SimpleNoBeamBeacon

SimpleNoBeamBeacon is a lightweight server-side plugin built primarily for Paper 26.3. It allows real tinted glass to hide a beacon beam without disabling the beacon's effects.

Players do not need to install any mods or resource packs.

Documentation

Installation, configuration, commands, beacon behavior, compatibility, troubleshooting, and build instructions are available in the SimpleNoBeamBeacon Documentation.

Features

• Uses real tinted glass to hide beacon beams
• Keeps beacon effects active while the beam is hidden
• Supports all four beacon pyramid levels
• Preserves vanilla effect ranges, durations, and amplifiers
• Supports primary effect level II, regeneration, and other valid secondary effects
• Respects custom beacon effect ranges on Paper
• Supports multiple tinted-glass blocks in the same beacon column
• Continues checking for real beam blockers above tinted glass
• Correctly allows barrier, bedrock, stained glass, panes, and other beam-compatible blocks
• Handles block placement and removal, pistons, explosions, chunks, and world lifecycle events
• Includes configuration and operator-only administrative commands
• Requires no client mods, resource packs, or other plugins

How to use

1. Build and activate a beacon normally.
2. Select its primary and optional secondary effects.
3. Allow the beacon to activate before covering it, especially on an additional compatibility server version.
4. Place tinted glass anywhere above the beacon in its vertical beam column.

The native beam disappears while eligible players continue receiving the selected effects. A block that would normally obstruct a beacon still stops the replacement effects, even when placed above the tinted glass. Removing the final tinted-glass block restores normal vanilla beacon behavior.

Configuration

The plugin creates plugins/SimpleNoBeamBeacon/config.yml automatically:

enabled: true

Set enabled to false to stop hidden-beacon handling while keeping the plugin and its administrative commands loaded. Changes made directly to the file take effect after restarting the server or using the reload command.

Effects already applied before disabling the feature expire naturally. This avoids removing matching effects supplied by potions or other beacons.

Commands

/snbb is a short alias for all commands. Running a command without valid arguments displays the current state and usage information.

Commands and tab completion are restricted to server operators and the server console. The simplenobeambeacon.admin permission defaults to operators. Invalid YAML or a non-boolean enabled value is rejected during reload without changing the current running state.

Compatibility

The Paper artifact name does not represent a hard Paper dependency. The JAR uses Java 16 bytecode, declares Bukkit API version 1.17, and avoids direct links to version-specific Paper classes. Each server still requires the Java version appropriate for that server; Paper 26.3 requires Java 25.

On recognized server layouts, the plugin reads internal beacon data dynamically. Otherwise, it falls back to the public Bukkit API with explicit corrections for important blocks such as barrier, bedrock, slime blocks, and tinted glass. Behavior on unusual technical block states may differ from vanilla when the server's internal layout is not recognized.

Folia is not supported because beacon-column and pyramid scans cannot always be guaranteed to stay within one Folia region.

The historical SpongeVanilla 26.2 build remains available in version 1.0.0 but is no longer maintained. Version 1.1.0 and newer only provide the Paper/Bukkit-compatible server plugin.

Installation

1. Stop the server and remove any previous SimpleNoBeamBeacon JAR from its plugins/ directory.
2. Download SimpleNoBeamBeacon-Paper-1.2.0.jar, not the -sources.jar file.
3. Place the JAR in plugins/ and restart the server.
4. Configure and activate a beacon before covering it with tinted glass.

No additional dependencies are required.

Technical details

Vanilla Minecraft hides the native beacon beam when tinted glass is present, but the server also treats the glass as an obstruction and disables the beacon's effects.

SimpleNoBeamBeacon tracks covered beacons and reapplies effects using the calculated pyramid level, selected powers, range, duration, and amplifier. It dynamically attempts to read the server's light-dampening, beacon-selection, and custom-range data. Its effect-producing scan treats tinted glass as transparent while still respecting real vanilla beam blockers anywhere in the column.

Visual limitation

A server-only plugin cannot keep the native beacon beam visible below tinted glass while hiding it above the glass on an unmodified client. The client clears the entire native beam when it encounters tinted glass. An exact partial beam would require a client mod; this plugin does not add a particle or display-entity imitation.

Known limitations

• Reapplied effects are reported as originating from the plugin rather than directly from a beacon.
• Reapplied effects do not trigger Paper's BeaconEffectEvent.
• On a server whose internal beacon-selection layout is not recognized, temporarily uncovering and reactivating a beacon may be necessary after a restart to recover regeneration or primary level II.
• Compatibility fallbacks may differ from vanilla for unusual technical block states on unrecognized server versions.
• Folia and Sponge are not supported by the current 1.2.0 release.

License

SimpleNoBeamBeacon is licensed under the MIT License.