How to Configure Building Decay on a Rust Server (2026 ConVars and Upkeep Guide)

Rust building decay is controlled primarily by server convars. Set decay.scale 0 for no decay, decay.scale 0.5 for half-speed decay, or leave the default decay.scale 1 for normal speed. Then decide whether Tool Cupboard upkeep should remain enabled with decay.upkeep true or be disabled with decay.upkeep false. Put the values in server.cfg (or your host’s configuration panel), restart the server, and verify them in the console.

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This guide explains what each setting does, how upkeep changes the result, how to make changes persist, and how to test a configuration without risking a live base.

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The Rust decay settings that matter

Decay is not one timer with one switch. Rust combines a global decay multiplier with the Tool Cupboard (TC) upkeep system and several supporting convars. The Facepunch Rust Wiki identifies the following settings as the core controls:

The safest approach is to change only these documented convars first. Hosting panels sometimes expose additional fields, but names copied from an old guide can be absent or behave differently on a current server build.

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Choose the decay policy before editing files

Your setting should match the server’s intended pace. A permanent-build server, a casual PvE server and a conventional survival server need different pressure on players. These are starting profiles, not mandatory presets:

There is no single published “base lasts X days” figure that applies to every Rust server. Lifetime depends on the scale, whether upkeep is active, whether a TC is stocked, the construction and server version, and other game rules. Treat any universal number quoted without those conditions as unreliable.

Configure decay in server.cfg

A configuration file is the most reliable place for a persistent setting. The exact directory differs between a self-hosted installation and a hosting panel, but the file is normally named server.cfg in the server’s configuration area.

1. Stop the server cleanly. Editing while the process is writing configuration can leave you with a partial or overwritten file.
2. Open server.cfg. If your host provides a text editor, use that editor; otherwise edit the file on the machine running the Rust server.
3. Add one convar per line. For example, a half-speed server with normal upkeep can use:

   decay.scale 0.5
   decay.upkeep true
   decay.upkeep_period_minutes 1440
   decay.upkeep_grief_protection 1440

4. Save the file as plain text. Do not add quotation marks around numbers or booleans. Keep the decimal point in values such as 0.5.
5. Start or restart the server. Most Rust server convars are read during startup. A restart also makes it easier to distinguish the new settings from values left in a running console session.
6. Check the loaded values. Use the server console’s convar query or listing function. On consoles that support filtering, a command such as find decay can help locate the available decay entries; use the exact syntax provided by your server build or host panel.

For a no-decay build server, the relevant lines are:

decay.scale 0
decay.upkeep false

Setting both is a policy choice: decay.scale 0 stops global decay, while decay.upkeep false removes the TC upkeep mechanic. If you leave upkeep enabled with a zero scale, players may still see and interact with TC inventory even though decay is disabled, so decide whether that interface is useful for your community.

Apply settings as launch arguments

If your startup script or host panel does not load server.cfg, convars can be passed as launch arguments. The exact placement depends on the launcher, but the values follow the same name-and-value pattern:

+decay.scale 0.5 +decay.upkeep true +decay.upkeep_period_minutes 1440

Do not enter both a conflicting launch argument and a different value in server.cfg without checking which source wins in your setup. After startup, query the live value rather than assuming the command line was accepted.

Change a running server and make the change persistent

Administrators can usually enter convars in the server console while the server is running. A runtime change is useful for testing, but it may disappear at the next restart unless it is written to configuration.

1. Enter the convar and value, for example decay.scale 0.5.
2. Query the convar immediately and confirm that the reported value is 0.5.
3. When the value is correct, run server.writecfg if your server build and permissions support it.
4. Restart the server and query the value again. This catches panels that regenerate server.cfg or launch with a different profile.

Keep a copy of the working configuration before experimenting. If a panel has separate “startup parameters” and “server config” fields, record which field actually supplied each value.

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How Tool Cupboard upkeep changes decay

Stocked TCs protect structures inside their radius

With decay.upkeep true, upkeep is paid from resources stored in a Tool Cupboard. A structure inside the radius of a stocked TC does not decay while the required upkeep is being consumed from that cupboard. The protection is therefore conditional: an empty, inaccessible or destroyed TC cannot continue paying for the connected building.

The upkeep period changes payment frequency

decay.upkeep_period_minutes defaults to 1,440 minutes, or 24 hours. Raising the value makes one payment cover a longer interval and lowers how frequently players must supply resources. It is useful for communities whose members do not log in daily, but it also lets a large base remain protected after a single larger deposit. Lowering the value increases the frequency of upkeep events and can create more progression pressure.

Grief protection limits post-destruction spending

decay.upkeep_grief_protection caps the number of minutes of upkeep a Tool Cupboard can spend after it is destroyed; the documented default is 1,440 minutes. This setting is separate from the normal upkeep period. It is intended to prevent a destroyed cupboard from consuming a large reserve indefinitely, not to make a base immune to decay.

Disabling upkeep is not the same as disabling decay

Set decay.upkeep false when you want the pre-upkeep behavior described by Rust’s development documentation. Set decay.scale 0 when your goal is no global building decay. If you use only the first command, do not promise players permanent structures: the global decay system can still operate at whatever scale is configured.

Changes introduced with the 2026 Breach and Clear update

Since the 2026 Breach and Clear update, Tool Cupboards add an extra upkeep tax based on the number of players in a base. This means a configuration that felt affordable on an older server can consume more resources as a group grows. The update also includes a Decay class of convars that can change or disable this additional behavior.

