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How to Use CoreProtect on a Minecraft Server: Install, Investigate, and Roll Back Safely

A practical CoreProtect guide covering installation, permissions, inspection, filtered lookups, safe rollback and restore procedures, purge policy, database backends, and troubleshooting.
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CoreProtect is a server-side activity logger for Minecraft. Install its plugin JAR, verify that it is recording events, then use the least-destructive commands first: inspect a location, run a narrowly scoped lookup, preview any rollback, and only then apply it. This workflow lets authorized moderators identify who changed a block and recover from griefing without treating a log as a substitute for a world backup.

What CoreProtect does—and what it cannot do

CoreProtect records selected, supported Minecraft server activity so authorized staff can investigate what happened, where it happened, and which account was involved. It is commonly used as a data-logging and anti-griefing tool: a moderator can examine a damaged area, identify the responsible account, and reverse matching changes.

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It is not a universal replay system. Actions that are not supported by the plugin, actions performed by another plugin in a way CoreProtect cannot observe, corrupted database records, and data older than your retention period may not be recoverable. A rollback also does not create a backup. Keep independent world backups, manage permissions separately, and define moderation rules for when staff may investigate or alter a world.

Prepare the server before installation

Record the environment

Write down the exact Minecraft version, server software and build, Java runtime, and current plugin list. CoreProtect’s installation documentation covers Paper, Spigot, Purpur, Bukkit-compatible servers, and Folia, but compatibility is release-specific. Check the current release documentation for your exact server build instead of assuming that a file intended for one server version is suitable for another.

Make recoverable backups

  • Create a complete world backup before adding or upgrading the plugin.
  • If CoreProtect uses an external database in your configuration, take a consistent database snapshot as well.
  • Keep the pre-change backup untouched until installation and verification are complete.
  • Record the backup time, server version, and plugin version so a later incident can be tied to a known state.

Perform the change through your normal administrative process. On a production server that usually means notifying players, stopping or restarting the server cleanly, and keeping a maintenance record.

Install CoreProtect and verify that it is logging

  1. Download the CoreProtect build that matches the server software and Minecraft version documented for that release.
  2. Stop or otherwise safely prepare the server according to your administration procedure, then copy the CoreProtect plugin JAR into the server’s plugins directory.
  3. Start or restart the server normally and watch the startup log for plugin-load errors. Do not proceed if the server reports an incompatible Java runtime, a malformed JAR, or a dependency failure.
  4. In the server console or as an authorized in-game administrator, run /co status. A successful response confirms that CoreProtect loaded and can report its status.
  5. Toggle the inspector with /co inspect. Make one harmless, deliberate block change in a test area, then inspect that location and run a short lookup to confirm that the new event appears.
  6. Turn inspection off with /co inspect again when the test is finished. Leaving inspection enabled can make ordinary moderator actions confusing.

Use a real test change rather than relying only on a green startup message: loading the plugin and recording an event are separate checks. If the test event is absent, stop and troubleshoot before giving staff rollback access.

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Assign permissions with least privilege

Give each staff role only the commands needed for its job. The documented CoreProtect permissions are:

Permission Purpose Typical role
coreprotect.inspect Toggle location inspection Junior moderator or investigator
coreprotect.lookup Search logged activity Moderator or investigator
coreprotect.rollback Apply a rollback that changes the world Trusted senior moderator
coreprotect.restore Reapply changes after a rollback when history permits Trusted senior moderator
coreprotect.purge Delete old log data Server administrator only
coreprotect.reload Reload CoreProtect configuration Server administrator
coreprotect.status View plugin status Administrator or support staff
coreprotect.* All documented CoreProtect commands Operator-level access only

coreprotect.* grants every documented CoreProtect command and defaults to operator access. Avoid assigning it to a general moderator group: purge, rollback, restore, and reload can have server-wide consequences. Test the permission model with a non-operator account before an incident occurs.

