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How to Change a Rust Server Description, Header Image and URL

Edit three Rust server convars in the active identity’s server.cfg, run server.readcfg, and verify the description, public PNG header image, and browser URL.
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Set server.description, server.headerimage, and server.url in the server identity’s cfg/server.cfg, then enter server.readcfg in the server console. Rust reloads those values on the running server without a restart. You can also supply the same convars as startup parameters, but a configuration-file change does nothing until server.readcfg is run.

What you are changing

Rust exposes the server-browser details as convars. The three relevant fields are:

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  • server.description — the text players see with your server listing.
  • server.headerimage — the image displayed in the server’s information panel.
  • server.url — the website address opened by the listing’s URL button.

These values can be stored in server.cfg or passed when the server process starts. Facepunch’s server-creation documentation shows the URL and header image as launch parameters, while hosting guides document the same names in the configuration file: Facepunch Rust server creation wiki, Tempest’s configuration guide.

Before editing, identify the correct server configuration

A Rust installation can contain several server identities. Each identity has its own configuration directory. The file you need is the server.cfg inside the identity’s cfg folder, not an arbitrary file in the game’s top-level directory. The path convention is described by Physgun’s server.cfg setup guide.

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  • Open the control panel’s file manager or connect through your host’s file-transfer method.
  • Browse to the folder for the identity that players actually join.
  • Open that identity’s cfg directory.
  • Create server.cfg if it is absent, using that exact lowercase filename.
  • Keep a backup of the existing file before replacing lines.

If you operate multiple instances, repeat the edit for each identity. Editing the wrong identity’s file is indistinguishable from a setting that “does not work” because the active server never reads it.

Use this server.cfg syntax

Put one convar assignment on each line. Quotation marks keep spaces and punctuation in a value together:

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server.hostname "My Rust Server"
server.description "Welcome to our community server!"
server.headerimage "https://example.com/header.png"
server.logoimage "https://example.com/logo.png"
server.url "https://example.com"

The example also includes server.hostname and server.logoimage. They are useful neighboring listing settings, but the three fields this guide covers are description, header image, and URL. The configuration form above is shown in Respawn Host’s Rust configuration reference.

Write a description with multiple lines

Use the two-character escape sequence n where you want a line break inside the value:

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server.description "Wipes Thursday at 18:00nJoin our Discord for rules and events"

Do not press Enter in the middle of a quoted value. A physical line break ends the convar line and can leave the description incomplete. The use of n is documented in a Steam community discussion about Rust server listing fields: Steam discussion on server information settings.

Choose a header image URL

Use a direct, publicly reachable PNG URL:

server.headerimage "https://example.com/images/rust-header.png"

The game server must be able to fetch the address without a login, private-network access, or an expiring session token. Test the exact URL in a private browser window or with a simple HTTP client; it should return the image itself rather than an HTML page, redirect loop, or access-denied response. PNG and public reachability are the requirements identified in the Steam discussion and the Respawn Host configuration guide.

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A 512 × 256-pixel recommendation appears in a 2015 Oxide forum post: Oxide’s server-list settings thread. Because that measurement is old and is not presented as a current Facepunch specification, treat it as a historical guideline rather than a guaranteed requirement. Use a clean, wide PNG and verify the result in the current client.

Set the URL

Enter the address you want players to open from the server browser:

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server.url "https://example.com"

Facepunch documents this value as the link behind the server-browser button. It is an operator-controlled destination, so keep it current and make sure the address is the one you intend players to visit: Facepunch Rust server creation wiki.

Apply server.cfg without restarting

Rust does not automatically reread server.cfg whenever you save it. After uploading or editing the file, run server.readcfg in the server console. The low.ms settings guide explains this reload behavior: low.ms Rust server settings guide.

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  1. Save server.cfg in the active identity’s cfg folder.
  2. Open the live server console through your host panel, RCON console, or local terminal.
  3. Enter exactly server.readcfg and submit it.
  4. Wait for the command to finish, then inspect the server listing from a client.
  5. If the old values remain, confirm that the file path belongs to the running identity and that the lines contain the exact convar names.

A successful reload does not require a full server restart. It also does not repair a malformed line, an inaccessible image URL, or an edit made to a different identity; those problems must be corrected in the file and reloaded again.

