OpenInv Plugin for Minecraft

in Plugins

By Nathan Young

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Overview

Monitoring your Minecraft server for suspicious activity can be a time consuming task, especially when preventing thieves or xray. Whether you’re wanting to determine if a friend stole an item or someone collecting too many diamonds, this process can take many different forms. One of these is using the OpenInv plugin for Spigot or Paper servers, allowing you to access and edit player inventories or ender chests. There’s even a tool to help search for lost materials or enchanted gear. This plugin provides you the ability to moderate, prank others, or simply sustain curiosity about what users have stored in their inventory and containers. Setting it up is quickly done on our panel, as it’ll only take a few minutes. However, some newcomers to the scene may be unfamiliar with our system. Due to this, we’ve created this Apex Hosting tutorial to show you how to install and use OpenInv on your Minecraft server.
 

How to Download

1. Navigate to OpenInv on CurseForge, then press the Files option near the top.
   
2. Scroll down and locate your desired Game Version for this plugin.
3. Once found, click the three vertical dots to the right and press Download File.
   
4. Save this file somewhere easily accessible on your computer for later.

Server Installation

Before using this plugin on your Minecraft server, you’ll need to set up Spigot, Paper, or other similar types like Purpur. Any of these are required to support OpenInv, making this necessary. Fortunately, our panel allows you to easily choose them from the Game File area with just a few clicks. Make sure to restart the server after doing this, then follow the instructions below to properly install the plugin.

1. Head towards your Apex server panel, then click FTP File Access near the top left.
   
2. Type your Password in the text box and press the Login button to gain access.
   
3. Locate and enter the plugins directory from the list, then at the top left click Upload.
4. Proceed to drag and drop the OpenInv file in the respective area.
   
5. Wait for this to reach 100%, then return to the main panel and Restart the server.

Getting Started

Once you’ve joined the server, becoming an operator is the first step to using OpenInv. This gives you full access to the plugin and its many features, but can be assigned with permissions. The subsection below informs you about this process and lists out useful commands. When you’re ready to start trying them out, any player inventories can be viewed. This includes offline users too, among their ender chests if any are available. Using this feature may come in handy if griefers stole your valuable items and left, but can be used in other ways. We’ll teach you everything about OpenInv to get you started on your Minecraft server.
 

OpenInv Commands

Using this plugin requires you and others to have specific permission nodes, giving access to commands. This can be done by assigning them to a user or group from LuckPerms or other similar addons. Whether you’re giving permissions to an administrator or yourself, it’s needed to begin using OpenInv. However, remember that you can become a Minecraft server operator instead to achieve the same result. Keep in mind that this gives complete access to all commands and abilities, across everything. Besides this, we’ve compiled a list of useful permissions down below to help you through this process, among them giving you context for the subsequent sections.

Full Inventory Access

The most used feature from OpenInv is the ability to open player inventories, as its name suggests. This is achieved by running the /openinv or /open commands, then adding your target’s name afterward. For example, executing “/openinv Steve” will make their inventory appear on your screen and allow you to add, delete, or move around items. This applies to armor and off-hand slots, giving you a complete view of everything. Make sure to have the edit permission node though, as it’s required for any tweaks. There’s even a way for you to make them drop items, which is done by moving them in the bottom right-hand corner. Besides this, keep in mind that if your target is exempted from this feature, you cannot access or edit their inventory. In this situation, players with the override permission can bypass this protection.
 

Viewing Ender Chests

Similar to viewing inventories, you can gain access to a player’s ender chest. Performing the /openender command allows for this compatibility, which acts similar to opening an inventory. This means you can add, delete, and move items around. Remember, any online or offline player can have their ender chest viewed by others with specific permissions.

 
We strongly encourage you to avoid giving this feature out freely in the server, as it can be used for wrongdoings. It’s mainly for admins or mods that need to catch illegal or stolen items.
 

Opening Blocked Chests

Another interesting feature from OpenInv that sets it apart from other plugins is the ability to access blocked chests. This is done by using the /anychest or /anycontainer commands, with the correct permissions. If one or more chests are blocked and cannot be opened, then this feature comes in handy. Whether bedrock or sand is placed on top of your container, opening it is easily done with this plugin. Although, most chests aren’t blocked in Minecraft servers since players frequently use them.

Item & Enchant Lookup

Instead of accessing inventories or chests, you can individually search for items that players have stored. This even allows you to locate enchanted equipment, regardless if it’s in their inventory or container.

Doing any of this requires you to run the /searchinv, /searchender, or /searchenchant commands, depending on what you want to find. For example, the second one allows you to search for items in a player’s ender chest.
 

Plugin Configuration

If you’re wanting to tweak some of the settings from this plugin, such as messages or specific options, then accessing its configuration file is required. This is done by using the FTP panel and using our built-in editor to conveniently make changes. The steps below guides you through this process to successfully access and edit OpenInv’s config file.

1. Navigate to the FTP File Access area and use your login credentials accordingly.
2. Proceed to enter the following directory pathway: …/plugins/OpenInv
   
3. Locate your desired file and press its Edit option on the far right-hand side.
   
4. Make any necessary changes, then click Save at the top and return to the main panel.
   
5. Restart the server from here to begin applying these edits.

Common Issues

In cases where you’re unable to join the server, make sure the correct IP Address:Port or Subdomain is being used. If a slightly different one is entered, it’ll result in a rejected connection. This information can be verified on your main server panel, near the top. Besides this, another common cause is joining with the wrong Minecraft version. Double check you’re using the right one that matches your server, as it can prevent connections. Alternatively, installing ViaVersion can resolve this specific situation. However, the situation may persist if the cause is originating from the server itself.

If you’ve found that the plugin isn’t working correctly or not at all, then ensure you’ve selected Spigot, Paper, or another similar type in the Game File area. Remember, any of these are needed to support OpenInv. Without doing this, this and anything else you’ve previously installed will not work properly. After making sure this is correct, restart the server and double check OpenInv is uploaded in the plugins directory from the FTP panel. However, creating a new Server Profile can sometimes resolve this situation since it allows for a fresh installation.

Remember, you and others need to have OpenInv permissions before using commands. Plugins such as LuckPerms provides you a managing area to set this up. Alternatively, becoming an operator on your Minecraft server bypasses this requirement. Make sure you’re doing this correctly, then try again to see if that helps. However, wrongly executing commands can result in the situation too. For example, making a typo or not specifying an argument fails to run the function. In other words, double check if you’ve made any errors while sending commands in-chat.

After tweaking the configuration for this plugin and it fails or doesn’t apply, check for any errors. These can be incorrect capitalization, invalid characters, or mistakenly removed values. For example, removing quotation marks while editing a chat message in the file breaks the format. Once you’ve confirmed everything is correct, click Save at the top of the FTP editor and restart the server to apply these changes. If the situation persists, then consider deleting the file and regenerating it by restarting. This allows you to have a default configuration, while giving you another opportunity to make any changes.
 

Useful Links

OpenInv on CurseForge
How to Add Plugins to a Minecraft Server
Install and Using LuckPerms on Minecraft
Becoming a Minecraft Server Operator