each Security Station two guards, and each Armory two Task Force members at a steep $30,000 placement cost. Fire redundant workers from this tab to reduce salary drag on your economics report.
Research and Structures Tabs
Research displays the six-topic tree: Multiple Floors, Euclid Class Anomalies, Foundation Transport, Tesla Gates, Keter Class Anomalies, and Foundation Technologies. Each entry shows dollar cost, real-time duration, and a description of unlocks. Research continues while offline, making it ideal to queue overnight sessions before logging off. Stars earned from leveling unlock additional hire categories and advanced tabs.
The Structures tab catalogs placeable items unlocked through research or progression—metal detectors, elevators, scanners, and special containment utilities often land here after completion rather than appearing immediately in build mode. If you finish Multiple Floors but cannot find elevators, check Structures and the basic-needs build category. This tab is also useful for verifying you researched Foundation Transport before attempting to buy the Offroad Titan at the Warehouse for Wilderness captures.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why is my Security section grayed out in Staff?
Security hiring requires research progression stars—typically unlocked after early research milestones such as Multiple Floors and initial leveling. Complete cheaper research first, then revisit the Staff tab.
Does the Profit tab include bonus multipliers?
Profit focuses on gross SCP test income per anomaly. Clean, Safety, Health, and Intel bonuses from maintenance, security, doctors, and server racks apply on the economics paycheck screen instead. Use our profit calculator tool to model final payouts.
Can I manage research while in build mode?
Foundation Management is accessible from the live HUD, not buried inside build mode. Exit build with B if the overlay blocks management buttons, queue research, then re-enter build.
Where do I rename my foundation?
Use the Home tab text field at the top of Foundation Management. The new name saves to your current slot and displays to other players visiting your site on multiplayer servers.