https://mctoolkit.net/blog Guides on Minecraft commands, datapacks and building, from the MC Toolkit tools. en https://mctoolkit.net/blog/enchantment-order-too-expensive https://mctoolkit.net/blog/enchantment-order-too-expensive The prior-work penalty doubles every time you touch an anvil. Here is the rule behind it, and how to sequence combines so a full enchant set never hits the 40-level wall. Thu, 30 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/give-command-data-components https://mctoolkit.net/blog/give-command-data-components 1.20.5 replaced item NBT with data components, and most /give snippets online are still written the old way. Here is the mapping from the tags you know to the components that work now. Wed, 29 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/nether-portal-linking-coordinates https://mctoolkit.net/blog/nether-portal-linking-coordinates Portals do not pair by coordinates alone. Here is the search box the game actually checks, why your portal keeps connecting to the wrong one, and how to force a clean pair. Tue, 28 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/spawn-proofing-torch-spacing https://mctoolkit.net/blog/spawn-proofing-torch-spacing Hostile mobs need block light 0. Torches emit light 14 and lose 1 per block. That gives a precise grid — and a different answer for floors, ceilings and open builds. Mon, 27 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/ore-distribution-best-y-levels https://mctoolkit.net/blog/ore-distribution-best-y-levels Diamonds are not at Y=11 any more. Each ore now has a triangular distribution with its own peak, and a few have a second band. Here are the real numbers from worldgen. Sun, 26 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/ominous-bottle-bad-omen-levels https://mctoolkit.net/blog/ominous-bottle-bad-omen-levels Bad Omen no longer starts raids on its own. Here is what the five Ominous Bottle levels do to trial chambers and raids, and the give command for each. Fri, 24 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/gamerule-reference-defaults https://mctoolkit.net/blog/gamerule-reference-defaults There are over 40 gamerules and most guides list them without saying which matter. Here are the ones that change how a world plays, with their real default values. Thu, 23 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/whitelist-ban-server-commands https://mctoolkit.net/blog/whitelist-ban-server-commands Whitelisting does not kick players already online, /ban needs a reason to be useful, and op level matters more than the op list. The details that bite server owners. Wed, 22 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/trial-chamber-ominous-vault-loot https://mctoolkit.net/blog/trial-chamber-ominous-vault-loot Ominous vaults hold the Mace and Heavy Core, but only if you make the chamber ominous first. Here is the sequence, the key economy, and what solo versus co-op changes. Tue, 21 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/execute-subcommand-chain-order https://mctoolkit.net/blog/execute-subcommand-chain-order Most broken execute chains come from confusing who runs the command with where it runs. Here is what each subcommand changes, and the order that fixes it. Mon, 20 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/fill-clone-region-limits https://mctoolkit.net/blog/fill-clone-region-limits Both commands cap at 32,768 blocks per call and fail silently past it. Here are the hollow, outline and replace modes, the clone masks, and how to move a build bigger than the cap. Sun, 19 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/tellraw-json-text-components https://mctoolkit.net/blog/tellraw-json-text-components A single wrong bracket makes tellraw fail silently. Here is the component shape, the click and hover actions that actually work in chat, and the escaping rule people miss. Sat, 18 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/beacon-pyramid-range-and-color https://mctoolkit.net/blog/beacon-pyramid-range-and-color A level 4 beacon costs 164 blocks and reaches 50 blocks, not 64. Here are the exact counts per tier, what each level unlocks, and how stained glass mixes the beam colour. Fri, 17 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/comparator-container-signal-strength https://mctoolkit.net/blog/comparator-container-signal-strength A chest with one item outputs signal 1, but so does a chest with sixty-three. The formula explains why, and why shulker boxes and buckets break every calculation you had. Thu, 16 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/server-properties-worth-changing https://mctoolkit.net/blog/server-properties-worth-changing view-distance and simulation-distance are not the same lever, and one of them is where your TPS goes. What each setting actually costs, with sensible values. Wed, 15 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/summon-nbt-mob-attributes https://mctoolkit.net/blog/summon-nbt-mob-attributes Summoning a mob is one word. Making it keep its gear, not despawn, not burn and not wander off takes six specific tags. Here is what each one does. Tue, 14 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/attribute-modifiers-vs-base https://mctoolkit.net/blog/attribute-modifiers-vs-base Setting a base value is permanent and setting a modifier is not — unless you pick the wrong operation. The three operations, the stacking order, and the slot trap. Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/loot-table-pools-functions https://mctoolkit.net/blog/loot-table-pools-functions A loot table that drops nothing usually has its weights or its conditions in the wrong layer. Here is what each nesting level controls, and the functions worth knowing. Sun, 12 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/resource-pack-custom-model-data https://mctoolkit.net/blog/resource-pack-custom-model-data The item-model system replaced the old CustomModelData predicate. Here is the folder layout, the JSON that maps values to models, and why your texture shows as a purple cube. Sat, 11 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/level-dat-hardcore-world-recovery https://mctoolkit.net/blog/level-dat-hardcore-world-recovery A hardcore death is one boolean in level.dat. Here is what the file holds, what a corrupted save looks like, and the honest limits of what inspection can recover. Fri, 10 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/mrpack-to-zip-modpack-conversion https://mctoolkit.net/blog/mrpack-to-zip-modpack-conversion A .mrpack is a manifest, not an archive of mods. Unzipping it gives you a JSON file and no jars. Here is what is actually inside and what a converter has to do. Thu, 09 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/pack-mcmeta-pack-format-versions https://mctoolkit.net/blog/pack-mcmeta-pack-format-versions One wrong integer makes Minecraft grey out your pack. Here is the format-to-version mapping, the supported_formats range that avoids the whole problem, and where the file must sit. Wed, 08 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/stronghold-triangulation-eye-of-ender https://mctoolkit.net/blog/stronghold-triangulation-eye-of-ender Triangulation works with two throws, not six eyes of guesswork. Here is the technique, the two mistakes that make it fail, and the coordinate maths behind it. Tue, 07 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/banner-patterns-loom-limits https://mctoolkit.net/blog/banner-patterns-loom-limits A loom allows six layers but a give command allows more. Here is how layers stack, which patterns need a banner pattern item, and how to duplicate a banner exactly. Mon, 06 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/mob-spawning-light-and-caps https://mctoolkit.net/blog/mob-spawning-light-and-caps Mobs stop spawning because the cap is full of something else, somewhere else. Here is how the per-category cap works, what counts toward it, and how to empty it. Sun, 05 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/structure-locate-biome-search https://mctoolkit.net/blog/structure-locate-biome-search locate searches a bounded radius and gives up rather than looking forever. Here is the difference between structure, biome and poi, and what to do when it fails. Sat, 04 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/datapack-folder-structure-loading https://mctoolkit.net/blog/datapack-folder-structure-loading A datapack that does not appear in /datapack list has a path problem, not a code problem. Here is the exact tree, the namespace rule, and the folders that got renamed. Fri, 03 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/custom-enchantment-datapack-json https://mctoolkit.net/blog/custom-enchantment-datapack-json Enchantments became datapack JSON, so a custom one needs no mod. Here is the file shape, the effect components that actually do something, and how to make it obtainable. Thu, 02 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/particle-command-spread-count https://mctoolkit.net/blog/particle-command-spread-count The four numbers after the position are not a direction. Here is what delta and speed do, why count=0 behaves completely differently, and how to aim a particle. Wed, 01 Jul 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/player-head-uuid-skin-lookup https://mctoolkit.net/blog/player-head-uuid-skin-lookup A head stores a skin snapshot, not a live link. Here is the profile component, why an old head shows the wrong skin, and how UUID lookup fits in. Tue, 30 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/recipe-json-shaped-shapeless-tags https://mctoolkit.net/blog/recipe-json-shaped-shapeless-tags A shaped recipe that will not