The Tool Desk
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The best method depends on your edition. Java creators normally use a datapack function, Bedrock command creators simulate the ray with commands, and Bedrock add-on developers can call getBlockFromViewDirection() to receive the block and its coordinates directly.
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Choose the right method
| Method | Edition | Coordinate result | Requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Datapack raycast | Java | Obtained from the ray’s execution position | Datapack and functions |
| Command raycast | Bedrock | Obtained indirectly | Cheats or appropriate permissions |
| Script API raycast | Bedrock | hit.block.location |
Behavior pack/add-on |
| Debug or coordinate display | Java and Bedrock | Player’s location only | No scripting |
Quick recommendation: use the Bedrock Script API if you are building an add-on and need clean numeric coordinates. Use a Java datapack for a vanilla Java mechanic. Use a Bedrock command function when a behavior pack is not an option.
What “the block I’m looking at” means
A useful implementation defines the target as the first block intersected by a ray from the player’s viewpoint. That is not necessarily the nearest block, the block beneath the player, or the block adjacent to a face where a new block would be placed.
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Raycasts also need rules. You must decide:
- How far the ray may travel.
- Whether water and lava count as hits.
- Whether flowers, vines, grass, and other passable blocks stop the ray.
- Whether entities should be detected separately or ignored.
These choices matter around panes, fences, stairs, fluids, and other partial or transparent blocks. A simple “stop at the first non-air block” test is not guaranteed to reproduce every detail of normal player interaction.
Java Edition: use a datapack raycast
Java commands do not contain a hidden selector for “the block under the crosshair.” A datapack can simulate one by repeatedly moving the command execution point forward in the player’s viewing direction. The caret coordinates ^ ^ ^ are local coordinates, so the third value advances along the executor’s forward axis rather than along a fixed world axis. See the raycasting reference for the underlying technique.
- Execute as each player.
- Anchor the execution point at the player’s eyes.
- Advance by a small distance, such as
0.1blocks. - Test the block at the current position.
- Stop when the block is accepted, or stop after a maximum number of steps.
A simplified Java function structure looks like this:
data/mypack/function/ray/start.mcfunction
execute as @a at @s anchored eyes positioned ^ ^ ^0.1 run function mypack:ray/stepdata/mypack/function/ray/step.mcfunction
# Replace this with a score-based range check in a real datapack.
execute unless block ~ ~ ~ #minecraft:air run function mypack:ray/hit
execute if block ~ ~ ~ #minecraft:air positioned ^ ^ ^0.1 run function mypack:ray/stepdata/mypack/function/ray/hit.mcfunction
# The execution point is inside the hit block.
data get entity @s Pos
# Or perform the target action here.This is a teaching skeleton, not a complete production system. Add a scoreboard step counter or another hard limit before recursive calls. Without termination logic, a ray that sees only air can create excessive command work.
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Getting or using the coordinates
data get entity @s Pos reports the execution entity’s position, normally as fractional coordinates. Because the ray advances in increments, that position is a sampled point inside or near the target block—not necessarily the block center or the exact point touched by the crosshair.
If you only need to act on the target, numeric storage may be unnecessary:
execute at <ray-marker> run particle minecraft:happy_villager ~ ~ ~ 0 0 0 0 1
execute at <ray-marker> run setblock ~ ~ ~ minecraft:gold_blockIf you need clean integer X, Y, and Z values, design the datapack to convert or align the sampled position to the containing block. Scoreboards store integers, while entity positions are floating-point values. A marker-based or established raycast framework is often safer than trying to parse data get output directly.
For multiple players, keep ray state associated with each player. A single shared marker, counter, or scoreboard can cause players’ raycasts to interfere with one another.
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Bedrock Edition: simulate the ray with commands
Bedrock can perform the same general operation with its current /execute features, including positioning, rotation, facing, local coordinates, and block tests. However, Java command syntax is not interchangeable with Bedrock syntax. Bedrock command raycasts normally use a function or a sequence of commands that repeatedly moves the execution position and checks the block there. The official Bedrock /execute documentation describes the available execution syntax, while Bedrock Wiki’s look-detection guide explains the command-based pattern.
