LightStaff

A modern staff utility plugin for Paper and Folia servers. LightStaff gives moderators a clean staff mode toolset for investigations: hotbar tools, vanish, freeze, inspection, teleporting, recovery, audit logging, and flexible storage.

Built against Paper 1.19.4 with Java 17, while keeping the runtime path ready for newer Paper builds.

Showcase

Staff Mode Hotbar

The default setup gives staff a compact investigation hotbar with clear names, lore, and actionbar state.

Staff Mode Tools

Staff entering Staff Mode receives a configurable hotbar:

Slot	Tool	Purpose
0	Vanish	Hide from regular players while staying visible to staff with permission.
1	Push	Move players away for quick spacing or control.
2	Inspector	Open a read-only inventory view with armor and offhand.
4	Freeze	Stop movement, chat, commands, damage bypasses, and inventory actions.
6	Flight	Toggle flight while investigating.
8	Exit	Leave Staff Mode and restore the saved player state.

Every tool is configured in tools.yml: enabled state, slot, permission, material fallback list, cooldown, display name, lore, sound, volume, and pitch.

Storage Choices

Pick the backend that fits the server:

• sqlite for simple local production use
• json for readable local files
• mysql for networked setups
• mariadb for MariaDB deployments

Combat-Aware Staff Mode

LightStaff can block players from entering Staff Mode while combat tagged. The check is configurable and supports:

• metadata keys used by combat plugins
• PlaceholderAPI placeholders
• a bypass permission for trusted staff

Features

• Staff Mode enter/exit with inventory, armor, offhand, exp, gamemode, and flight restoration
• Persistent vanish and freeze state
• Read-only inventory inspection
• Freeze command and freeze tool with disconnect handling
• Staff teleport command
• Staff whitelist bypass mode
• Session recovery command
• Audit logging for moderation actions
• Configurable actionbar
• Configurable command, plugin, and tool messages
• Configurable storage: SQLite, JSON, MySQL, MariaDB
• Paper and Folia scheduler support
• Material fallback lists for cross-version compatibility

Requirements

• Java 17 or newer
• Paper 1.19.4+
• Optional: PlaceholderAPI
• Optional: CombatLogX, PvPManager, DeluxeCombat, CombatPlus, or another combat plugin exposed through metadata or PlaceholderAPI

Installation

1. Download the latest jar from GitHub Releases.
2. Put it in your server plugins folder.
3. Start the server once.
4. Edit the generated files in plugins/LightStaff/.
5. Run /lightstaff reload or restart the server.

Configuration

LightStaff separates configuration into three files:

File	Purpose
config.yml	Plugin behavior, storage, combat checks, freeze behavior, whitelist mode, audit logging
tools.yml	Staff tool setup, slots, permissions, materials, names, lore, sounds
messages.yml	Prefix, command messages, plugin messages, actionbar labels

Storage

Default:

storage:
  type: "sqlite"

Available values:

storage:
  type: "sqlite" # sqlite, json, mysql, mariadb

JSON storage writes to:

• plugins/LightStaff/data/sessions.json
• plugins/LightStaff/data/moderation_states.json

Combat Blocking

combat:
  block_lightstaff_entry: true
  bypass_permission: "lightstaff.combat.bypass"
  metadata_keys:
    - "combatlogx_in_combat"
    - "in_combat"
    - "combatTagged"
  placeholderapi:
    enabled: true
    placeholders:
      - "%combatlogx_in_combat%"
      - "%pvpmanager_in_combat%"
    combat_values:
      - "yes"
      - "true"
      - "1"
      - "tagged"

Players with the configured bypass permission can enter Staff Mode even while tagged.

Freeze Disconnect Message

Single line:

freeze_ban_message: "You disconnected while frozen."

Multiple lines:

freeze_ban_message:
  - "You disconnected while frozen."
  - "Open a ticket if this was a mistake."

Commands

Command	Description
/lightstaff, /ls, /staffmode, /sm	Toggle Staff Mode
/lightstaff reload	Reload config, tools, and messages
/lightstaff status [player]	Show staff/vanish/freeze/session status
/lightstaff recover <player>	Recover a saved Staff Mode session
/vanish [player]	Toggle vanish for yourself or another player
/freeze <player> [reason]	Toggle freeze
/freeze on <player> [reason]	Freeze a player
/freeze off <player>	Unfreeze a player
/unfreeze <player>	Unfreeze a player
/stafftp <player>	Teleport to an online player
/staffwhitelist	Toggle staff whitelist bypass mode

Permissions

Permission	Description
lightstaff.use	Use Staff Mode
lightstaff.reload	Reload configuration
lightstaff.recover	Recover stuck sessions
lightstaff.status	View status
lightstaff.vanish	Use vanish
lightstaff.vanish.others	Vanish other players
lightstaff.freeze	Freeze players
lightstaff.freeze.staff	Freeze staff users
lightstaff.inspect	Inspect inventories
lightstaff.inspect.staff	Inspect staff users
lightstaff.fly	Use flight tool
lightstaff.push	Use push tool
lightstaff.stafftp	Use staff teleport
lightstaff.whitelist.toggle	Toggle staff whitelist mode
lightstaff.whitelist.bypass	Bypass staff whitelist mode
lightstaff.combat.bypass	Enter Staff Mode while combat tagged
lightstaff.creative	Use creative-mode behavior in Staff Mode
lightstaff.see	See vanished staff
lightstaff.alerts	Receive staff join/leave alerts
lightstaff.admin	Admin wildcard handled by LightStaff
lightstaff.*	Full LightStaff access