Gavelry
Managing player chat on a busy Minecraft server can feel like a never-ending game of whack-a-mole. Offensive language, spam, and advertising slip through, and by the time a moderator logs on, the evidence is buried under hundreds of messages. Gavelry changes that. It is a powerful chat filter and case management plugin that turns every flagged message into a structured case, complete with context, history, and a simple in-game GUI for staff to review and act. No more digging through logs or memorizing commands — Gavelry puts control right where you need it.
What Makes Gavelry Different
Most chat filters either block words silently or punish players without giving staff a clear picture. Gavelry for Minecraft takes a smarter approach. Every time a message trips a filter, the plugin opens a case. That case captures the offending message, the 20 lines of chat before and after it, the player’s past offenses, and a log of every staff action. Staff can then open the case list with a simple command, review the full context, and decide whether to warn, mute, or dismiss — all from an in-game GUI. No config editing, no console commands, no guesswork.
How the Filter System Works
Gavelry checks every chat message against four categories: slurs, profanity, advertising, and spam. Each category can be assigned one of four actions:
- WARN_ONLY — the message goes through, but the player gets a private warning and a case is created.
- QUEUE_REVIEW — the message is blocked and queued for staff to review later.
- AUTO_MUTE — the message is blocked and the player is automatically muted for a configurable duration.
- AUTO_KICK — the player is immediately kicked from the server.
Escalation rules add another layer of intelligence. Within a 24-hour window, repeated offenses can trigger harsher actions. A first-time spammer might only get a warning, but a repeat offender can be muted or kicked automatically. You set the thresholds, and Gavelry enforces them consistently.
Installation and Setup
Getting started with Gavelry is straightforward. The plugin is designed for Minecraft 1.21.1 and runs on PaperMC, Spigot, or Bukkit servers. To install, simply drop the Gavelry .jar file into your server’s plugins/ folder and restart. No additional plugins are required, though optional integrations with LiteBans, EssentialsX, LuckPerms, and Vault can extend its functionality. If you’re looking to download Gavelry, you can find the latest build on popular Minecraft community platforms. For those who prefer a streamlined experience, the foxygame.net launcher includes Gavelry in its curated add-on catalog, allowing you to install it with one click and keep it updated automatically alongside your server software.
How to Install Gavelry on Your Server
If you’re wondering how to install Gavelry manually, the process is simple. First, ensure your server is running a compatible version of PaperMC, Spigot, or Bukkit (1.21.1 or newer). Then follow these steps:
- Download the Gavelry .jar file from its official page.
- Place the file into your server’s
plugins/directory. - Restart the server or run a plugin reload command if supported.
- Check that the
plugins/Gavelry/folder has been created with the default config.yml and word lists.
Once installed, the plugin is active immediately. You can fine-tune filter categories, escalation rules, and integrations by editing plugins/Gavelry/config.yml. All changes can be applied without a full server restart by using /gvl reload.
Case Management and Staff Tools
The heart of Gavelry is its case system. Each filter hit generates a case stored in a local SQLite database, giving you a permanent record. Staff members can open the case list with /gavelry cases or the shorter /gvl cases. The GUI displays all open cases, and with a few clicks a moderator can view the full chat context, see the player’s history, and apply a mute or dismiss the case. This workflow dramatically reduces the time it takes to handle reports and keeps your moderation consistent.
For servers that use Discord, Gavelry can send webhook notifications to a staff channel. You can set a minimum severity so only serious violations — like slurs or advertising — trigger a ping, keeping the channel clean and actionable.
Customizing Word Lists and Patterns
Gavelry ships with built-in word lists for all four filter categories, but you have full control over what gets flagged. The plugin reads plain .txt files, one term per line. You can add your own terms without touching the defaults by using two special files:
- custom-additions.txt — terms here are added to every category’s filter.
- custom-exclusions.txt — terms here are removed from every category’s filter, useful for whitelisting words that might be falsely caught.
For servers that want to maintain a central list across multiple instances, Gavelry can fetch a remote word list via URL. It downloads the list on startup and every reload, so you can update your filters without logging into each server. After any change, just run /gvl reload to apply the new lists.
Integration with Other Plugins
Gavelry plays nicely with popular moderation and permission plugins. If you have LiteBans or EssentialsX installed, Gavelry can route mutes through those systems instead of its own built-in mute handler. This keeps your punishment history unified. LuckPerms integration allows you to set trusted groups that bypass profanity and spam checks (though slurs are still filtered for everyone). Vault is used for permission lookups, ensuring that players with the gavelry.bypass permission can be exempted from all filters — but note that this permission is not given to operators by default, so even admins are filtered unless you explicitly grant it.
Commands at a Glance
Gavelry uses a dual command system — both /gavelry and the shorter /gvl work interchangeably. Here are the core commands:
/gvl reload— reload configuration and word lists without restarting./gvl cases— open the case review GUI./gvl stats— view filter statistics./gvl mute <player> <duration> <reason>— manually mute a player./gvl unmute <player>— remove a mute./gvl history <player>— view a player’s past cases.
All commands are permission-based, so you can give moderators access only to what they need.
Why Server Owners Choose Gavelry for Minecraft
Running a family-friendly or community-focused server means keeping chat clean without turning into a full-time moderator. Gavelry automates the tedious parts while giving your staff the tools to handle edge cases fairly. The case system creates accountability — every action is logged, and nothing is hidden. The escalation rules prevent repeat offenders from slipping through, and the GUI makes training new moderators a breeze. Whether you run a small survival world or a large minigame network, Gavelry scales with you.
If you’re ready to take control of your server’s chat, download Gavelry and see how much time you save. The plugin is actively maintained, and the developer welcomes feedback. With its smart filtering, deep integrations, and intuitive case management, Gavelry is the missing piece in your moderation toolkit.