How to automate Rust server wipes (forced wipe day without the stress)
Rust wipe day means stopping, deleting files, updating and re-seeding by hand. Here's how RCON Hub runs map, blueprint and full wipes on a schedule.
Wiping a Rust server by hand eats your whole evening, and forced wipe day is the worst of it. Rust has no wipe command, so a wipe means deleting the right files yourself. RCON Hub fixes it: its Rust Manager runs the whole wipe for you, on a schedule or right now, with a countdown in game, a backup first, the right files deleted and the new map already picked.
Why wipe day hurts on Rust
Facepunch forces a wipe on the first Thursday of every month, at 19:00 UK time. Most servers also wipe weekly or every other week. Each one is the same chore.
The manual way looks like this:
- Warn players, save, then stop the server.
- Back up, then delete the right map and save files (and the blueprint files on a blueprint wipe).
- Update the server with SteamCMD, then put Oxide back, because the update overwrites it.
- Pick a new seed, edit the description, start the server and check it came back.
Miss one step and you're fixing a dead server while players wait.
What the game and other tools leave out
- No wipe command. A wipe means deleting the right save files, and their names change with some updates. Plain RCON tools can't reach files; hosting panels leave it to a script. Rust Manager knows the files for a map, blueprint or full wipe, and a dry run lists them before anything is deleted.
- Forced wipe waits on Facepunch. The new build lands around 19:00 UK time, so a script set for a fixed time can wipe before it's out. On forced-wipe day, Rust Manager checks Steam for the new build and waits for it, up to 30 minutes by default.
- Updates remove Oxide. A SteamCMD update deletes Oxide's files, and a wiped server comes back without plugins. Rust Manager puts Oxide or Carbon back by itself right after the update.
- The listing goes stale. The "Wiped" line and the wipe tag need editing by hand. Rust Manager stamps both into the listing and posts the new seed with its RustMaps link to Discord.
- A script carries on after a failed step. Rust Manager shows each step as it runs, stops safely if one fails, says what to do, and checks the server came back.
How RCON Hub fixes it
The Wipes page does every step in order:
- Schedules: weekly, every other week, or monthly on Facepunch's forced wipe, shown in your own time with a countdown.
- Three kinds of wipe: map, map and blueprints, or full.
- On a server on your PC: countdown, save, backup, stop, SteamCMD update, delete the files, new seed and start.
Step-by-step setup
- Install RCON Hub. Download it from rconhub.gg and run the installer. It's free for Windows 10 and 11.
- Add the Rust game pack. Open RCON Hub. On Your games, click Add game, pick Rust and click Install.
- Add your server. On the Servers page, click Add a server. Pick A server on this PC to download the free Rust server with SteamCMD (about 10 GB), or A server I rent to connect over RCON with its address, RCON port and RCON password.
- Set the schedule. Open the Wipes page. Under Schedule, pick Weekly, Every other week or Monthly (forced wipe Thursday). Choose the Kind of wipe and how many minutes to warn players first.
- Choose the extras. On your own PC, tick Always update the server with SteamCMD during a wipe if you like. Without it, forced-wipe Thursday still pulls Facepunch's new build. Click Save.
- Pick the next map. Under Seeds, set After a wipe to keep the same map, a random seed or your next favourite. Save favourites with Add and click Use next on the one you want.
- Test it. Under Wipe now, pick a kind of wipe and click Dry run to see every step and every file it would delete. Your cfg and plugin folders are never touched. During a real wipe, Call it off works until the server is saved and stopped.
Renting your server? Over RCON alone you get the countdown, the restart and the news; your host's wipe tool handles the files. Add file access under Setup on the Servers page and Rust Manager does real wipes over the server's files.
Is it safe?
Yes.
- It runs locally. RCON Hub and Rust Manager run on your own Windows PC and talk to the server over WebRCON. The RCON password stays on your PC.
- No injection. RCON Hub never touches the game client or your players' games. There's nothing for anti-cheat to flag, so it won't get anyone banned.
- Your secrets stay put. RCON passwords, panel keys and file logins are stored encrypted on your PC and never shown again.
It's beta software. Back up your server's settings and data before you change things.
Take your Thursday back
Wipe day should be a countdown, not a checklist. Download RCON Hub, add the Rust pack, and let your wipes run themselves.
Questions or problems?
Ask on ClanStop's Discord: support, ideas, game requests and ban appeals.