How to configure RustDesk client automatically via CLI (ID server, Relay server, and key) on Linux?

[ebotias]

Hello,

I’m using Puppet to manage Linux deployments and I would like to automate the installation and configuration of the RustDesk client.

Specifically, I need to know if there is a supported way to preconfigure the following parameters without using the GUI:

• ID server
• Relay server
• Key (for a self-hosted RustDesk server)

Ideally, this could be done via:

• Command-line options, or
• A configuration file, or
• Environment variables, or
• Any other non-interactive method suitable for automation tools like Puppet

The goal is to fully automate provisioning so that clients are already connected to our self-hosted RustDesk infrastructure immediately after deployment.

Could you please confirm if this is currently possible and, if so, what the recommended method is on Linux?

Thank you.

[cookesan]

This is a client-side deployment question rather than something configured in rustdesk-server.

The server repo gives you hbbs, hbbr, and rustdesk-utils. The ID/relay/key values are stored by the RustDesk client. The current RustDesk client docs list two non-interactive paths:

• RustDesk Server Pro: generate an encrypted config string and run the client with --config <string>.
• Manual/OSS-style setup: configure one client, retrieve its RustDesk2.toml, then use --import-config for other clients.

The same client docs list common command-line parameters such as --password, --get-id, --set-id, and --silent-install, but they do not list separate Linux flags like --id-server, --relay-server, or --key.

So for Puppet, I would either:

1. use the Pro encrypted config-string flow if you have Server Pro, or
2. maintain a known-good exported/imported client config for OSS deployments.

If you need first-class individual CLI/env settings for ID server, relay server, and key, that looks like a client feature request rather than a server-side option.

[ebotias]

Thanks for the response.

I’ve tried using "--import-config", but in my case it doesn’t seem to do anything, so I haven’t been able to get it working that way.

I’m going to open a discussion in the RustDesk client repository to clarify this behavior or confirm whether it’s a current limitation.