Channels

Channels are chat rooms where players talk about different topics (for example standard channel, help-op channel, trade channel and admin channel). Players in different channels don't see each other's messages, reducing chat spam on large servers.

Warning

Channels are disabled by default. Enable them in the "Channels" section of settings.yml. You can also have just one channel for a classic single-chat setup (see below).

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How Channels Work

Enable channels in the "Channels" section of settings.yml. Players can write in 1 channel at a time and read from multiple channels (limit configurable per Group).

Key features:

• Join_Read_Old: Auto-read a channel when you leave/switch it
• World exclusion: Disable channels on certain worlds (e.g., minigames)
• Ignore: Players don't see messages from ignored players; vanished players are hidden
• Mute: Mute a channel for a duration with optional reason
• Proxy & Discord: Full support via Proxy and Discord

Channel range types:

1. Global — everyone on your server/network
2. Blocks ranged — players within a distance
3. World ranged — players on the same/connected worlds
4. Party — faction/party members (can also have block/world range)

Auto Join

Auto-join players to channels on login:

chatcontrol.channel.autojoin.{channel}.{mode} — auto-joins on login chatcontrol.channel.join.{channel}.{mode} — required for join to work

Replace {mode} with write or read.

For example, you need to give players chatcontrol.channel.autojoin.standard.write and chatcontrol.channel.join.standard.write to automatically join them to write to standard channel on join.

Warning

If players leave a channel, their preference is saved and auto-join won't re-join them. Remove chatcontrol.channel.leave.{channel} permission to prevent them from leaving.

Warning

Players need chatcontrol.channel.join.{channel}.{mode} permission to stay in channels. Without it, they'll be removed on reload/relogin.

Tip

Set Debug to [channels-join] in settings.yml to understand auto-join behavior.

Players Getting Kicked From Channels

We periodically check if players still have channel permissions. Ensure they have chatcontrol.channel.join.{channel}.{mode}. Keep Show_Tips on true in settings.yml to see console messages explaining removals.

Removing Messages

With PacketEvents installed, you can remove any chat message (including from Discord and proxy). See the delete part in formats/chat.yml. Removal now propagates reliably across proxy servers.

Single-Channel Setup (No Channels)

To have one chat everywhere (like ChatControl Pro), watch this tutorial:

Special Character Prefix for Channels

Use rules in rules/chat.rs to let players prepend messages with a character to send to another channel:

# Forward any message starting with ! to proxy channel
match ^(\!)(.+)
then command ch send proxy $2
strip colors false
strip accents false
dont verbose
then deny

# Forward any message starting with . to admin channel
match ^(\.)(.+)
then command ch send admin $2
strip colors false
strip accents false
dont verbose
then deny

Channel Toggle Command

If you'd like to let players toggle between a channel, for example by doing "/admin toggle" they will join/leave the admin channel, you can achieve this using rules in rules/commands.rs:

# This rule only executes when player is not in the admin channel for reading.
match ^(\/admin toggle)
dont verbose
ignore channel admin write
then command channel join admin write
then deny

# This rule only executes when player is in the admin channel for writing.
match ^(\/admin toggle)
dont verbose
require channel admin write
then command channel join standard write
then deny

Custom Channel Commands

Using Rules you can create commands to send messages to specific channels. For example, typing "!hello everyone" would send this message to "global" channel even if the sender is writing to "standard" channel:

# Send messages starting with "!" to global channel
match ^(\!)(.*)
then command channel send global $2
then deny
dont verbose

You can also create custom commands like /helpop. Place this in rules/commands.rs:

# Catch "/helpop" command and send usage.
match ^/helpop$
dont verbose
then warn &cDescription: Send a message to online staff members.
then warn &cUsage: /helpop <message>
then deny

# Catch "/helpop <message>" and redirect to the helpop channel.
match ^(/helpop) (.*)
dont verbose
then command channel send helpop $2
then deny

Auto-Switch on Region Enter/Leave

You can have ChatControl move a player into a different channel automatically when they walk into or out of a region. Configure it under your channel entry in settings.yml — set the region name and which channel to switch to on enter and on leave. Useful for arena chat, spawn chat, or staff zones.

Creating Channels

Add channels in the Channels.List section of settings.yml. Each key creates a new channel. Only configure options you need.

For all available options, see the comments inside settings.yml under Channels.List.