Better Shulkers
Storage management in Minecraft has always been a delicate balancing act. You hoard resources, craft countless chests, and eventually turn to shulker boxes for portable organization. But what if those purple boxes could do far more than hold your spare diamonds? That is exactly the promise behind Better Shulkers, a server-side mod that reimagines how players interact with shulker boxes in ways that feel like they should have been in the base game all along.
What Is Better Shulkers?
Better Shulkers is an open-source Fabric and NeoForge Minecraft mod that operates entirely on the server side. This means no client mod is required for players to enjoy its features. Anyone connecting to your server can benefit immediately, which makes it an ideal choice for vanilla-compatible survival worlds that want quality-of-life improvements without forcing everyone to install extra software. It was created as Tater Certified's entry in the 2025 NeoForge Server-side Summer competition, and that competitive pedigree shows in its polished design.
Whether you run a small private realm or a bustling public server, this mod slots in cleanly. It is built with vanilla compatibility in mind, though it also plays nicely alongside modded content.
Key Features That Change Everything
The headline feature is the ability to open shulker boxes straight from your hotbar or inventory. No more placing a box on the ground, opening it, and picking it back up. A simple right-click lets you access the contents instantly, streamlining everything from mining trips to base organization.
Beyond that convenience, the mod introduces a whitelist system. You can designate certain items that a shulker box is allowed to hold, and a visual display on the lid shows exactly what is whitelisted. This is perfect for sorting systems or for keeping your building blocks separate from your combat gear.
- Open shulker boxes directly from your hotbar and inventory
- Whitelist specific items for individual shulker boxes
- Visual display showing each box's whitelist on the lid
- Quick insert all items with shift-right-click
- Material Collector enchantment for automatic item pickup
That last feature deserves special attention. By enchanting a shulker box with Material Collector, the box automatically picks up matching items as you walk around. It turns your portable storage into a vacuum for exactly the resources you care about.
How to Install Better Shulkers
Getting started is straightforward. Because this is a server-side mod, the installation process happens on the server rather than on each player's client. Here is the general flow for how to install it:
- Confirm your server runs a supported Minecraft version with Fabric or NeoForge installed
- Place the mod file into your server's mods folder
- Restart the server to generate the configuration file
- Adjust settings in the bettershulkers.toml file located in your config folder
The mod generates a configuration file that gives server operators fine-grained control. You can decide whether shulker boxes pick up items through a recipe, an enchantment, or not at all. You can toggle inventory opening, material displays, and permission requirements for commands and right-click access. Permissions nodes like bettershulkers.command.reload and bettershulkers.open let you tailor access for different player ranks.
If you would rather skip manual file management, the foxygame.net launcher offers a one-click install path for Better Shulkers, pulling the correct build for your server version automatically. Its built-in add-on catalog keeps everything organized, so you spend less time fiddling with folders and more time playing.
Supported Versions and Loaders
Better Shulkers supports both Fabric and NeoForge, giving server owners flexibility regardless of which mod loader they prefer. It is designed to work across modern Minecraft versions, and because it runs server-side, players on unmodified clients can join without any extra setup. Always check that your server's Minecraft version matches the mod build you download, since loader compatibility can shift between major releases.
Configuration Options at a Glance
The bettershulkers.toml file includes several toggles worth reviewing. The item-pickup-type option controls automatic pickup behavior, while open-from-inventory determines whether players can right-click boxes in hand. The show-material-display setting renders item displays on the lid, though high-latency players may notice slower updates. Permission toggles let you lock down commands and right-click opening for stricter servers.
Why Server Owners Love It
For server administrators, the appeal is obvious. You get meaningful storage upgrades without demanding that every player install a client mod. The permission system keeps things secure, and the open-source nature means the community can audit and improve the code. For players, it simply makes inventory management faster and more enjoyable.
If you are ready to download Better Shulkers for Minecraft, grab the build that matches your loader and version, drop it into your server, and let your shulker boxes finally pull their weight. Your inventory will thank you.