［Objective］ This study aimed to address the challenges associated with surfacetreatment of rusted metal substrates by developing a compound functional acid-epoxy rusty anti-corrosion coating.［Methods］Tannic acid（TA），gallic acid（GA）and salicylic acid（SA）were selected as rust converters. A four-factor，three-level orthogonal test design was employed to formulate the composite coating by combining the rust converter with epoxy resin curing agent and fillers. Metallographic microscopy，scanning electron microscopy（SEM），EDS elemental analysis，and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy（EIS） were used to systematically characterize the microstructure evolution of the conversion film and the corrosion and anti-corrosion behavior of the coating，and the protective performance was further validated by a neutral salt spray test（NSS）.［Results］The composite coating，formulated with bisphenol F-type epoxy resin，phenolic amine curing agent，zinc phosphate，and a blend of tannic acid and gallic acid as rust converters，exhibited a R_ct of 9. 533×10¹⁰ Ω ·cm² after 2 000 hours of immersion in a 3. 5%NaCl solution. Moreover，the anti-corrosion performance of the coating applied on the rusted steel plates surpassed that on bare steelsamples. The NSS showed that the corrosion products at the scribe on the coating did not spread or showany other signs of deterioration.［Conclusion］ The compound functional acid-epoxy rust anti-corrosion coating，prepared with the optimal coating formulation（DER354 resin 23. 7%，LITE 2009 curing agent 6. 4%，zinc phosphate 57. 9%，tannic acid 2%，gallic acid 2%，diluent 6%，additive 2%）， can provide effective protection for rusted steel.