Credits & Modification

This plugin is based on the original ItemSorter plugin developed by Programie.

• Modrinth: https://modrinth.com/user/Programie
• GitHub: https://github.com/Programie

This project is not a complete rewrite.
It is a modified and extended version of the original plugin, created after studying and analyzing the original source code.

The main goal of this fork is to improve stability, readability, and usability for real-world servers, especially medium to large survival servers with complex storage systems.

What has been modified and improved

• Refactored parts of the code to improve overall stability and reduce unnecessary load
• Improved handling of signs and chest connections to better support large storage setups
• Reduced the risk of TPS drops when using many signs or large multi-chest systems
• Cleaned up and reorganized documentation to make it clearer and easier to understand
• Improved wording and structure of configuration, permissions, and usage instructions
• Focused on making the plugin more suitable for long-term server usage

Goal of this version

This modified version focuses on:

• Long-term stability
• Better support for large storage systems
• Clear and well-structured documentation
• Ease of use for both players and server administrators

All core ideas and the original concept belong to the original author.
This project is intended solely as an optimized and refined continuation for specific use cases.

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ItemSorter is a Minecraft Bukkit plugin designed to automate item organization by transferring items from a source inventory (such as chests or hoppers) into one or more target inventories based on item type. Players can configure sorting behavior using signs, allowing items to be routed efficiently into the correct storage without redstone or complex setups. The plugin supports features such as multi-chest targets, sorting priority, configurable transfer speed, and optional distance or world limitations, making it suitable for both small survival servers and large, high-performance storage systems.

Configuration

The following options can be configured in the config.yml of the plugin (created on the first load):

• allow-cross-world-connections
  Allow to connect signs between worlds (e.g. transfer items from the Nether to the Overworld)
  (true / false, default: false)``
• max-distance
  The maximum distance between source and target chests
  (0 = unlimited, default: 100)
• max-names-per-player
  The maximum number of different names per player
  (0 = unlimited, default: 0)
• max-signs-per-name
  The maximum number of signs per name
  (0 = unlimited, default: 0)
• allow-multi-chests
  Allow multiple chests connected to a single target sign
  (default: true)
• max-multi-chests-blocks
  The maximum number of chest blocks used for the multi-chest feature
  (0 = unlimited, default: 0)
• transfer-single-item-per-interval
  Controls whether only a single item (true) or the whole stack (false) is transferred per interval
  (default: true)
• transfer-interval
  Interval (in ticks) at which items are checked and transferred
  (default: 10)

Permissions

• itemsorter.create
  Allow to create and destroy your own ItemSorter signs
  (Default: everyone)
• itemsorter.destroyAny
  Allow to destroy any ItemSorter signs (not just your own)
  (Default: op)
• itemsorter.command
  Allow to execute the /itemsorter command
  (Default: op)
• itemsorter.*
  Allow access to all ItemSorter features
  (Default: op)

How to use it?

Simply place a sign at the side of any inventory block (chest, barrel, hopper, etc.) you would like to use as the source chest containing the following content:

• First line: [ItemSource]
• Second line: Any unique name used by the other connected chests

This will define the chest as an item source (i.e. the chest you will put your items into for the plugin to sort them).

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After that, place a sign at the side of any inventory block (chest, barrel, hopper, etc.) you would like to use as the target chest containing the following content:

• First line: [ItemTarget]
• Second line: Any unique name used by the other connected chests

This will define the chest as an item target (i.e. the chest your items will be moved to).

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Next, place any item you would like to sort into the target chest.
For example, if you want to move cobblestone into the chest, simply place at least one cobblestone item into the chest.

After that, you are ready to go.
You may now move any item from your player inventory into the source chest, and the plugin will try to find the correct target chest for each item.

Any remaining items which can't be sorted into a target chest will remain in the source chest.

Here is a short video demonstrating the plugin:

Target order

At some point, you might have multiple chests for a single item type such as cobblestone or dirt.
In that case, you may want to define which chest should be filled first before trying the next one.

To achieve this type of target chest order, simply define the order using o:any number on the fourth line of the sign attached to the target chest.

Example

• First line: [ItemTarget]
• Second line: Any unique name used by the other connected chests
• Third line: Keep empty (will be replaced with your player name)
• Fourth line: o:10

A lower number means the chest is used before another with a higher number.
By default, any target chest without the order option will have the order number 0.

If you define multiple chests with the same order number, the order of those chests might be random.

Multiple chests with a single target sign

Sometimes, you might get to the point where placing lots of signs is really time-consuming and could also decrease the client rendering performance (e.g. if there are hundreds of signs in your storage room).

Think about the following setup:

In that case, you can use another feature built into this plugin.
Simply place a single target sign on any chest and add mc (short for "Multi Chests") to the fourth line of it.
Any directly connected chests are now connected equally with this target sign.

Example

• First line: [ItemTarget]
• Second line: Any unique name used by the other connected chests
• Third line: Keep empty (will be replaced with your player name)
• Fourth line: mc

You may also specify other options like the target order by separating each option with a comma.

Example

• First line: [ItemTarget]
• Second line: Any unique name used by the other connected chests
• Third line: Keep empty (will be replaced with your player name)
• Fourth line: o:10,mc

Placing that sign on a chest allows you to connect as many chests as you want (limited by the max-multi-chests-blocks config option).
You only have to make sure they are touching each other on any block side.

The previous setup would look like that:

All of those eight chests are connected using the same name some name, just like placing a target sign on each of them.

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Show info about sign

Clicking on an ItemSorter sign (left or right click) shows some information about the sign as well as its connection to the other signs/chests.

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Commands

The plugin has a single command /itemsorter with multiple subcommands (actions).

Available actions

• remove-signs <player name> <sign name>
  Remove all signs with the specified name of the specified player