How to Install GriefPrevention on a Minecraft Server

To install GriefPrevention, put the jar in plugins/ on a Paper or Purpur server and restart. Players then claim land by right clicking two opposite corners with a golden shovel, check claims with a stick, and share them with /trust <name>. Everyone starts with 100 claim blocks and earns 100 more per hour of active play. Claims only work in worlds set to Survival mode in plugins/GriefPreventionData/config.yml, and the Nether and End start with claims off.

What you are working with

GriefPrevention 16.18.7 runs on Spigot, Paper and Purpur 1.21.10 and newer, up to 26.3, and Paper adds extra protection against knockback in claims (GriefPrevention releases). It is a plugin, so it does not run on Vanilla, Fabric, Forge or NeoForge.

Before you start

• Run Paper or Purpur. Switch from Vanilla first if needed.
• Remove other claim plugins such as Lands or other protection plugins that cover the same areas, so two systems do not fight.
• Back up, and start the server once after installing so config.yml exists before you edit it.

Step 1: Install the plugin

Stop the server, upload the jar to plugins/, and start it. The console shows GriefPrevention loading and how many claims it found. Stop the server once more if you want to edit the config now.

Step 2: Claim land

Tell players this, or put it on a sign at spawn:

1. Hold a golden shovel and right click one corner of the area.
2. Right click the opposite corner. Glowing blocks outline the new claim.
3. To resize, right click a glowing corner, then right click where it should go.
4. Hold a stick and right click to see claims nearby.

A claim covers the whole column from the sky down to bedrock, starting 5 blocks below the corner you clicked and reaching deeper on its own as you build lower. Claims must be at least 5 blocks wide and 100 blocks in area.

New players who place their first chest without claiming get a free 9 by 9 claim around it, set by AutomaticNewPlayerClaimsRadius: 4.

Step 3: Share a claim

Run them while standing in the claim. /trust public opens a claim to everyone. Other useful player commands are /claimslist, /abandonclaim (returns the blocks) and /subdivideclaims for sub areas with their own trust, such as a shared farm inside a base.

Step 4: Claim blocks and admin tools

Change them under GriefPrevention.Claims in config.yml. As admin:

• /adjustbonusclaimblocks <player> <amount> gives extra blocks.
• /adminclaims switches the shovel to admin claims, which use no blocks. Use it to protect spawn.
• /ignoreclaims lets you bypass claims. GriefPrevention does not log what you do in that mode, so keep it to trusted staff.
• /deleteclaim removes the claim you stand in.

Admin commands need permissions such as griefprevention.adminclaims, griefprevention.ignoreclaims and griefprevention.deleteclaims. Ops have them, or use LuckPerms for staff.

The gotcha: no claims in the Nether and End

GriefPrevention picks a claim mode for each world the first time it sees it, and the defaults surprise most owners. In the plugin's code, a world whose name contains "survival" or any normal Overworld gets Survival claims. Every other world, which means the Nether and the End on a normal server, gets Disabled. A player who builds a Nether hub with a golden shovel in hand gets no claim at all, and anyone can break it.

To fix it, stop the server and open plugins/GriefPreventionData/config.yml. Find the claim mode section, which lists every world by name:

GriefPrevention:
  Claims:
    Mode:
      world: Survival
      world_nether: Survival
      world_the_end: Survival

Change Disabled to Survival for each world you want protected, using the exact names your file shows, and start the server. The other modes are Creative (stricter rules for creative build worlds) and SurvivalRequiringClaims, which stops players building outside their claims at all.

The second surprise is claim blocks for AFK players. GriefPrevention counts a player as idle if the direction they face has not changed since the last check, and idle players earn nothing. That is intended: AFK pools do not farm claim blocks. If someone says they "played all day" and got nothing, they were standing still.

Common problems

• Golden shovel does nothing: that world's claim mode is Disabled, or you are in a world GriefPrevention has not loaded. Check the Mode section.
• "You don't have enough blocks": the player needs more blocks. Wait, abandon an old claim, or /adjustbonusclaimblocks.
• Friends cannot open chests: they need /containertrust, or /trust for building too.
• Admins can break everything: they have griefprevention.ignoreclaims or /ignoreclaims is on. Run it again to toggle off.
• Claims gone after moving servers: plugins/GriefPreventionData/ did not come along. Copy the whole folder.
• Pistons cannot push into a claim: that is the default protection (PistonMovement: CLAIMS_ONLY).

GriefPrevention on GamezServers

On a Minecraft server from GamezServers, choose Paper in Settings and use the file manager to download GriefPrevention from its link straight into plugins/, then edit config.yml in the browser. Press Backup before changing claim settings. Pairing it with a whitelist and EssentialsX makes a solid friends SMP, see how to start a Minecraft SMP with friends.

FAQ

How do I claim land with GriefPrevention?

Hold a golden shovel and right click two opposite corners. Right click with a stick to see your claims.

How do I get more claim blocks?

You earn 100 per hour of active play by default, and admins can add more with /adjustbonusclaimblocks <player> <amount>.

Why can I not claim in the Nether?

GriefPrevention disables claims in the Nether and End by default. Set those worlds to Survival under Claims: Mode in config.yml and restart.

How do I let a friend build in my claim?

Stand in the claim and type /trust <name>. Use /containertrust if they only need chests.