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BetterMOTD is a lightweight and flexible plugin for Paper Minecraft servers that allows you to fully customize your server MOTD and server icon.

The plugin is designed with performance and simplicity in mind:

• no NMS usage
• no external dependencies
• minimal overhead during server list ping

BetterMOTD uses MiniMessage for modern text formatting, including HEX colors, gradients, and formatted MOTD frames. All configuration is handled through a clean and readable config.yml.

Features

• Dynamic server MOTD using MiniMessage
• HEX colors, gradients, and formatting
• Frame-based animated MOTD
• Static server icon per preset
• Weighted random and sticky-per-IP preset selection
• Automatic icons/ directory creation
• Default placeholder icon on first startup
• Safe fallbacks and config validation

Compatibility

• Minecraft: 1.21 - 1.21.11
• Server: Paper
• Java: 21+

Installation

1. Download the latest version from the Versions tab
2. Place the JAR file into the plugins/ directory
3. Start the server
4. Edit plugins/BetterMOTD/config.yml
5. Restart the server

Using /reload is not recommended.

Server Icons

• Format: PNG
• Resolution: 64×64
• Path: plugins/BetterMOTD/icons/

If the folder is empty, a default placeholder icon will be generated automatically.

Performance

BetterMOTD does not affect gameplay or server tick performance. All operations are lightweight and safe even for large public servers.