The exact names and defaults of those newer controls should be read from the convar list on the server version you are running. Do not paste a bracket setting from an older hosting article without checking that it exists. After an update, inspect the available entries filtered for decay, note their current values, and change only settings whose descriptions match your intended policy.

Power Plant heavy-fuse decay and population settings

Building decay settings are separate from the October 2026 change to Power Plant heavy-fuse decay. A third-party summary of that update reports that heavy fuses last four times longer at populations of 10 players or fewer and retain the same lifespan at populations of 100 or more. Facepunch’s changelog lists these related convars:

• powergrid.fusedecaylowpop
• powergrid.fusedecayhighpop
• powergrid.fusedecaylowpopscale

These controls affect the Power Plant electrical puzzle, not the health decay of player-built walls, floors or doors. Check the live values before changing them, especially if your server uses population scaling. Do not assume a building-decay value such as decay.scale 0 also disables fuse decay.

Test the policy on a disposable base

Decay changes are easiest to diagnose before players build a large settlement. Use a password-protected test server or a temporary test area and document the starting values.

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1. Create a small structure containing the materials and block types your players normally use.
2. Place a Tool Cupboard, record its inventory, and verify that the structure is within the cupboard’s radius.
3. With upkeep enabled, stock the cupboard and observe the reported upkeep demand. Leave a second test structure with an empty or absent TC.
4. Change only one convar at a time, restart, and query the live value.
5. Repeat the observation with decay.scale 1, 0.5, and 0 if you need to demonstrate normal, half-speed and disabled behavior to your staff.
6. Destroy the test cupboard and watch whether the configured grief-protection window behaves as expected.
7. Restore the production values, run server.writecfg if appropriate, and restart once more before opening the server to players.

Rust does not provide a universal short test that represents an entire wipe. A base may show different results depending on its blocks, connections and whether upkeep is available, so compare like-for-like test structures.

Troubleshooting common problems

The value resets after every restart

• Check whether the host regenerates server.cfg from a web-panel template.
• Put the value in the panel’s startup-argument field if that is the documented persistent source.
• Apply the value at runtime and run server.writecfg, then restart and query it again.
• Look for a second configuration file or launch profile that contains a conflicting value.

A base still decays after setting upkeep to false

Confirm both the live value of decay.upkeep and the live value of decay.scale. Turning upkeep off removes the TC system; it does not set the global multiplier to zero. If your policy is “never decay,” use decay.scale 0 and test a structure without relying on a stocked TC.

Players report that a stocked TC is not protecting a structure

• Verify that the structure is inside the TC’s building privilege radius.
• Check that the cupboard contains the resources required for its current upkeep period.
• Inspect whether the TC was destroyed, blocked or replaced.
• Confirm that the server actually loaded decay.upkeep true after the last restart.
• Test with a small isolated base to rule out another cupboard or an overlapping building-privilege issue.

Upkeep became unexpectedly expensive after an update

Review the newer player-count-based upkeep tax introduced with Breach and Clear. Use the current Decay convar list to identify the relevant controls rather than assuming an older bracket or cost-fraction name still applies. Population, base size and the chosen upkeep period can all change the amount players must supply.

A guide recommends material-duration or bracket convars that do not exist

Older guides mention names such as decay.duration_stone, decay.duration_metal and bracket variables for block counts or cost fractions. Their availability and meaning are unresolved on current builds. Treat them as unverified: query your server’s convars, read the in-game description, and do not advertise a setting that the console does not recognize.

A console message says the base is decaying even when upkeep is disabled

One user report describes this symptom, but it is not established as a universal behavior. Verify the actual health of a disposable test structure and inspect the live convar values. If the message persists while the structure does not lose health, it may be a notification issue; if health does fall, check decay.scale, restart persistence and any update-specific Decay controls before changing production settings.

Recommended administrator checklist

• Define whether the server wants normal, reduced or zero global decay.
• Set decay.scale explicitly instead of relying on an inherited default.
• Choose decay.upkeep true or false deliberately; explain the choice in the server rules.
• Set decay.upkeep_period_minutes with the community’s login schedule and resource economy in mind.
• Leave decay.upkeep_grief_protection at its documented 1,440-minute default unless you have tested a different limit.
• After the 2026 Breach and Clear update, inspect population-based Decay convars and account for the extra player-count tax.
• Keep Power Plant fuse convars separate from building-decay policy.
• Restart after file or launch-argument changes, then query every value in the live console.
• Test a stocked TC, an unstocked TC and a destroyed TC on a disposable base before changing a live wipe.
• Record the server build and configuration so you can restore the previous policy if a future update changes a convar.

Example configurations

No decay for a construction server

decay.scale 0
decay.upkeep false

This removes global building decay and the TC upkeep mechanic. It is appropriate only when permanent structures and unrestricted building are intentional.

Half-speed casual PvE

decay.scale 0.5
decay.upkeep true
decay.upkeep_period_minutes 2880
decay.upkeep_grief_protection 1440

Here, decay runs at half the normal multiplier, while each upkeep payment covers 2,880 minutes (48 hours). The longer period is a policy choice; confirm the resulting resource demand in your test base before deploying it.

Normal survival defaults stated explicitly

decay.scale 1
decay.upkeep true
decay.upkeep_period_minutes 1440
decay.upkeep_grief_protection 1440

Writing the defaults explicitly makes the intended policy visible to other administrators and protects against an inherited value from a previous configuration.

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