ExpandedChests

!Paper plugin !Server side !No client mod !Geyser friendly !MIT License

Huge storage chests for Paper servers, without client mods or resource packs.

ExpandedChests adds craftable high-capacity storage blocks that still feel at home on a vanilla-compatible server.

Players place an expanded chest, open it like normal storage, move through paged inventory screens, sort the whole storage from inside the GUI, and see a clean label above the block with its name and used slot count.

It is built for survival servers that want bigger storage rooms without turning the server into a client modpack.

Why It Exists

Storage Tiers

The placed block is a vanilla shulker-box anchor. The real storage is saved server-side in the plugin data and opened through paged vanilla inventory menus.

Crafting Recipes

ExpandedChests is meant to feel earned in survival. Every tier is craftable, every higher tier uses the previous tier, and every recipe includes a sign because these storage blocks are meant to be named and readable in-world.

S means any vanilla sign: oak, spruce, birch, jungle, acacia, dark oak, mangrove, cherry, bamboo, crimson, or warped.

3x Expanded Chest

C S C
C I C
C I C

Output: 3x Expanded Chest, 162 slots.

5x Expanded Chest

C S C
U P U
C U C

Output: 5x Expanded Chest, 270 slots.

10x Expanded Chest

C S C
U P U
C U C

Output: 10x Expanded Chest, 540 slots.

100x Expanded Chest

C S C
U P U
C N C

Output: 100x Expanded Chest, 5400 slots.

If StorageWorkbench is installed, these recipes can appear in its storage crafting menu when the ingredients are available in the player inventory, nearby vanilla chests, or nearby expanded chests.

Features

Works With The Storage Suite

ExpandedChests can run by itself, but it is designed to sit neatly beside the other storage plugins:

The responsibility split is intentional:

• OpenChestSorter handles ordinary vanilla chests.
• ExpandedChests owns expanded storage and its own page-aware sort controls.
• StorageWorkbench can craft from both vanilla chests and expanded chests when both plugins are installed.

All three plugins can also run separately.

Compatibility

ExpandedChests is a server-side Paper plugin. It is not a Fabric, Forge, NeoForge, or client-side mod.

Commands

Permissions

Installation

1. Stop the Paper server.
2. Back up the server folder, especially world, world_nether, world_the_end, plugins, and config files.
3. Copy expanded-chests-1.0.0.jar into the server plugins folder.
4. Start the server.
5. Adjust plugins/ExpandedChests/config.yml if needed.

enabled: true

display:
  holograms: true
  open-particles: true
  open-particle-count: 18

behavior:
  prevent-breaking-non-empty: true
  save-on-close: true
  save-interval-ticks: 6000
  protect-from-explosions: true
  protect-from-pistons: true
  protect-from-hoppers: true

debug-logging: false

Performance

ExpandedChests is designed to keep large storage predictable:

• Placed expanded chests are indexed by block position.
• Nearby lookups use loaded chunk indexes instead of scanning every stored chest on the server.
• Storage pages are loaded into vanilla inventories only when players open them.
• Open pages are saved back to plugin data before external lookup or item movement.
• No database, telemetry, external network calls, or world data migrations.

Safety

ExpandedChests stores contents in plugins/ExpandedChests/data.yml.

The plugin does not generate chunks or rewrite world files, but it does manage item storage. Treat first installation like any storage-plugin rollout:

1. Make a full server backup.
2. Test on a copied world or separate test server.
3. Place each expanded chest tier.
4. Put items inside and restart the server.
5. Verify the contents survive restart.
6. Test breaking empty and non-empty expanded chests.
7. Test companion plugins only after standalone behavior looks correct.

Known Limitations

• A server plugin cannot reliably add custom items to the client-side creative inventory list without a client mod or resource pack. Use /ec items, /ec creative, or /ec give instead.
• Expanded storage uses server-side paged inventory screens, so it does not look like a single giant vanilla chest screen.
• OpenChestSorter intentionally does not sort expanded chests. Use the built-in expanded chest sort button instead.

License

ExpandedChests is released under the MIT License.