How to Update Plugins on a Rust Server (Oxide/uMod Guide)

To update a manually managed Rust plugin, back up its source and configuration, then replace the old .cs file in the server’s oxide/plugins directory (or the equivalent umod/plugins directory). Oxide/uMod detects the changed file, recompiles it, and loads the new version without a full server shutdown. Confirm the result in the console and with oxide.plugins. If the plugin was installed through the uMod Agent, use umod update PluginName instead; side-loaded files are not tracked by that command.

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What a Rust plugin update actually changes

Rust server plugins are C# source files loaded by the Oxide/uMod framework. The source file normally has a .cs extension and sits in a plugins directory below the server installation. A plugin’s configuration is separate: most configurable plugins create a JSON file with the same base name in oxide/config.

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That separation matters during an update. Replacing the source file updates the code, while the JSON file usually remains in place. A newer build can add, remove, or rename settings, so an old configuration may need a deliberate merge rather than blind replacement.

There are two update workflows:

• Manual replacement: download a compatible source file and overwrite the existing file. This is the normal approach for files copied through a control panel, local filesystem, or FTP.
• uMod Agent: update a plugin that was installed and tracked by the Agent. The Agent uses its lock file and can apply version constraints.

Do not treat a plugin update as the same operation as updating the Rust server or the Oxide/uMod framework. Framework and game-server changes can affect many plugins at once and deserve a controlled maintenance window.

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Before you replace anything

Check the installed plugin and version

Open the server console or an administrator command console and run:

oxide.plugins

The command lists installed plugins, including names, versions, authors, load times, filenames, and failure messages. Record the current version and filename. This gives you a rollback reference and helps distinguish an update failure from a plugin that was already broken.

Read compatibility notes

Check the plugin’s release notes for the Rust build, Oxide/uMod version, required dependencies, and configuration changes. A source file can be current for the plugin but incompatible with an older framework or with a dependency that has not been updated.

Confirm that Oxide/uMod is installed

Run:

oxide.version

The installation guidance for uMod requires Oxide 2.0 or higher. If the command is unknown or the framework is absent, install or repair the framework before attempting a plugin update; copying a .cs file into a plain Rust server will not load it.

Make two backups

Back up both the current source and its matching configuration when one exists:

• The existing file from oxide/plugins (or umod/plugins).
• The same-base-name JSON file from oxide/config.

Keep the backups outside the live directories and label them with the plugin version and date. Do not edit the only copy in place. A source backup alone is not enough if a failed update leaves a configuration with incompatible values.

Manual update through a panel, local files, or FTP

1. Download the correct source file

Obtain the newest compatible C# source file from the plugin’s official or otherwise reputable distribution source. The file should be the plugin’s actual .cs source, not a web page saved with the wrong extension or an archive containing an unrelated version.

Do not rename the file. Plugin names are used by the framework and by commands such as oxide.reload PluginName. Changing capitalization, punctuation, or the extension can make the framework treat the update as a different or invalid file.

2. Stop editing the live configuration temporarily

If administrators are changing settings while the update is in progress, pause those edits. You want a known configuration state so that a later failure can be reproduced and rolled back cleanly.

3. Open the actual plugins directory

For a standard Oxide installation, navigate to:

oxide/plugins

Some uMod installations use:

umod/plugins

Remote hosts may expose this path through FTP or a web file manager rather than showing it at the account root. Use the directory that contains the currently installed plugin file; do not create a second plugins folder in a nearby but inactive directory.

4. Upload over the existing file

Copy the new .cs file into the correct directory and overwrite the old file with the same name. uMod’s documented behavior is that overwriting an installed source file causes the new version to load automatically. Oxide monitors file changes, compiles the plugin, and does not require the game server to be shut down for this operation.

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Allow the upload to finish completely before testing. An interrupted FTP transfer can leave a truncated source file that produces a misleading compilation error.

5. Watch the console

After the upload, look for the framework’s compile and load messages. A successful update should show the plugin loading without an exception. If the console reports a compiler error, missing dependency, or incompatible API, do not repeatedly reload the same file; collect the exact message first.

6. Confirm the loaded version

Run:

oxide.plugins

Confirm that the plugin appears once, shows the expected version, and has no failure reason. If it does not appear, check the filename and directory before assuming the source itself is defective.

7. Exercise one documented feature

Use an administrator account to run a command or trigger a feature documented by the plugin. Test the path most important to your server, such as a permission-gated command, a scheduled action, or an event hook. A plugin can compile successfully while a changed permission name, dependency, or setting prevents the feature you rely on from working.

Updating with the uMod Agent

When the Agent can update a plugin

The uMod Agent can update plugins installed with the Agent’s require workflow. It records those plugins in a lock file, allowing the update command to select the latest permitted version or honor version constraints.

