How to Install Oxide (uMod) Plugins on a Rust Server

Plugins are how Rust servers get kits, teleports, clans, gather multipliers and everything else vanilla doesn't have. They run on a modding framework — Oxide (uMod) or Carbon — and on Lobby Maker you turn one on with a single setting.

Make a backup before you change the framework (Backups tab).

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1. Turn on the modding framework

1. Open your server in the panel (My game servers → Server Panel) and go to the Startup tab. 2. Find Modding Framework and change it from vanilla to oxide. 3. Go to the Console tab and Restart the server.

On start the server downloads the framework, and the console shows it loading. A new oxide/ folder then appears in the Files tab, with plugins/, config/, data/ and lang/ inside.

Oxide and Carbon both run the same uMod plugins — pick one. Carbon keeps its files in a carbon/ folder instead of oxide/. The steps below use the Oxide paths.

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2. Upload plugins

1. Find plugins on umod.org (free) or on Codefling (free and paid). A plugin is a single .cs file. 2. In the Files tab, open oxide/plugins/. 3. Upload the .cs file.

You don't need to restart: Oxide notices the new file and loads it within seconds. The console shows that the plugin has loaded — or an error, if something is wrong.

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3. Configure a plugin

After its first load, most plugins create a config file in oxide/config/, named after the plugin — for example oxide/config/Kits.json. Open it in the Files tab, change the values, click Save Content, then reload just that plugin from the console:

oxide.reload Kits

Some plugins also keep their data (kit contents, saved homes) in oxide/data/ and their chat messages in oxide/lang/, where you can translate them.

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4. Give players permissions

Most plugins do nothing for players until you grant a permission. Every plugin page on umod.org lists them (for example kits.use). Type these in the Console tab:

oxide.grant group default kits.use
oxide.grant user PlayerName kits.admin
oxide.revoke user PlayerName kits.admin
oxide.show user PlayerName

The default group is every player on the server; admins you added with ownerid are in the admin group.
For a VIP rank, create a group and add players to it:

oxide.group add vip
oxide.usergroup add PlayerName vip
oxide.grant group vip kits.vip

A player can be named by their Steam name or their SteamID64.

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Plugins most servers start with

Kits — starter kits and VIP kits.
NTeleportation — homes and teleport requests.
Better Chat — chat titles and colours per group.
Clans — clans and clan chat.
Gather Manager — resource multipliers for x2, x3 and x5 servers.
Stack Size Controller — bigger stacks.
Admin Radar and Vanish — tools for admins.

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After a Rust update

Rust is updated on the first Thursday of every month, together with the forced wipe. Oxide releases a matching build the same day, and your server installs it on the next restart. Until then plugins may fail to load: if the console shows errors right after an update, wait for the Oxide release and restart. After big game changes some plugins need updates of their own — download them again from their page.

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Common problems

"Error while compiling" in the console. The plugin is outdated for the current game version, or it depends on another plugin. The plugin's page lists what it requires — install that too.

The plugin has loaded, but players can't use it. A permission is missing — see step 4.

There is no `oxide` folder. Modding Framework is still set to vanilla, or the server hasn't been restarted since you changed it.

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Frequently asked questions

Do players need to install anything? No. Oxide plugins run only on the server; players join with the normal game.

Can I switch back to vanilla? Yes — set Modding Framework back to vanilla and restart. The oxide folder stays, so you can switch back later with your configs intact.

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Don't have a server yet? Rent a Rust server on Lobby Maker — it is ready in about a minute, with Oxide and Carbon one setting away.