MinecoloniesEntityFix - A Solution to Minecolonies Citizens Freezing on Spigot
If you run a Minecraft server with the Minecolonies mod, you have likely encountered a frustrating scenario: a player moves a few chunks away from their colony, and everything grinds to a halt. Builders stop constructing, farmers abandon their fields, and guards cease patrolling. The colony essentially falls asleep. This is not a bug in Minecolonies itself but a side effect of Spigot's entity-activation-range optimization. MinecoloniesEntityFix - A Solution to Minecolonies Citizens Freezing on Spigot is the dedicated plugin that finally puts an end to this problem, ensuring your colonists remain productive no matter where players wander.
Why Minecolonies Citizens Freeze on Spigot
Spigot, Paper, and Purpur servers use a mechanism called entity-activation-range to reduce CPU load. By default, entities beyond 32 blocks from a player have their AI processing suspended. This works wonderfully for generic mobs like cows or zombies, but it cripples Minecolonies citizens. These NPCs rely on constant AI ticks to perform tasks, pathfind, and interact with the world. When a player leaves the area, the server simply stops thinking about them. The result is a colony that appears frozen in time, with citizens standing motionless and projects abandoned. This is especially painful on multiplayer servers where players explore, build in distant locations, or log off at different times.
How MinecoloniesEntityFix Solves the Problem
MinecoloniesEntityFix - A Solution to Minecolonies Citizens Freezing on Spigot for Minecraft works by running a background task that periodically "wakes up" all Minecolonies citizens on the server. It taps directly into the server's internal mechanics (NMS) to bypass Spigot's distance checks. Builders keep building, guards keep patrolling, and citizens keep working even when the player is far away or has logged off entirely. The plugin is surgically precise: it only affects living Minecolonies entities, so it won't waste resources on items, experience orbs, or minecarts. This targeted approach means your server performance remains stable while colonies thrive naturally.
Configuration and Customization
The plugin comes with a config.yml file that gives you full control over its behavior. You can fine-tune how aggressively it activates citizens and manages chunk loading to match your server's size and performance profile. Here are the key settings you can adjust:
- activation-interval-ticks: How often the plugin checks and activates citizens. 20 ticks equals one second. Increase to 40 on large servers to reduce load.
- max-entities-per-tick: Limits how many citizens are processed in one cycle. If you have 300 citizens and set this to 100, they'll be activated in batches over several cycles, preventing CPU spikes.
- debug: Turn on to see plugin activity in the console. Useful for testing, but best kept off during normal operation.
- track-builder-actions: Logs what blocks builders are breaking and placing. Only needed for troubleshooting.
- keep-chunks-loaded-when-no-players: Set to true if you want colonies to run 24/7, even when the server is empty.
- keep-chunks-loaded-when-players-online: Set to true to keep colonies active even when players are far away but still online.
- chunk-ticket-update-interval-ticks: How often chunk loading tickets are refreshed. Runs less frequently than citizen activation to save resources.
- enable-ownership-check-for-force-load: When true, only loads chunks for citizens whose owners are currently online, saving resources by ignoring inactive colonies.
- make-invulnerable-when-force-loaded: Makes citizens invulnerable to damage when their chunks are force-loaded, preventing them from dying to mobs while the player is away.
Commands and Permissions
MinecoloniesEntityFix - A Solution to Minecolonies Citizens Freezing on Spigot provides a straightforward command interface under /mcfix or /minecoloniesfix. The permission minecoloniesfix.admin is required, which defaults to server operators. Available commands include:
/mcfix— Shows a list of all available commands./mcfix status— Displays current plugin status: whether the task is running, how many entities are cached, how many chunks are force-loaded, and current settings./mcfix reload— Reloads config.yml without restarting the server. Use this after making changes to the config file./mcfix scan— Forces the plugin to rescan the server for Minecolonies entities and update its cache. Useful after new colonies are created./mcfix run— Manually triggers one activation cycle. Good for testing if everything is working as expected./mcfix debug on/off/toggle— Turns debug mode on, off, or toggles it. Changes are saved to config.yml immediately.
If you use the foxygame.net launcher, you can find MinecoloniesEntityFix - A Solution to Minecolonies Citizens Freezing on Spigot in its curated add-on catalog. The launcher offers a one-click install that automatically resolves version compatibility, and it keeps the plugin updated with the latest patches so you never have to hunt for a manual download.
How to Install and Compatibility
Installing the plugin is simple. First, download MinecoloniesEntityFix - A Solution to Minecolonies Citizens Freezing on Spigot from the official repository or a trusted source. Place the JAR file into your server's plugins folder and restart the server. The plugin will generate a default config.yml on first run. It is compatible with Spigot, Paper, and Purpur server cores, supporting Minecraft versions 1.20.1 and above, with backward compatibility likely down to 1.18. It works alongside any version of the Minecolonies mod that uses standard entity mechanics. No additional dependencies are required, and it will not interfere with other plugins or mods.
Performance Tips for Large Servers
For servers hosting five or more colonies with over 300 citizens, consider adjusting activation-interval-ticks to 40 and max-entities-per-tick to 200. This spreads the workload across multiple cycles and keeps TPS smooth. The plugin is designed to be lightweight; it only touches Minecolonies citizens and leaves all other entities alone. Regular monitoring with /mcfix status helps you gauge resource usage and tweak settings as your world grows.
Why This Plugin Is Essential for Multiplayer
Minecolonies is a phenomenal mod, but it was not built with Spigot-style entity activation limits in mind. Without a fix, players are forced to babysit their colonies, which defeats the purpose of a living, breathing settlement. On a multiplayer server where people explore, build in different regions, or log off at different times, the freezing issue becomes a constant source of frustration. MinecoloniesEntityFix - A Solution to Minecolonies Citizens Freezing on Spigot restores the intended gameplay loop, allowing colonies to progress naturally in the background. It transforms the server experience from a series of frozen dioramas into a dynamic world where every citizen pulls their weight, no matter where the player is. If you want your Minecolonies world to feel alive and persistent, this plugin is an indispensable addition to your server toolkit.