ServerWatcher: Log All Player Actions on Your Minecraft Server
Every Minecraft server administrator eventually faces the challenge of tracking player behavior. Whether you are investigating suspicious activity, dealing with accidental destruction, or simply maintaining detailed records, you need a reliable logging tool that does not slow down your server. ServerWatcher is a lightweight plugin built for Bukkit and Spigot servers that records a wide range of in-game events and outputs them directly to the console. It works quietly in the background, allowing you to stay informed without interrupting gameplay.
Unlike heavyweight monitoring systems, this plugin focuses on specific, essential events and delivers transparent, detailed reports. You will see exactly who joined, who left, which commands were executed, where blocks were placed, and even which chests were opened. This information is invaluable for administrative tasks and for reconstructing the timeline of a specific player's actions during incident investigations.
Core Logging Capabilities
After installation, ServerWatcher begins recording a comprehensive set of player actions. The plugin covers the most important aspects of gameplay, ensuring nothing critical slips through the cracks. The following events are logged automatically:
- Player connections and disconnections from the server.
- Execution of all commands, including potentially harmful ones.
- Block placement and destruction, with exact world coordinates.
- Interaction with functional blocks such as chests, ender chests, anvils, crafting tables, hoppers, dispensers, droppers, trapdoors, fence gates, buttons, and enchanting tables.
- Throwing spawn eggs, which is useful for detecting griefing with endermen or chickens.
- Bucket usage, both filling and emptying.
- Item drops from player inventories.
- Player deaths, including the cause and location.
- Game mode changes.
- Player kicks from the server.
- Hunger level changes.
- Bed entry and exit.
Every log entry includes the player name, world name, and X, Y, Z coordinates, turning the logs into a full-fledged analysis tool. You can quickly identify who interacted with a rare chest or placed TNT in an unauthorized area.
Administrative Commands
ServerWatcher is not just a passive data collector; it provides administrators with several practical commands for real-time server management. All commands use the alias /sw or /serverwatcher and can be executed from chat or the console:
- /sw cc — instantly clears the chat, ideal for stopping spam attacks.
- /sw gmute — toggles a global mute. When active, all players without special permission lose the ability to type in chat.
- /sw clear — completely clears your personal inventory, useful for testing or emergency cleanup.
- /sw perms — displays a list of all plugin-related permissions in-game for quick configuration checks.
These commands make administration more flexible, eliminating the need to constantly switch to the console or edit configuration files on the fly. If you need to temporarily restrict communication during an event, the global mute feature becomes an essential tool.
Permissions System
The flexible permission system allows you to clearly define roles between administrators and moderators. All keys use the ServerWatcher prefix and are easy to remember:
- ServerWatcher.command.cc — allows using the chat clear command.
- ServerWatcher.command.gmute — grants access to the global mute.
- ServerWatcher.command.clear — permits clearing the inventory.
- ServerWatcher.command.perms — allows viewing permissions in-game.
- ServerWatcher.bypass.gmute — players with this permission can chat even when the mute is active.
- ServerWatcher.notify.LogPlacedTNT — enables notifications about TNT placement if the option is enabled in the config.
By configuring permissions through any permissions manager, you can create a comfortable hierarchy where moderators see TNT logs but cannot lift the global mute, while administrators retain full control.
Installation and Configuration
Setting up ServerWatcher is straightforward and requires no specialized knowledge. Follow these simple steps to get started:
- Download the plugin file from the official page.
- Place it into the /plugins folder of your server.
- Restart the server or run the reload command.
After the first launch, a config.yml file will appear in the /plugins/ServerWatcher directory. Open it with any text editor and select the events you want to log. You can enable or disable recording for specific actions, such as bucket usage or TNT placement. Save the changes and reload the server again. The plugin will immediately start sending logs to the console with no additional steps required.
For those who prefer a streamlined client experience, consider using a modern launcher that simplifies mod management. You can download ServerWatcher: Log All Player Actions on Your Minecraft Server and other tools directly through a launcher menu, making it easy to switch between different modpacks without manual file handling.
To learn how to install the plugin correctly, check the official documentation. The developer has also included the ability to disable event types you do not need, preventing console clutter.
Conclusion
ServerWatcher is exactly the tool that many administrators, both novice and experienced, have been missing. It does not try to be a universal solution; instead, it honestly performs its specific task: recording key player actions and providing convenient commands for rapid response. The first version already demonstrates a solid level of polish, and given the developer's openness to suggestions, the functionality will likely expand in the future. If you are looking for a lightweight way to maintain control over your server without overloading it with heavy systems, ServerWatcher: Log All Player Actions on Your Minecraft Server for Minecraft definitely deserves a place in your plugins folder. With simple setup and clear permissions, you can adapt it to any need, from a small community server to a large project with dozens of players.