Stakeout

Stakeout is a lightweight World of Warcraft Classic addon that watches for NPCs you choose and helps you react quickly when they appear.

It can detect tracked NPCs through nearby nameplates, mouseover, and a proximity-based targeting check, then surface them in a clickable target frame so you can target them instantly.

Features

Track a custom list of NPCs by exact name
Detect NPCs through:
- nameplates
- mouseover
- proximity polling
Show a clickable target frame for detected NPCs
Auto-mark detected NPCs with a raid marker
Optional taskbar flash on detection
Optional sound alert on detection
Configurable target frame scale
Lockable / movable target frame
Optional max nameplate distance support
Per-character saved settings

How it works

Stakeout keeps a watch list of NPC names that you define.

When one of those NPCs is detected, the addon can:

announce it in chat
flash the client icon
play a sound
add a raid marker
show a clickable button that targets the NPC by exact name

This makes it useful for rare hunting, patrol watching, event NPCs, or any situation where you want fast reaction to a specific NPC appearing nearby.

Installation

Download or package the addon.
Extract the folder so it sits here:

World of Warcraft\_classic_era_\Interface\AddOns\Stakeout

Make sure the folder contains:
- Stakeout.toc
- Stakeout.lua
Launch the game and enable Stakeout from the AddOns list.

Usage

Open the config

Use:

/stakeout

/stake

This opens the configuration panel.

Add NPCs to track

You can add NPCs from the config window, or by slash command:

/stakeout add NPC Name

Example:

/stakeout add Doomwalker

NPC names must match exactly.

Remove NPCs

/stakeout remove NPC Name

List tracked NPCs

/stakeout list

Clear the watch list

/stakeout clear

Reset current detections and rescan

/stakeout reset

Commands

/stakeout                Open config panel
/stake                   Alias for /stakeout
/stakeout add <NPC Name> Add an NPC to the watch list
/stakeout remove <NPC Name> Remove an NPC from the watch list
/stakeout list           List tracked NPCs in chat
/stakeout clear          Remove all tracked NPCs
/stakeout reset          Clear detections and rescan

Configuration options

Stakeout includes options for:

Detection

Enable or disable proximity scanning
Increase nameplate distance to maximum supported range

Alerts

Flash taskbar icon on detection
Play sound on detection

Raid marking

Enable automatic raid marking
Choose which raid marker to apply

Target frame

Lock or unlock frame position
Change the button icon style
Adjust frame scale

Watch list management

Add NPCs
Remove NPCs
Clear all tracked NPCs
Reset current detections

Target frame

When a tracked NPC is detected, Stakeout can show a small clickable frame with one button per detected NPC.

Clicking a button targets that NPC by exact name.

If the addon has a live unit reference available, it will try to show that NPC’s portrait on the button. Otherwise it falls back to the configured icon.

Notes

NPC names must be entered exactly.
This addon is designed for user-defined NPC tracking, not a preloaded rare database.
Proximity detection is a fallback and may behave differently depending on game restrictions and client behavior.
Detection handling is conservative in combat when secure UI restrictions apply.
Saved settings are stored per character.

Compatibility

Designed for WoW Classic-era clients using the addon interface version in the TOC.

Credits

Stakeout is a standalone NPC detection addon built around a configurable watch list and a fast clickable targeting workflow. It was inspired by the targeting module of Rested XP.