How to Install EssentialsX on a Minecraft Server

Q: Which EssentialsX jars do I need?

The core EssentialsX jar, plus EssentialsXSpawn for spawn and EssentialsXChat for chat formatting on most servers. Add Vault and LuckPerms for permissions.

Q: Why can players not use /home on my server?

Most EssentialsX commands default to ops only. Give the default group essentials.sethome and essentials.home in LuckPerms.

Q: How do I give players more than one home?

Set the tiers under sethome-multiple in config.yml and give players essentials.sethome.multiple plus the tier's node, such as essentials.sethome.multiple.vip.

To install EssentialsX on a Minecraft server, run Paper, Spigot or Purpur, download the core EssentialsX jar from essentialsx.net plus any modules you want (usually EssentialsXChat and EssentialsXSpawn), all from the same release, and put them in plugins/. Restart, then set it up in plugins/Essentials/config.yml and kits.yml. Regular players cannot use /home, /tpa or /spawn until you grant permissions, so install LuckPerms and Vault alongside it.

What you are working with

Jar	What it adds	Do you need it?
`EssentialsX`	The core: homes, warps, tpa, kits, economy, nicknames, mail, moderation, about 130 commands	Yes, every other module needs it
`EssentialsXChat`	Chat formatting with group prefixes from LuckPerms	If you want `[Admin]` style chat
`EssentialsXSpawn`	`/spawn`, `/setspawn`, spawn for new players	Most servers
`EssentialsXDiscord` and `EssentialsXDiscordLink`	Chat bridge and account linking with a Discord bot	If your community lives on Discord
`EssentialsXProtect`	Blocks things like fire spread, TNT damage and certain mobs	Optional
`EssentialsXAntiBuild`	Stops build and break without permission	Rarely, LuckPerms setups cover it
`EssentialsXGeoIP`	Shows a player's country on join	Optional
`EssentialsXXMPP`	Chat over XMPP	Almost never

EssentialsX needs a Bukkit based server: Paper, Purpur or Spigot. It does not run on Vanilla, Fabric, Forge or NeoForge. Its README lists support up to Minecraft 26.3, and it requires Vault for chat prefixes and group support from permissions plugins.

A Minecraft spawn town where EssentialsX handles homes, warps and kits for players

What goes where

File	What it controls	Where it lives
All EssentialsX jars	The plugin and modules	`plugins/`
`config.yml`	Almost every setting: homes, teleport delays, chat format, spawn on join	`plugins/Essentials/`
`kits.yml`	Kit contents and cooldowns	`plugins/Essentials/`
`warps/`	One file per warp	`plugins/Essentials/`
`userdata/`	Each player's homes, balance, nickname	`plugins/Essentials/`
`spawn.yml`	Spawn points set with `/setspawn`	`plugins/Essentials/`

The trap: commands work for you but not for your players

You install EssentialsX, test /sethome and /tpa as op, and everything works. Then players get "You do not have access to that command." This catches almost everyone.

EssentialsX ships with use-bukkit-permissions: true. In that mode it leaves permissions to the server and your permissions plugin, and almost every Essentials command defaults to ops only. The friendly player-commands: list in config.yml, which looks like it already gives players home, sethome, tpa and spawn, is ignored unless you set use-bukkit-permissions: false. The comment right above it says so, but it is easy to miss.

The clean fix is LuckPerms. Give the default group, which every player is in, the nodes your players should have:

lp group default permission set essentials.sethome true
lp group default permission set essentials.home true
lp group default permission set essentials.delhome true
lp group default permission set essentials.tpa true
lp group default permission set essentials.tpaccept true
lp group default permission set essentials.tpdeny true
lp group default permission set essentials.spawn true
lp group default permission set essentials.back true
lp group default permission set essentials.msg true
lp group default permission set essentials.balance true
lp group default permission set essentials.pay true

No permissions plugin and a tiny private server? You can set use-bukkit-permissions: false and edit player-commands: instead, but you lose groups, so it does not scale.

Before you start

Switch to Paper if you are on Vanilla or a mod loader.
Download every module from the same release as the core jar. Mixed versions refuse to load or throw errors.
Back up the server, so you can roll back if a config change goes wrong.

Step 1: Install the jars

Download from essentialsx.net/downloads. Stop the server, upload EssentialsX and your chosen modules to plugins/, plus Vault and LuckPerms, then start it. The console should show each one enabling. Run /ess version in game to check the versions match and Vault is found.

Step 2: Set up permissions

Give yourself LuckPerms access from the console, then add the default player nodes from the trap section. Make a staff group with extras like essentials.kick, essentials.ban, essentials.mute, essentials.tp and essentials.fly. Our LuckPerms guide covers groups step by step.

Step 3: Set your spawn

Stand where new players should appear and run:

/setspawn

This needs EssentialsXSpawn. First time players use the spawn named in spawnpoint: newbies under newbies: in config.yml, so also run /setspawn newbies on the same spot. To send everyone to spawn on every join, set spawn-on-join: true in config.yml. Leave it false to let players log in where they left.

Step 4: Homes

Players with essentials.sethome and essentials.home get one home. For more, use sethome-multiple in config.yml:

sethome-multiple:
  default: 3
  vip: 5

A player needs both essentials.sethome.multiple and essentials.sethome.multiple.vip to get the 5 home tier. Give essentials.sethome.multiple to default and the extra node to your VIP group.

Step 5: Kits

Fill your inventory with the items you want in the kit and run:

/createkit starter 86400

That saves a kit called starter to kits.yml with a 24 hour cooldown (in seconds). Players need essentials.kit to use /kit and essentials.kits.starter for that kit. To hand it out on first join, find newbies: in config.yml and change kit: tools (the default) to kit: starter.

Step 6: Warps and teleports

/setwarp shop saves a warp, and players need essentials.warp to use /warp shop. Set teleport-delay in config.yml (for example 3 seconds) so nobody escapes a fight with /home.

Common problems

Players cannot use /home, /tpa or /spawn: no permissions granted. See the trap above.
Prefixes missing from chat: EssentialsXChat or Vault is not installed, or the group has no prefix in LuckPerms.
"/spawn" says unknown command: EssentialsXSpawn is missing.
Errors on startup about versions: the modules are from a different release than the core jar. Replace them all with one release.
Plugin will not load at all: the server is Vanilla or a mod loader, or the EssentialsX build is older than your Minecraft version.
Config change ignored: run /essentials reload after editing, or restart.

EssentialsX on GamezServers

On a Minecraft server from GamezServers, pick Paper or Purpur in your settings, then use the file manager to download the EssentialsX, Vault and LuckPerms jars from their links straight into plugins/. Edit config.yml and kits.yml in the browser, press Backup before big changes, and run LuckPerms commands from the panel console. For more plugins worth adding, see how to install plugins on a Minecraft server.

FAQ

Which EssentialsX jars do I need?

The core EssentialsX jar, plus EssentialsXSpawn for spawn and EssentialsXChat for chat formatting on most servers. Add Vault and LuckPerms for permissions.

Why can players not use /home on my server?

Most EssentialsX commands default to ops only. Give the default group essentials.sethome and essentials.home in LuckPerms.

Does EssentialsX work on Fabric?

No. EssentialsX needs Paper, Purpur or Spigot.

How do I give players more than one home?

Set the tiers under sethome-multiple in config.yml and give players essentials.sethome.multiple plus the tier's node, such as essentials.sethome.multiple.vip.