For a tracked plugin, the basic command is:

umod update Logger

Replace Logger with the plugin name recognized by the Agent. The Agent’s lock-file model gives you a clearer record of what is managed and which constraints apply.

Why a copied file may not update

A file uploaded manually to the plugins directory is side-loaded. Side-loaded plugins are not in the Agent’s lock file, so umod update PluginName cannot manage them. In that case, continue using the manual replacement procedure or install the plugin through the Agent’s supported workflow if you intentionally want Agent management.

Updating the managed Rust installation

The Agent also has commands for the wider installation. The documented Rust update command is:

umod update -P

For a selected Rust installation path, use:

umod update rust --dir="/path/to/dir"

The Agent reference also documents the forms umod update, umod update <gameName>, and umod update plugins, with options including --force, --lock, and --validate. Use those options only when you understand whether you are changing one plugin, all managed plugins, or the game/framework installation.

Manual replacement versus Agent management

Configuration changes after an update

Find the matching JSON file

Look in oxide/config for a JSON file whose base name matches the plugin. For example, a plugin named MyPlugin.cs commonly uses MyPlugin.json. The exact filename is determined by the plugin and may differ in capitalization.

Keep the JSON valid

Configuration files must remain valid JSON. A missing comma, unmatched brace, stray comment, or invalid value can prevent a plugin from loading its settings. Use a JSON-aware editor and preserve the data types expected by the plugin: a number, Boolean, string, array, and object are not interchangeable.

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Compare rather than overwrite blindly

Read the updated plugin’s documentation for new, removed, or renamed settings. Compare the new defaults with your backup and merge only the settings you intend to keep. This approach preserves local permissions, messages, limits, and behavior while adding newly required keys.

After editing a valid configuration, reload the plugin:

oxide.reload MyPlugin

Replace MyPlugin with the plugin’s name. Reloading recompiles and reloads that plugin; it does not update unrelated plugins.

Recognize a reset configuration

If an update appears to erase settings, first inspect oxide/config. The file may have been regenerated because the old JSON was invalid, because the plugin changed its configuration schema, or because the plugin was loaded under a different name after a mistaken rename. Compare the regenerated file with the backup before changing values.

How to verify that the update worked

1. Check the console: confirm compilation and loading completed without errors.
2. Run oxide.plugins: verify the expected version, filename, and absence of a failure reason.
3. Check dependencies: confirm every required library or companion plugin is installed and loaded.
4. Test a real feature: use an administrator account and the plugin’s documented command or event.
5. Review logs: inspect oxide/logs for stack traces, permission errors, configuration parsing failures, or repeated exceptions.
6. Observe normal operation: watch the server after a map event, restart, scheduled task, or other trigger relevant to the plugin.

You can explicitly reload or load a plugin when diagnosing a problem:

• oxide.reload PluginName — recompiles and reloads a named plugin.
• oxide.load PluginName — loads a named plugin.

Use these commands after correcting the underlying file or configuration. Reloading a bad source repeatedly only produces the same failure and can fill the console with duplicate errors.

Do you need to restart the Rust server?

No full shutdown is required for an ordinary plugin-file update. Oxide detects the changed source and compiles it while the server remains online. Players may still notice a brief behavior change while the plugin unloads and reloads, so announce important changes and avoid replacing files during a critical event.

A maintenance window is prudent when the Rust game server or the Oxide/uMod framework itself has changed. Those updates can alter APIs, dependencies, or server binaries and may require a coordinated restart. Treat that work separately from replacing one plugin source file.

Troubleshooting by symptom

Rollback procedure

1. Record the exact console error and plugin version shown by oxide.plugins.
2. Run oxide.unload PluginName if the plugin is active and must be stopped before replacement.
3. Replace the failed .cs file with the backed-up source, keeping the original filename.
4. Restore the last known-compatible JSON configuration if the update changed or invalidated it.
5. Run oxide.load PluginName or oxide.reload PluginName.
6. Check the console, oxide.plugins, and oxide/logs before allowing normal use.

If the old build also fails, the cause may be a Rust or framework change rather than the new plugin file. In that case, stop alternating versions and resolve the compatibility or dependency error shown in the logs.

A repeatable maintenance checklist

• Record the current version with oxide.plugins.
• Read the release and compatibility notes.
• Back up the source file and matching JSON configuration.
• Confirm Oxide/uMod is installed with oxide.version.
• Choose the correct workflow: manual replacement for a side-loaded file, Agent update for a tracked plugin.
• Upload the compatible .cs file without renaming it.
• Watch compilation and load output.
• Validate or merge configuration changes.
• Run the plugin’s documented feature as an administrator.
• Keep the backup until the plugin has survived normal server activity.

The dependable pattern is simple: preserve the old state, replace only the intended source file, verify the framework’s result, then test the behavior players actually use. That process avoids unnecessary restarts while giving you a clear recovery path when a Rust, framework, dependency, or configuration change causes trouble.

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