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Choose Rust server browser tags that match your rules

Rust browser tags help players filter servers before joining. A wrong tag can make a healthy server difficult to find or promise rules that you do not actually enforce. This guide changes listing labels only. It does not schedule wipes, install a rules plugin or convert your server between game modes.

Audit the advertised rules

Write down your actual wipe cadence, region and gameplay rules. Check your announcement channel rather than guessing from a previous server name. Record the existing server.tags value and save the active configuration before editing. If the panel manages tags through a startup field, use that field as the source of truth.

The official tag table lists supported values and mutually exclusive groups. The browser displays up to four tags. Values such as weekly and monthly belong to the same schedule group and should not be combined. An unsupported word is not a reliable substitute for a documented tag.

Build a small, truthful tag set

  1. Choose one supported wipe-schedule tag that matches your published cadence. If the schedule is unusual, describe it accurately in your public description instead of selecting contradictory categories.
  2. Choose a difficulty category only when it matches the running configuration. Do not advertise vanilla simply because it attracts searches if plugins materially change play.
  3. Add an appropriate supported region value, using the spelling and case in the official table.
  4. Review game-mode settings that may add tags automatically. Facepunch specifically notes that server.pve adds PvE. Avoid manually fighting a label that follows an actual gameplay setting.
  5. Save the comma-separated list. For example, server.tags weekly,vanilla,roleplay illustrates syntax; use those values only if all three describe your server.

Verify with a player view

Reload settings or restart normally according to the hosting template. Keep the old list nearby. Find the server without filters first, then apply one intended filter at a time. Check the displayed tags and ask another player to repeat the search from their own client. Record the time and filters used so support can reproduce a missing result.

Allow for browser refresh behaviour before making another edit. If direct joining works but filtering fails, compare the effective tag string with the supported table and remove conflicts first. Changing game or query ports is a separate investigation and should not be your first response to a category mismatch.

Recover from an incorrect listing

Restore the previous tag string if the new set advertises the wrong rules. Recheck that the server remains reachable and the public description is consistent with the restored values. Do not run a wipe to make a listing label true after the fact; agree and announce the schedule independently.

The tag catalogue can change with Rust releases. Revisit the upstream table when adding a new category rather than copying a long string from another community. A successful check means players can find the server under its honest categories, not that every possible search must include it.

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