RbxSync

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Frequently Asked Questions ​

Installation ​

This error means you need to install the Visual Studio Build Tools before building RbxSync.

Solution:

  1. Download Visual Studio Build Tools
  2. Run the installer
  3. Select "Desktop development with C++"
  4. Complete installation and restart your terminal
  5. Try cargo build --release again

Alternative: Use GNU toolchain

If you prefer not to install Visual Studio Build Tools, you can use the GNU toolchain:

powershell
rustup default stable-x86_64-pc-windows-gnu

This requires MSYS2 with pacman -S mingw-w64-x86_64-toolchain

macOS: "command not found: rbxsync" ​

The binary isn't in your PATH. Either:

  • Copy it: cp target/release/rbxsync /usr/local/bin/
  • Or use the full path: ./target/release/rbxsync

Windows: "rbxsync is not recognized" ​

Add the binary to your PATH:

powershell
# PowerShell as Admin:
Copy-Item target\release\rbxsync.exe C:\Windows\System32\

Or add C:\path\to\rbxsync\target\release to your PATH environment variable.

Windows: How do I remove an old RbxSync from PATH? ​

If you installed a new version but the old one is still being used:

  1. Find where the old version is:

    powershell
    where.exe rbxsync

    This shows all locations where rbxsync.exe exists.

  2. Remove the old installation:

    • Delete the old rbxsync.exe file from the path shown above
    • Or remove that folder from your PATH environment variable

  3. Edit PATH (if needed):

    • Press Win + R, type sysdm.cpl, press Enter
    • Go to Advanced → Environment Variables
    • Under "User variables", find Path and click Edit
    • Remove any old RbxSync directories
    • Click OK to save

  4. Restart your terminal and verify:

    powershell
    rbxsync version

System32 requires Admin rights

If the old version is in C:\Windows\System32\, you need Administrator privileges to delete it:

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator (right-click → Run as Administrator)
  2. Run: Remove-Item C:\Windows\System32\rbxsync.exe
  3. Or manually delete via File Explorer (will prompt for admin)

Note: IDE terminals (VS Code, etc.) usually don't have admin rights. Use a separate PowerShell window.

Windows: Still showing old version after install? ​

If rbxsync version shows an old version after running the installer:

  1. Restart your terminal - PATH changes don't take effect until you open a new terminal window
  2. Check all locations: where.exe rbxsync - should show only one path
  3. If multiple locations exist, delete the old one (see above)
  4. If old version is in System32, you need admin rights to delete it (see warning above)

IDE terminals

If you're using the terminal inside VS Code or another IDE, close and reopen the entire IDE - not just the terminal tab.

Sync Issues ​

Changes not syncing to Studio ​

  1. Check connection status - The plugin widget should show green "Connected"
  2. Verify the path - Make sure the project path in the plugin matches your actual project folder
  3. Restart the server - Run rbxsync stop then rbxsync serve
  4. Check HttpService - In Studio: Game Settings → Security → Allow HTTP Requests

Script content not updating ​

If the plugin says "syncCreate success" but the script content doesn't change:

  1. Check for name mismatches - The file name should match the instance name in Studio
  2. Try a full sync - Run rbxsync sync from the CLI
  3. Delete and recreate - Sometimes deleting the script in Studio and syncing again helps

"Parent not found" errors ​

This usually means the parent folder doesn't exist in Studio. Make sure:

  • The full path hierarchy exists in Studio
  • Service names match (e.g., ReplicatedStorage not replicatedstorage)

Plugin Issues ​

Plugin not showing in Studio ​

  1. Restart Studio - Always restart after installing/updating the plugin
  2. Check plugin folder - Verify RbxSync.rbxm exists in:
    • macOS: ~/Documents/Roblox/Plugins/
    • Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\Roblox\Plugins\
  3. Rebuild the plugin - Run rbxsync build-plugin --install

Plugin widget not appearing ​

  1. Go to View menu in Studio
  2. Look for RbxSync in the plugin widgets
  3. Click to enable it

"HttpService is not allowed" error ​

  1. Open Studio's Game Settings
  2. Go to Security
  3. Enable Allow HTTP Requests

Build Issues ​

"Unknown property type" errors ​

Run rbxsync fmt-project to fix JSON formatting issues, or check the .rbxjson file for typos in property types.

Build produces empty file ​

Make sure you have a valid rbxsync.json in your project root with the correct structure:

json
{
  "name": "MyGame",
  "tree": {
    "$path": "src"
  }
}

Performance ​

Server using high CPU ​

The file watcher may be monitoring too many files. Add unnecessary directories to .gitignore or create a .rbxsyncignore file.

Sync is slow for large games ​

Large games with many instances take longer to sync. Consider:

  • Using selective sync for specific folders
  • Breaking up large services into smaller modules

Updating ​

How do I update RbxSync? ​

bash
rbxsync update

This pulls the latest code, rebuilds the CLI, and reinstalls the plugin. Remember to restart Studio after updating.

How do I update the VS Code extension? ​

bash
rbxsync update --vscode
code --install-extension rbxsync-vscode/rbxsync-*.vsix

Then restart VS Code.

Still having issues? ​

  1. Check the Troubleshooting guide
  2. Run with debug logging: RUST_LOG=debug rbxsync serve
  3. Join our Discord for help
  4. Open an issue on GitHub
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