In-game overlay

Install & pair the overlay

Download, run, sign in with Steam — first-time pairing takes about 60 seconds.

The overlay is a small desktop app — Windows .msi, macOS .dmg, Linux .AppImage / .deb. Install once, pair once, then it just runs.

1. Download

Go to the dashboard Setup tab and click Download overlay on the platform that matches your computer. Or grab the latest installer from the Rust Pulse website.

2. Install

Windows. Run the .msi. Windows SmartScreen may warn about an unsigned installer — click "More info" → "Run anyway". (Signed builds are on the roadmap.)
macOS. Open the .dmg, drag Rust Pulse Overlay into Applications. On first launch, right-click → Open to bypass Gatekeeper's unsigned-app warning.
Linux. Mark the .AppImage executable (chmod +x) and run it, or install the .deb with your package manager.

3. First launch

A small chromeless window appears in the top-left of your primary monitor. The first launch goes through pairing.

Click Sign in with Steam on the pairing screen. Your default browser opens Steam's OpenID page. Confirm. The overlay polls until pairing finishes (a few seconds) and lands you on the minimap.

You're signed in via Steam OpenID — Steam attests your Steam ID, and the overlay stores its pairing token in the OS keychain. No password ever leaves Steam.

5. Launch Rust

Set Rust to Fullscreen Borderless in graphics options. The overlay won't show on top of exclusive fullscreen.
Press F8 in-game to toggle the overlay window.
Press F9 to toggle click-through. Most players leave it click-through (mouse goes to Rust) and only flip it off to drag the window or drop a tag from the overlay.

Multi-server

The overlay reads from whichever paired server you've selected as active on the dashboard. To swap servers, change the active server on the dashboard or in the overlay's expanded view.

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