Rust server messages fall into three different jobs: information shown before a player connects, an immediate announcement to everyone online, and automatic messages sent when players join. Use server.description for server information, the console or RCON say command for a live broadcast, and an Oxide/uMod plugin for timed or first-join messages.
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The distinction matters because server.description is not a chat MOTD. It appears in the server’s information or connection panel. A say command appears to connected players immediately, while plugins can react to each player connection and store first-join state.
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Choose the message type before changing a setting
Decide where and when the text must appear. The method that fits one requirement will not automatically satisfy the others.
| Requirement | Use | What players see |
|---|---|---|
| Persistent rules or description before joining | server.description in server.cfg or a startup parameter |
Text in the server information/connection panel |
| One-off restart, event, or maintenance notice | say "Your message" from the server console or RCON |
A broadcast to every connected player |
| Welcome text after every connection | uMod Welcome Messages plugin | A configurable, optionally delayed player-facing message |
| Announcement only for a player’s first join | uMod Noob Messages plugin | A first-join announcement to everyone, a private welcome, or both, depending on its settings |
Rust server settings and plugins change as the game and mod framework are updated. Check that your Oxide/uMod build supports the Rust server build you are running before installing a plugin.
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Prepare the server identity and configuration file
Rust keeps settings under the server identity directory. OxideMod’s server-owner documentation places server.cfg in that identity’s cfg folder. Managed hosts may expose this location through a file manager; a self-hosted server will have it in the directory selected by the startup command.
- Stop the server if your host requires files to be edited while it is offline.
- Open the active server identity directory and then its
cfgfolder. - Find
server.cfg. Create a plain-text file with that exact name if it does not exist. - Save a backup before changing an existing configuration, so you can restore a known-good version if a setting is malformed.
Make sure you are editing the identity that the startup command actually loads. Editing a different identity is a common reason for a setting appearing to have no effect.
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Set a persistent server description with server.description
Put the description in server.cfg when you want the text to remain after restarts:
server.description "Welcome! Read the rules at example.com"Replace the example wording with your own rules, Discord address, wipe information, or other short server description. Keep the value on one line unless your host explicitly documents multiline handling, and retain the quotation marks around text containing spaces.
What this setting does
The value is server metadata. Players see it in the server information or connection panel while viewing the server, not as a timed message in chat after they spawn. If you need a visible in-game announcement, use say or a plugin instead.
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Keep the value persistent
Rust can receive settings from several places. OxideMod documents this precedence from highest to lowest:
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- Command-line or startup parameters.
- The identity’s
server.cfg. ServerAuto.cfg.
If the same variable is set in more than one place, the higher-priority value wins. A host panel may generate a startup command that silently overrides your file, so inspect the actual startup parameters when the displayed description does not match the file.
The server.writecfg command is not a universal save mechanism: OxideMod warns that it does not write every parameter. For durable values, keep the setting in server.cfg or in the startup script used by your host.
Apply the change
Follow your host’s documented reload or restart process after saving. Facepunch’s server guidance recommends using server.cfg for most settings and shows startup parameters as part of the server launch process. If the description remains unchanged, stop the server, confirm the identity and file path, check for a higher-priority startup value, and start it again.
Broadcast an immediate message with the console or RCON
For a live notice, run this command in the Rust server console:
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say "The server will restart in 10 minutes."OxideMod’s command reference defines say "message" as a broadcast to all players in the server. The text is delivered to players who are connected when the command runs; it is not a persistent MOTD and will not be shown automatically to someone who joins later.
Using RCON
RCON sends the same command remotely through the access method supplied by your host. Enter the command exactly as you would in the console, including quotation marks when the message contains spaces. Keep the RCON password private and do not paste real credentials into guides, screenshots, support tickets, or public chat.
Hosts expose RCON differently. Some provide a web console, while others require an RCON client and the port configured in the startup parameters. Use the connection details and security controls documented by your host rather than assuming a default port or client.
Useful announcement wording
- Restart:
say "Scheduled restart in 10 minutes. Please return to a safe location." - Event:
say "The arena event starts at 20:00 server time." - Maintenance:
say "Maintenance begins in five minutes. Progress may be interrupted."
These examples are one-time broadcasts. If you need a countdown, recurring reminder, or join-triggered message, use a plugin designed for that behavior rather than repeatedly sending manual commands.
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uMod (also known as Oxide in many Rust server guides) provides the plugin framework required for automated player-facing messages. The uMod Welcome Messages plugin sends a message after a player connects and supports a configurable wait interval, formatted text, and localization.
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Install the framework and plugin
- Confirm that the Oxide/uMod build matches your current Rust server version. A Rust update can require a corresponding framework update.
- Install the framework using the method supplied by your host or the framework’s server-owner documentation.
- Download the Welcome Messages plugin from its official uMod listing and place the plugin file in the server’s plugin directory according to the framework’s standard layout.
- Start or reload the server through your host’s documented plugin workflow.
- Check the server console for a successful load message before editing the configuration.
Do not assume that a plugin written for an older Rust build will continue to work unchanged. If the console reports an incompatibility, update the framework and plugin or disable the plugin until a compatible release is available.
