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Installation & Setup

Install the plugin

  1. Stop the server.
  2. Copy MonthlyCrates-Bukkit-<version>.jar into the server's plugins/ directory.
  3. Start the server. MonthlyCrates creates plugins/MonthlyCrates/messages.yml, plugins/MonthlyCrates/crates/, and installs example-lotus.yml if there is no existing default crate.
  4. Check the startup log for loaded crate IDs or configuration warnings.
  5. Run /monthlycrates list in game or from the console to confirm the crate is available.

The default crate ID is based on the file name. example-lotus.yml therefore loads as example-lotus.

Crate file location and IDs

Place one or more .yml files directly inside:

plugins/MonthlyCrates/crates/

Nested folders are not crate categories. Use simple YAML files in that directory.

For native-format crates, id: is used when provided; otherwise the filename without .yml becomes the ID. Native IDs must contain only lowercase letters, numbers, underscores, or hyphens. For AdvancedCrates-compatible files, the filename is always the ID. Keep filenames unique and use /monthlycrates list after reloading to verify the result.

Give and test a crate

/monthlycrates give YourName example-lotus 1

Hold the given item and right-click either air or a block. MonthlyCrates only opens items with an NBT API String tag named monthly-crate-id. The tag's value must resolve to a currently loaded crate ID, so renaming or copying the material/name/lore of an ordinary Ender Chest will not make it a crate.

Use a quiet test account when verifying announcements; crate messages may intentionally broadcast to all online players.

Editing and reloading

Edit messages.yml or a crate YAML with the server stopped or while the file is not being read, then run:

/monthlycrates reload

Reload refreshes command messages and re-parses all crate files. A file with an invalid value is skipped and a warning is written to the server log; other valid crates can still load. Run /monthlycrates list after every meaningful edit.

Restart the server after replacing the plugin JAR. /monthlycrates reload reloads messages and crate configuration; it does not reload plugin code.

Existing default-crate upgrade

Older MonthlyCrates builds shipped a single-reward example-lotus.yml. The current plugin recognizes that untouched legacy default on startup, saves a one-time backup named example-lotus.single-reward-backup.yml, and installs the multi-reward AdvancedCrates-style default.

This automatic replacement is intentionally narrow: a custom or edited crate file is never overwritten. If your example-lotus.yml was customized, move the current reference file in manually and keep your original under a different filename; see Migration & Troubleshooting.

Operational notes

  • A player can have only one opening animation active at a time.
  • Crates stack normally when given through the command, subject to the item stack size.
  • Existing keys created with the former monthlycrates_crate_id tag must be reissued after upgrading; only monthly-crate-id is accepted.
  • The give command accepts 1 through 2304 crates and splits the total into valid stacks.
  • Item rewards that do not fit in the inventory are dropped at the player's location.
  • Commands configured as rewards run as the console, never as the opener.