Server Shutdown Alert

Warn connected players with chat and a vanilla chime before an ordinary dedicated-server stop, then let the original shutdown continue. The default grace period is five seconds.

Features

• Automatically covers the normal server-thread halt(false) path used by vanilla /stop.
• Sends the warning once. Repeated stop requests do not replay it or extend the countdown.
• Configurable grace period, plain chat message, existing sound event, volume and pitch.
• Server installation only. The default sound and chat use vanilla packets; clients need no addon or resource pack.
• Keeps empty-server stops, integrated singleplayer servers, external or waiting shutdown paths, crashes and forced termination outside the delay.

This is a small administration utility. It does not schedule restarts, restart a process, change operating-system power settings or add replacement stop commands. The existing /stop permission stays unchanged.

Usage

Install the JAR in the dedicated server's mods folder. Use the normal /stop command. Players connected when that request is handled receive the alert; after the grace period, the original stop method resumes.

Configuration is created at serverconfig/server-shutdown-alert-server.toml inside the world folder:

• gracePeriodSeconds: 5 by default, range 0–30. Set 0 to disable the addon.
• soundEnabled: true by default.
• sound: minecraft:block.note_block.bell by default. Custom choices must already exist on the clients.
• volume: 0.65, range 0–1; pitch: 1.0, range 0.5–2.
• message: Server stopping in {seconds} seconds. An empty message disables chat.

The server must keep ticking during the grace period. This addon cannot warn before a crash, a forced process kill or a hosting service terminating the process immediately. If no notification can be delivered, the ordinary stop proceeds immediately.

Compatibility

• Minecraft 1.21.1, Java 21.
• NeoForge 21.1.235 is the exact checked development target; metadata accepts later 21.1.x.
• Install on the dedicated server only. No Create, Sable, map mod or client addon is required.
• Do not install together with the older Steam & Steel shutdown-sound addon, mod ID steamsteel_shutdown; both intercept the same stop path.

Native Mixin application and regression checks target the exact libraries above. Other Minecraft releases and third-party shutdown overrides are not claimed tested. A separate restart scheduler may provide its own countdown; configure one warning policy for your server.

From Steam & Steel

The addon originated in Steam & Steel SMP, our custom Minecraft 1.21.1 NeoForge server modpack. It is available independently of the full modpack and does not require SteamSteelCore or private server configuration.

The original server-specific sound has been replaced by a reference to an existing vanilla sound event. No audio recordings are distributed with this addon.

Acknowledgements

Minecraft and NeoForge retain their own licenses. The addon uses their existing dedicated-server and packet APIs. No original game or third-party mod classes, textures or sounds are bundled.

This is an independent community addon. The project icon is original matte pixel artwork rendered through our V3 icon pipeline; it represents an alert and does not add a bell block to the game.

Beta / Feedback

This is a beta release derived from a utility developed for one particular Steam & Steel SMP server pack. The source utility has startup and distribution evidence in that environment; that does not establish playback or compatibility for this new standalone package.

Local checks execute the actual addon, the native and Sponge-transformed stop method, and Minecraft's sound packet codec in a headless fixture. They confirm the scoped stop behaviour, client-side no-op and server-only classification. They do not prove an audible alert, a real player connection or a complete world-save cycle. No client or server was launched for publication.

If you encounter a crash, an error or unexpected behaviour, please leave a comment with your Minecraft, NeoForge and addon versions, other shutdown utilities, and steps to reproduce the problem. We will investigate reported bugs and work on fixes.

License

Addon code and original project artwork are licensed under BSD 3-Clause. Copyright (c) 2026, DanielBasov (Steam & Steel). Forks, fixes and redistribution are permitted; retain the author attribution, license conditions and disclaimer in source distributions and in the materials accompanying binary distributions. A fork may not imply endorsement by the original author.