Use startup parameters instead

Some operators manage Rust through a launch script rather than a persistent server.cfg. In that case, add the convars to the command that starts the server. Facepunch shows the plus-prefixed form for the URL and header image:

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+server.url "https://example.com" +server.headerimage "https://example.com/header.png"

You can include the description in the same way:

+server.description "Welcome!"

The following table maps the two supported locations. A value in a launch command is read when the process starts; changing the launch command therefore requires stopping and starting the process, unlike a saved server.cfg value that can be loaded with server.readcfg.

Listing field server.cfg line Startup parameter Purpose
Description server.description "Welcome!" +server.description "Welcome!" Text shown in the listing
Header image server.headerimage "https://example.com/header.png" +server.headerimage "https://example.com/header.png" PNG fetched for the information panel
URL server.url "https://example.com" +server.url "https://example.com" Address opened by the listing button

Avoid maintaining conflicting values in both places unless you deliberately understand which value your startup sequence applies last. For a simple setup, keep the values in one authoritative location and use the other only when your hosting panel requires it.

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Check that each value is actually visible

Description check

Search for the server in the Rust browser and open its information panel. Confirm spelling, punctuation, and every intended line break. If an old sentence is still present, the active process likely loaded a different file, or server.readcfg was not executed after the edit.

Header-image check

Open the image URL directly before troubleshooting Rust. Confirm that it returns a PNG without authentication. Then reload the configuration and reopen the server details. A browser that can view a cached copy is not sufficient proof; use a private window or another network to rule out a local cache or access restriction.

URL check

Open the server details and select its URL button. It should lead to the exact address in server.url. Check the value for a missing scheme, a typo in the hostname, or an unintended trailing path. The button’s destination is the practical confirmation that the convar loaded.

Troubleshoot common failures

“Command not found” after entering a setting

A misspelled convar is rejected with “command not found.” Compare every character with server.description, server.headerimage, and server.url; do not substitute spaces, hyphens, or a different capitalization pattern. The typo behavior is illustrated in the Oxide settings discussion: Oxide server-list settings thread.

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If you are unsure which convars the current build exposes, use the server console’s convars command and consult the current Facepunch documentation. Command names and presentation can change between game updates, so do not rely on an old screenshot.

server.readcfg appears to do nothing

  • Confirm that you issued server.readcfg in the live Rust server console, not a shell, chat window, or a different instance.
  • Verify the file is named server.cfg, is in the active identity’s cfg directory, and was saved as plain text.
  • Check that each setting occupies its own line and that quotation marks are paired.
  • Make one obvious temporary change, reload, and inspect the listing. This isolates a path problem from an image or URL problem.
  • If the host regenerates configuration files at startup, edit the panel’s persistent configuration or launch template so your change survives the next restart.

The description is blank or still contains old text

To remove the description, set an empty quoted value:

server.description ""

That clearing syntax is documented by Corrosion Hour’s Rust server description guide. Save the file and run server.readcfg; deleting the line entirely can leave a previously loaded value in place, depending on how your startup configuration is managed.

The header image does not appear

  • Confirm the URL ends in the actual PNG resource, not a web page that embeds it.
  • Remove access controls, expiring query strings, or host restrictions that prevent the game server from fetching it.
  • Check that the server can resolve the image host and reach it over the network.
  • Try a conventional wide PNG. The old 512 × 256 suggestion is not a current guaranteed specification, so test the rendered result rather than forcing that exact size.
  • Reload with server.readcfg, then close and reopen the server information panel to force a fresh view.

The URL button is missing or goes to the wrong place

Check that server.url contains the complete address, including its scheme, and that the line is not commented out or accidentally placed inside another quoted value. Reload the configuration and inspect the listing again. If a launch script supplies a different +server.url, remove the conflict or update the script as well.

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A reliable change procedure

  1. Decide whether server.cfg or startup parameters will be the source of truth.
  2. Locate the running server identity and its cfg/server.cfg.
  3. Back up the file.
  4. Add or edit the three convars, using n for description line breaks and a public PNG URL for the header.
  5. Save the file without introducing line breaks inside quoted values.
  6. Run server.readcfg in the correct live console.
  7. Verify the description, image, and URL separately in the server browser.
  8. Record the final values in your deployment notes so a control-panel template or future administrator does not overwrite them.

This workflow keeps the persistent file, the live process, and the client-facing listing synchronized. When a value fails, testing the three fields independently quickly identifies whether the problem is syntax, reload location, or the external image resource.

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