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

uMod, still widely called Oxide, is the plugin framework almost every modded Rust server runs. Plugins are single .cs files that the server compiles at load time, so installing one is a file upload.

Check that your server is running uMod

1. Start the server once and let it finish loading.
2. Open Files and look for an oxide folder in the server root.
3. Or type oxide.version in the panel console. A version number confirms it.

If there is no oxide folder, your server is running the vanilla build and plugins will be ignored. The build is chosen by your server's startup settings, so open a ticket if you are not sure which build you are on.

Install a plugin

1. Download the plugin's .cs file from umod.org. Do not rename it, the file name is the plugin name.
2. In the panel, open Files and go to oxide/plugins.
3. Upload the .cs file there.
4. The server picks it up within a few seconds. Watch the console for a line such as Loaded plugin Kits v4.x.x.

A compile error is printed in the console with a line number. That almost always means the plugin version does not match your Rust or Oxide version, so check the plugin page for an update.

Where a plugin keeps its files

• oxide/plugins holds the plugin itself.
• oxide/config holds one JSON file per plugin, created on first load. Edit settings here, not in the .cs.
• oxide/data holds saved state such as kits and homes. Do not delete it casually.
• oxide/lang holds the message text you can reword.
• oxide/logs holds per plugin logs, which is where to look when a plugin misbehaves.

Reload after editing a config

Edits to a config JSON are not read until the plugin reloads. In the console:

oxide.reload Kits

To reload everything, oxide.reload *. To take one out temporarily, oxide.unload Kits. Deleting the .cs file also unloads it.

Grant permissions

Most plugins gate their commands behind a permission. Grant it to a player or a group:

oxide.grant user 76561198000000000 kits.use
oxide.grant group default kits.use
oxide.grant group admin kits.admin

Related commands: oxide.revoke, oxide.usergroup add <steamid> <group>, oxide.show perms and oxide.show user <steamid>.

Points to remember

• Plugins are server side. Your players do not install anything, but the server will list under Modded rather than Community.
• After a Rust forced update, Oxide needs a matching update before plugins load again. This is normal on the first Thursday of the month.
• Test one plugin at a time. Ten at once makes a compile error impossible to attribute.