The structure is:
- Run the function as and at each player.
- Move the origin to eye height.
- Advance along the local forward direction by a chosen step.
- Use
execute if blockorexecute unless blockto classify the current block. - Run the hit action when a matching block is found.
- End after a fixed number of steps.
Use a smaller step for better detection of thin blocks, but remember that every extra step increases command execution. Larger steps are cheaper but can skip a block between samples. Decide explicitly whether liquids and passable blocks should be ignored, and document the maximum range. Bedrock command use also requires cheats or the required permissions in the world or server.
For command-only projects, it is often more practical to execute the desired action at the hit position than to extract and display three numeric coordinates. If exact coordinates are the central requirement, the Script API is usually the cleaner Bedrock solution.
Bedrock Edition: use the Script API
For a Bedrock behavior pack or add-on, Entity.getBlockFromViewDirection() performs the raycast for you. It returns the first intersecting block or undefined if nothing is found within the selected range. The block’s location contains integer world coordinates. Check the Entity API reference and match the @minecraft/server module version to the Bedrock release installed by your users.
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import { system, world } from "@minecraft/server";
system.runInterval(() => {
for (const player of world.getAllPlayers()) {
const hit = player.getBlockFromViewDirection({
maxDistance: 100,
includeLiquidBlocks: true,
includePassableBlocks: false
});
if (!hit) {
player.onScreenDisplay.setActionBar("No block in range");
continue;
}
const { x, y, z } = hit.block.location;
player.onScreenDisplay.setActionBar(`Looking at: ${x} ${y} ${z}`);
}
}, 1);In this example, the ray can travel up to 100 blocks, water and lava count as targets, and passable blocks do not stop the ray. Set includeLiquidBlocks or includePassableBlocks to suit your mechanic. The options are documented in the official BlockRaycastOptions reference.
The API result can also provide hit information such as the targeted face. That is useful when placing a block adjacent to the selected block rather than replacing the block that was hit; coordinates alone do not identify a face. If entities must compete with blocks for the first hit, use the platform’s entity view-direction raycast as well; see the entity raycast documentation.
Scripts should also account for invalid or unloaded locations where the relevant dimension or block operation can throw an error. The Dimension API documentation describes those lookup and raycast considerations.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Why common coordinate commands do not solve it
- F3 or Show Coordinates: displays the player’s own position, not the block under the crosshair.
/data get block: reads a block only after you already know its coordinates./execute if block: tests a position supplied by you; it does not discover an arbitrary target position./locate: finds structures or points of interest, not the block being viewed.- Look detection: can test whether a player is looking toward a known coordinate or entity. Raycasting discovers which unknown block lies along the view ray. The distinction is explained in this look-detection reference.
Troubleshooting
Nothing is detected
Increase the maximum range, verify that the ray starts at the eyes, and check that your block filter is not excluding the target. In the Script API, no hit is represented by undefined; do not treat the maximum-distance endpoint as a block coordinate.
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The ray detects water, flowers, or vines unexpectedly
Change the liquid and passable-block policy. A first-non-air command test will treat many blocks as hits unless you use a more selective block tag or test.
Thin blocks are skipped
Reduce the command ray’s step size. This improves sampling precision but costs more commands. It still does not guarantee an exact reproduction of every block’s collision shape.
The result is fractional
That is normal for a command raycast: the ray is at a sampled point. Use the execution context to perform an action, or deliberately convert the point to the containing block’s integer coordinates.
Players interfere with one another
Use per-player counters, tags, or markers. Avoid one global temporary entity or state object for all players unless it is explicitly associated with the player that created it.
The script fails after a Bedrock update
Check the installed @minecraft/server module and the matching stable or preview documentation. Microsoft maintains versioned API references, so an example written for one module family may require manifest or code changes in another.
Quick Recap
Which option should you use?
- Java vanilla mechanic: build a bounded datapack raycast and act at the hit position.
- Bedrock command-only world: use a bounded function-based raycast, accepting its precision and maintenance trade-offs.
- Bedrock add-on: call
getBlockFromViewDirection()and readhit.block.location. - No commands or add-ons: use the crosshair and manually inspect the target; normal coordinate displays cannot return its coordinates.
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