Crucible Local Server troubleshooting

Crucible Local Server runs a real Rust dedicated server on your PC, so most issues come down to the install, ports, RCON, or your network. Crucible Local Server runs on Windows 10 and 11 and updates itself through the Crucible launcher.

The install is stuck at 0% or will not finish

The Rust dedicated server is a large download (about 6 GB), and SteamCMD verifies and commits the files at the end with no progress signal, so the bar can sit near the top for a moment before it finishes. If it truly does not finish:

• Check your internet connection.
• Make sure your antivirus is not blocking steamcmd.
• Make sure you have enough free disk space.

You can watch progress, retry, or delete an install from the Installs dropdown in the titlebar. See installing the Rust server files.

It says the port is already in use

Another server, or a leftover RustDedicated process, is already bound to that port:

• One server runs at a time by default, so stop the other server first.
• If a RustDedicated process was orphaned by a crash, end it in Task Manager, then start again.
• The app checks the game, query and RCON ports before starting, so it tells you up front if one is taken.

RCON will not connect or says RCON disabled

Web-RCON only turns on when the server has an RCON password set. The app generates one for you on every new server, so if the console is one-way:

• Open Config and set or regenerate the RCON password.
• Restart the server so it starts with RCON enabled.

Without a password, the console goes one-way and the quick actions and live stats stop working. See console, RCON, and admin tools.

My server is stuck on Starting, when is it joinable

A server is only joinable at Live. Going from Starting to Live can take a while on a large or custom map, while Rust builds the world and navmesh:

• Watch the Console for the server startup complete line. That is when the app flips to Live and Join lights up.
• If it never reaches Live, check the console for errors (a bad map file, a missing mod, or a port conflict).

My scheduled restart did not happen

A scheduled restart can only fire while Crucible Local Server is running. The Rust server is a child of the app, so closing the app stops the server:

• Closing the window quits the app by default. Turn on Keep running in the tray when closed in Settings, and Crucible stays in the tray with the server up, so an overnight restart actually fires.
• The countdown is sent over RCON, so the server needs an RCON password set (see above).
• A restart that was missed while the PC was asleep is skipped rather than firing the moment you wake it, so a laptop that was shut at 4am picks the schedule up the next day.

RCON is not connecting, and I did set a password

Rust refuses to run RCON on a handful of common passwords (password, 123456, changeme, qwerty and a few others). With RCON off, the console is one-way, the quick actions and live stats do nothing, and a scheduled restart never fires. Crucible blocks those passwords, but if a server was set up elsewhere, change it in Config and restart the server.

Can I run two servers at the same time

Yes. Turn on Allow multiple servers running at once in Settings. Each server keeps its own ports, world and console. Every running server costs real RAM and CPU, so it is off by default.

A RustDedicated process is left running after I close the app

The app stops its server and kills the child process when you close it or the window, so this should not happen in normal use. If the app crashed or was force-killed:

• End any leftover RustDedicated in Task Manager to free the port.
• Start the server again.

Can players outside my network join my server

Crucible Local Server is a local testing tool and does not touch your router:

• Friends on your own network can join with the LAN connect string.
• To let outside players in, forward the server port on your router yourself, or use a relay like playit.gg or Tailscale, which needs no router setup and works even behind CGNAT.

See console, RCON, and admin tools for the connection strings.

The app crashed, or I need its log

Crucible Local Server keeps its own log at:

<Crucible install root>\logs\launcher-log.txt

which on a default install is %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Crucible\logs\launcher-log.txt.

The filename says “launcher” and that is the right file. Every Crucible app writes to one shared log, so the heightmap tool, the launcher and this app all land in launcher-log.txt. There is no separate server log to hunt for. Each app stamps its own start banner with its version when it opens, so you can see which app wrote which lines and which build you were on.

If the app crashed, the details are written there. Include the file when you report a problem.

This is a different file from the two log buttons inside the app: the Logs row in Settings and the console’s Open log button both go to the folder holding each Rust server’s own log, not the app’s.

Still stuck?

Use the Discord icon in the top right of the app, or post in the Discord server bug and feedback forum. It helps to include what the server was doing and any errors from the console.