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How to write Minecraft server rules

Rules exist so a moderator can make a decision and a player knows the price of a violation in advance. They only work when they're short, specific, carry a punishment for every point, and don't contradict what the anticheat actually bans. Here's the structure, the wording, the punishment scale, appeals and where to post them.

The DGuard team7 min read

In short: split the rules into sections — general, chat, cheats and mods, bugs and dupes, gameplay, accounts, trading, staff. One rule per violation, with the punishment and its length next to it. Say which mods are allowed and where to appeal. Post them where a player sees them before playing: on Discord, with a /rules command and as a link in the pause menu. You can build a base for your game mode for free in the rules generator.

The sections of a rule set

SectionWhat it coversExample rule
GeneralAgreeing to the rules, what punishments are based on, where to appeal"Punishments are based on evidence: the anticheat log, server logs, recordings"
ChatInsults, spam, advertising, personal information"No advertising other servers — in chat, on signs, in books or in usernames"
Cheats and modsWhat's banned, which mods are allowed, macros"Mods without an advantage are allowed: performance, shaders, UI"
Bugs and dupesDon't use them, report them"Found a bug? Report it to staff instead of using it"
GameplayGriefing, spawn-killing, lag machines, teaming — depending on the mode"No breaking or burning other players' builds"
AccountsAlts, ban evasion, responsibility for your account"No evading a ban on another account"
Trading and storeReal-money trading, scams, what store perks give"Store ranks aren't refunded on a ban"
StaffModerators' decisions, impersonating staff, false reports"Staff never ask for your account password"
Close to the DGuard rules generator, where bugs and dupes sit in the cheats section. An anarchy server won't need some of these

Wording that leaves nothing to argue about

  • One rule per violation. "No insults or advertising" is two rules with different punishments. Merge them and moderators will punish differently.
  • Specifics, not generalities. Not "no unfair modifications" but "KillAura, Reach, AutoClicker, Fly, Speed, Scaffold, X-Ray or anything else that gives an advantage".
  • What's allowed is a rule too. A list of allowed mods (performance, shaders, a minimap that doesn't show players or caves) heads off half the questions and appeals.
  • The punishment next to the rule. A player should know the price before breaking it.
  • Only what you enforce. A rule nobody checks undermines the rest. If you don't run screenshare checks, don't write about them.
  • A last-updated date. Change the rules — change the date and tell the players. Punishing yesterday's act under a rule added yesterday isn't fair.

The punishment scale

A punishment fits the offence and grows on repeat: a warning, a mute, a temporary ban, a permanent ban. Decide in advance where your server sits on that scale and keep it the same for everyone — newcomers and paying players alike.

OffenceSoftStandardStrict
Insults30-minute mute2-hour mute1-day mute
Advertising1-day mute3-day banPermanent ban
Cheats14-day ban30-day banPermanent ban
Bugs and dupes7-day ban and items removed30-day ban and items removedPermanent ban
Griefing3-day ban and rollback14-day ban and rollback30-day ban and rollback
An example from the rules generator. The lengths are a guide, not law

Durations and repeat ladders are easiest to run in a punishment plugin: LiteBans and LibertyBans have templates that work out the next step themselves — see ban plugins. A staff table with what to attach to each punishment is in the moderation team.

Appeals

The rules should say where to appeal a punishment, what to include (name, date, reason) and how soon to expect an answer. Repeat the same link in the ban message. An appeal is reviewed by someone other than the person who punished. How to avoid punishing honest players and how to run reviews is in false bans.

Where to post the rules

  • Discord. A dedicated rules channel where only staff can post. The generator gives you the text as Markdown for Discord straight away.
  • A `/rules` command in game. EssentialsX has it out of the box and shows the text from plugins/Essentials/rules.txt — see EssentialsX.
  • The pause menu. Since 1.21 a server can show links in the pause menu; one of the built-in ones is "Community Guidelines". Plugins set them: in Paper's API it's ServerLinks with the COMMUNITY_GUIDELINES type.
  • Your website and server lists. A link to the rules in the server description — see MOTD and icon and promoting your server.
  • Spawn. Signs or holograms with the key points and a link to the full text.

The rules and the anticheat must agree

The most frustrating appeals come when the rules and the anticheat say different things: the rules allow a mod and the anticheat bans for it, or the rules forbid macros and nothing catches them. Check three things. The allowed-mods list against what the anticheat allows. The ban on macros and automation against what the anticheat can actually check. The punishment strictness in the rules against the strictness in the anticheat's config.

DGuard — the best anticheat for a modern Minecraft server — is on the rules' side here: allowed mods and binds are written into its code and produce no evidence, ban or kick is set per cheat feature, and you choose the strictness. It also checks the automation that rules usually ban in a line of their own: auto-clicking, auto-fishing, auto-eating and anti-AFK. In our comparison none of the five popular anticheats other than DGuard has a full check for AutoFish, AutoEat or AntiAFK.

CheatDGuardGrimACVulcanPolarIntaveMatrix
AutoClickerclicks for the player
AutoFishfishes by itself
AutoEateats by itself
AntiAFKfakes a player at the keyboard
Macros and automation: which anticheats have a full checkAll 47 kinds of cheats in the comparison

The rules generator has a "We run DGuard" line: bans follow evidence from several episodes, each comes with a report, and that report is reviewed on appeal. It's off by default — turn it on if you run DGuard. The generator runs in your browser and is free: game mode, strictness, sections — and ready text or Markdown.

FAQ

What rules should a Minecraft server have?

General terms with an appeal process, chat, cheats and allowed mods, bugs and dupes, gameplay for your mode, accounts, trading and the store, and conduct towards staff. Every point carries a punishment.

Where should I post my server rules?

Where players see them before playing: a Discord channel, a /rules command (built into EssentialsX), the "Community Guidelines" link in the pause menu, your website and server-list descriptions.

Should the rules list punishments?

Yes. Players should know the price of an offence in advance, and moderators should punish the same way. Keep the scale proportionate and stricter on repeat.

Can I sell store perks that give an advantage?

Minecraft's usage guidelines for servers allow selling gameplay perks only if they don't ruin other players' experience or give a competitive advantage.

How do I write server rules quickly?

With DGuard's free rules generator: pick the game mode, strictness and sections, and it builds the text with punishments for your website or as Markdown for Discord.

Sources

Read next

All sections
Moderation8 min readBan plugins: from vanilla /ban to network-wide bansVanilla /ban bans forever and only on one server. Once you need temporary bans, mutes, warnings, a history of offences or bans shared across a network, you install a punishment plugin with a database. Here are the vanilla commands, three well-known plugins, IP bans, and how to tie bans to appeals and the anticheat.ReadModeration7 min readBuilding a moderation team: permissions, logs and appealsA moderator needs permissions for exactly their job and a log that lets anyone check their decisions — not the owner's password and not the console. Here's how to set up roles, LuckPerms permissions, a punishment table, logging and appeals.ReadModeration8 min readWhy anticheats ban honest players — and how to avoid itA false ban almost always starts with lag, a TPS drop or a plugin that moves players in a way the anticheat doesn't expect. The cure is three things: build up evidence instead of banning on one flag, punish in steps, and handle appeals honestly.Read

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