Configure its delay and text
The plugin creates a WelcomeMessages configuration file in the server’s config directory. Its documented example includes a delay value such as:
{
"WaitIntervalInSeconds": 20.0
}The interval is measured in seconds. A value of 20.0 means the welcome is delayed rather than displayed at the instant the connection completes. The listing also documents a multiline, color-formatted Welcome string; use the exact property names and escaping shown in the version you installed instead of copying options from an unrelated plugin.
- Let the plugin generate its configuration once, then stop the server or use the host’s safe configuration-editing workflow.
- Open the generated
WelcomeMessagesfile in the server’s configuration directory. - Change the wait interval and welcome text while preserving valid JSON syntax.
- Save the file, then reload the plugin or restart the server using your host’s documented procedure.
- Join with a test account and wait longer than the configured interval to verify that the message appears.
uMod’s listing recommends an editor or JSON validator because a missing comma, quote, or closing brace can prevent the configuration from loading. If the file is rejected, restore the last valid backup and reapply one change at a time.
Use localization when your server has multiple languages
Welcome Messages documents language files under oxide/lang. Create language-specific files there using the keys and format supplied by the plugin. Test each language with an account whose game language matches the file you intend to use; otherwise, the default text may be selected.
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Announce a player’s first-ever join with Noob Messages
Welcome Messages runs for every connection. Noob Messages is the better fit when the event should happen only the first time a player joins. Its documented features include a configurable chat icon, a custom prefix, an option to announce the new arrival to all players, and an option to send a welcome message directly to that player.
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- Verify that the framework and plugin versions support the current Rust server build.
- Install Noob Messages through the host’s uMod/Oxide plugin workflow.
- Start or reload the server so the plugin creates its configuration.
- Open the
NoobMessagesfile in the plugin configuration directory.
The exact property names and default values can vary by plugin release, so use the generated file and the official listing for the version you installed. Do not replace the complete file with a configuration copied from another release.
Select the audience
Enable the broadcast option when you want the whole online community to see a first-join announcement. Enable the private welcome option when only the new player should receive onboarding text. The plugin’s prefix and chat-icon settings let you distinguish the message from ordinary player chat.
First-join state is different from a wipe announcement. A player who joined before a wipe may not be considered a first-time player by the plugin, depending on how its stored data is handled. If you want every player to receive a post-wipe message, use say or an every-join plugin instead of relying on first-join detection.
Message design that works in practice
Keep each message focused on the action or information the player needs at that moment.
Server description
- State the server’s identity, rules location, wipe schedule, or region.
- Use wording that makes sense before a player has joined chat.
- Avoid presenting it as a guaranteed live status; the description is static until you edit and reload the setting.
Immediate broadcast
- Lead with the event and its timing.
- Include a concrete action, such as securing valuables before a restart.
- Send only when the information is relevant; repeated manual broadcasts quickly become noise.
Welcome or first-join message
- Explain where to read rules and how to ask for help.
- Tell new players what is special about the server without burying the instruction in decoration.
- Use a delay long enough for the connection and spawn process to finish, but short enough that the player sees it before beginning play.
Troubleshoot messages that do not appear
The server description is unchanged
- Confirm the file is named
server.cfg, notserver.cfg.txt. - Verify that it is inside the active identity’s
cfgdirectory. - Check the startup command for a higher-priority
server.descriptionvalue. - Restart or reload through the host’s supported workflow, then reconnect and open the server information panel.
- Check quotation marks and remove unsupported line breaks or control characters.
say produces no visible message
- Run the command in the actual Rust server console or an authenticated RCON session, not in an operating-system shell.
- Use the exact syntax
say "message". - Confirm that players are connected to the same server instance receiving the command.
- Review the console for permission, authentication, or command-parsing errors.
Welcome Messages loads but sends nothing
- Open the generated configuration and confirm the JSON parses.
- Wait at least the configured interval; the message is intentionally delayed.
- Check that the welcome text property exists in the version-specific configuration.
- Reload the plugin or restart after saving, then test with a connected account.
- Review the plugin log for errors caused by a framework or Rust-version mismatch.
Noob Messages repeats or never triggers
- Confirm that you are testing with an account the plugin has not already recorded.
- Check whether stored plugin data survived a wipe or server migration.
- Verify that the broadcast and private-message options are enabled as intended.
- Validate JSON and inspect the console for load errors.
Operate the setup safely
- Back up
server.cfgand plugin configuration files before edits. - Never publish RCON passwords, ports paired with credentials, or complete startup command lines containing secrets.
- Use valid JSON for plugin files; comments are not valid JSON unless the plugin explicitly supports them.
- After a Rust update, check framework and plugin compatibility before reopening the server to players.
- Test each message with a non-administrator account so permission differences do not hide a problem.
- Keep persistent information in
server.cfgor the startup script, not solely in a one-time console command.
A practical setup sequence
For most servers, implement the layers in this order:
- Add a short
server.descriptionto the active identity’sserver.cfg, restart, and verify it in the connection panel. - Use a console or RCON
saycommand for the next scheduled announcement. - Install Welcome Messages only if every connection needs an automated, delayed message.
- Add Noob Messages when the requirement is specifically a first-ever join announcement.
- Validate each configuration separately and keep backups before changing the next layer.
This separation prevents a common configuration mistake: expecting server metadata to behave like chat, or installing a recurring welcome plugin when the desired event should occur only once per player.
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