FlowChat: Smart Chat Filtering and Regex Processing for Minecraft
Managing chat in Minecraft has become a serious task. Servers with economy plugins, minigames, and complex automation flood the chat with notifications. Sorting through this noise manually wastes time and distracts from gameplay. FlowChat: Smart Chat Filtering and Regex Processing for Minecraft solves this by providing a powerful, regex-driven message processor that works on both client and server.
This tool intercepts, modifies, redirects, and even vocalizes chat lines based on rules you define. Each rule uses a regular expression (regex) pattern. When a message matches, FlowChat can replace text, trigger notifications, play sounds, send automatic commands, or completely hide the message. Configuration lives in text files that support hot reloading, so you never need to restart the game or server after making changes.
Core Capabilities
FlowChat offers a wide range of features that appeal to modpack creators and server administrators alike. Here is what you can do with it:
- Regex replacement: Match incoming chat against patterns and replace with formatted text, preserving Minecraft color codes.
- Outgoing message interception: Process your own messages to create command aliases, add color prefixes, or fix typos automatically.
- Color-aware matching: Match text along with its color codes, essential for accurate filtering on servers with custom formatting.
- Toast notifications: Redirect matched messages to overlay alerts so you never miss important info even with chat closed.
- Three alert styles: Choose between actionbar text, system toast, or achievement-style popups based on event importance.
- Sound alerts: Play standard sounds or specific resource identifiers when a rule triggers.
- Auto-responses: Send one or more commands when a pattern matches, such as thanking donors or answering frequent questions.
- JSON matching: Analyze raw JSON chat components to access hidden metadata unavailable through plain text.
- Value stacking: Collect numeric values from repeated messages and display a cumulative total, perfect for tracking damage or profits.
- Tag variables: Use dynamic placeholders like {username}, {serverip}, and {time} to make rules context-aware.
- Server-specific filtering: Bind rules to particular servers so different logic applies on different projects.
- Full message suppression: Cancel display of entire lines to combat spam effectively.
- Hot reload: Configuration changes apply instantly without leaving the world.
Supported Versions and Installation
FlowChat supports a broad range of Minecraft versions and loaders. As a client mod, it runs on Fabric for versions 1.16.5 through 1.21.4, Forge from 1.7.10 to 1.21.4, and NeoForge from 1.20.4 to 1.21.4. This means even legacy modpacks can benefit from advanced chat processing. The server component is a plugin for Spigot, Paper, and Bukkit, covering the same version range from 1.7.10 to 1.21.4.
To install the client version, simply place the downloaded jar file into your mods folder. For servers, drop the plugin into the plugins directory; no additional dependencies are required. If you prefer ready-made setups, some launchers let you activate FlowChat with a couple of clicks, which is convenient for newcomers exploring regex rules.
How to Install FlowChat: Smart Chat Filtering and Regex Processing for Minecraft
The process is straightforward. First, download FlowChat: Smart Chat Filtering and Regex Processing for Minecraft from a trusted source like Modrinth or GitHub. Match the file to your loader and Minecraft version. Then copy the jar into the appropriate folder. After launching, edit the configuration files to create your rules. The hot reload feature means you can test changes immediately without restarting.
Practical Use Cases
FlowChat shines in real-world scenarios. Here are a few examples you can replicate:
- Filtering system messages: If a region protection plugin constantly prints "You entered region spawn", create a rule with regex "You entered region (.+)" and set the action to cancel. Optionally redirect it to the actionbar to retain context.
- Sound alerts for private messages: A pattern like "(.+) -> You: (.+)" plays a noteblock sound when matched, so you never miss a private conversation.
- Automatic replies: When someone asks "How do I get the resource pack?", a rule can send a /tellraw command with instructions, reducing moderator workload.
- Damage summation: Combat mods often output damage numbers to chat. FlowChat can aggregate values over a few seconds and show total DPS via a toast notification.
Why Regex Matters
The true power of FlowChat lies in regular expressions. Even basic regex knowledge unlocks extensive possibilities. Capture groups let you extract usernames, numbers, and item names for use in actions. For example, the pattern "Player (.+) paid (.+) coins" captures both the name and amount, allowing you to send a private message or log the transaction. The GitHub documentation includes numerous ready-made examples, from simple replacements to complex multi-command chains.
JSON matching deserves special attention. Some plugins send structured data instead of plain text. FlowChat can inspect these components, enabling filtering based on hidden tags, hover text, or click actions.
Conclusion
FlowChat: Smart Chat Filtering and Regex Processing for Minecraft is more than a simple chat tweak. It is a complete rule engine that transforms raw text flow into a controlled information channel. With client and server support, compatibility with older Minecraft versions, hot reloading, and system notification integration, it proves invaluable for both solo modded play and large server operations. For anyone tired of chat clutter, this tool delivers a practical and flexible solution.