craft usually has its key wrong or its pattern padded. Here is the JSON, the tag trick that collapses eight recipes into one, and how to test. Mon, 29 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/biome-y-levels-and-mob-variants https://mctoolkit.net/blog/biome-y-levels-and-mob-variants Cave biomes generate independently of the surface, which changes mob spawns, water colour and where structures appear. What that means in practice. Sun, 28 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/scoreboard-objectives-criteria https://mctoolkit.net/blog/scoreboard-objectives-criteria Most scoreboard tutorials only use dummy. The built-in criteria track deaths, blocks mined and custom stats with no commands at all — here is the full shape. Sat, 27 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/armor-protection-damage-reduction https://mctoolkit.net/blog/armor-protection-damage-reduction The armour formula includes toughness and the attack's armour-piercing. Here is the real equation, what Protection adds on top, and where the hard caps sit. Fri, 26 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/resource-pack-sound-replacement https://mctoolkit.net/blog/resource-pack-sound-replacement Minecraft only plays Ogg Vorbis, and a sound event is not a file. Here is the mapping file, how to add a sound instead of replacing one, and why yours is silent. Thu, 25 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/xp-levels-to-total-experience https://mctoolkit.net/blog/xp-levels-to-total-experience Levels are not linear — level 30 is 1,395 XP but level 60 is 6,720. Here are the piecewise formulas, what you keep on death, and the cheapest level for enchanting. Wed, 24 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/block-item-entity-ids-namespaces https://mctoolkit.net/blog/block-item-entity-ids-namespaces An id is not always what the item is called, and a block id is not the same as its item id. The naming rules, the renames that break old commands, and where states fit. Tue, 23 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/hud-customization-resource-pack https://mctoolkit.net/blog/hud-customization-resource-pack The hotbar, crosshair and XP bar all live in one texture atlas. Here is how to make parts of it invisible, what cannot be moved, and the font trick for custom HUD text. Mon, 22 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/minecraft-color-codes-formatting https://mctoolkit.net/blog/minecraft-color-codes-formatting Section-sign codes still work in some places and are ignored in others. Here is the full table, the hex syntax that replaced them, and which contexts accept what. Sun, 21 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/image-to-map-art-block-palette https://mctoolkit.net/blog/image-to-map-art-block-palette Maps have 61 base colours, not 16 million — but each has four shades set by block height. Staircasing triples your palette and is why good map art is never flat. Sat, 20 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/bossbar-title-timings https://mctoolkit.net/blog/bossbar-title-timings A bossbar survives restarts and a title does not. Here is the create-then-modify pattern, the fade timings people set backwards, and how to drive a progress bar. Fri, 19 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/custom-paintings-music-discs-pack https://mctoolkit.net/blog/custom-paintings-music-discs-pack Both became datapack registries, so you can add new ones instead of overwriting vanilla. Here are the two files each needs and the sizing rule paintings must follow. Thu, 18 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/dialog-screens-waypoints https://mctoolkit.net/blog/dialog-screens-waypoints Datapack dialogs give you a proper window with inputs and buttons. Here is the JSON shape, how a button runs a command, and how it compares to the book-menu hack. Wed, 17 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/pottery-sherds-decorated-pots https://mctoolkit.net/blog/pottery-sherds-decorated-pots A pot takes four sherds, one per face, and the order you place them decides which face gets which. Where every sherd comes from and how to skip the digging. Tue, 16 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/camera-cutscenes-timeline https://mctoolkit.net/blog/camera-cutscenes-timeline Two ways to move a camera in vanilla — a ticking teleport function, or the timeline registry. What each is good for, and the smoothing that stops it looking robotic. Mon, 15 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT https://mctoolkit.net/blog/server-icon-and-json-rpc https://mctoolkit.net/blog/server-icon-and-json-rpc 64x64, PNG, at the server root — get any of the three wrong and the icon silently does not appear. Plus the JSON-RPC management API that replaced screen-scraping the console. Sun, 14 Jun 2026 00:00:00 GMT