Investigate a damaged area without changing it

Start with the inspector

Run /co inspect, then click or otherwise inspect the affected block. The inspector is useful when the question is local—who broke this chest, placed this block, or removed this door? It identifies matching logged actions without modifying the world. Toggle it off when finished.

Use the smallest useful lookup

For a wider search, use /co lookup. Begin with a short time window and a small radius, then widen one parameter at a time. A narrow query is easier to interpret and reduces the chance that an unrelated event is mistaken for the cause.

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/co lookup u:Player t:1h r:20

This example searches for activity by Player during the previous hour within a radius of 20 blocks. Replace the account name and adjust the window to match the incident.

Filter deliberately

CoreProtect documents these lookup filters:

Filter Meaning Example
u: User or account to include u:Player
t: Time range t:1h
r: Radius around the lookup location r:20
a: Action type to include a:break
i: Material or action to include i:stone
e: Material or action to exclude e:dirt

Add an action or material filter only when it removes ambiguity. For example, if a player reports a missing chest, first search the player’s recent activity in the room; then add an action or material filter if the result set is too broad. Do not begin with a large radius, a long time period, and several speculative filters—you may hide the event you need or include too much unrelated activity.

Preview and apply a rollback safely

Rollback is the point at which an investigation becomes a world-changing operation. Preserve the exact user, time, radius, action, and material scope you identified during lookup.

Preview the scope

For the example incident, preview a 30-minute window around the affected area:

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/co rollback u:Player t:30m r:15 #preview

Review the returned count and the listed locations. Confirm that the account, time window, radius, dimension, and any action or material filters match the incident. A count that is unexpectedly large is a reason to narrow the query—not a reason to proceed and inspect the damage afterward.

Apply the exact approved scope

When the preview is correct, run the same command without #preview:

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/co rollback u:Player t:30m r:15

Reuse the recorded command rather than reconstructing it from memory. If your moderation process requires a second approval for destructive actions, obtain it before executing the command.

Check the result

  • Inspect representative blocks in the center and at the edges of the affected area.
  • Check containers and adjacent builds for unintended changes.
  • Review the server log for errors or warnings during the operation.
  • Ask the affected player or moderator to verify the intended damage was reversed.
  • Keep the pre-rollback backup untouched until the result is accepted.

A rollback is not a precision edit when the filters are broad: it can reverse every matching logged change in the selected scope, including legitimate work by the same account during that period. Previewing and post-operation checks are therefore part of the command, not optional extras.

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Restore a rollback or undo a mistaken recovery

Use restore when the original history remains available

To reverse a corresponding rollback, run the same scope with /co restore:

/co restore u:Player t:30m r:15

Restore can reapply the changes that a rollback removed when the required history is still present. It cannot recreate original data that was never logged, has been purged, or is otherwise unavailable. Use the exact recorded scope from the rollback; changing the time or radius can restore more or less than intended.

Use /co undo as the documented opposite-action alias

CoreProtect documents /co undo as an alias that reverts a rollback or restore through the opposite action. Treat it with the same care as the original operation: verify which operation is being reversed, preview where your workflow supports it, and check the affected area afterward.

If the required history is missing or the operation has a complicated scope, stop issuing commands and use the independent world backup. Database history is not a replacement for a known-good world snapshot.

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Control database growth with retention and purge

Logging indefinitely can create an unnecessarily large database. CoreProtect documents:

/co purge t:30d

This removes data older than 30 days according to the command documentation. The minimum permitted purge age differs between in-game and console execution, so check the release documentation before scheduling an automated cleanup. Do not choose a retention period solely because it makes the database smaller: match it to your server’s grief-report window, appeal policy, and backup schedule.

A safe purge procedure

  1. Record the retention decision and the exact command in the server change log.
  2. Back up the world and the relevant database before deleting records.
  3. Run the purge from the approved administrative context, observing the documented minimum age for that context.
  4. Run /co status and verify that the plugin remains available.
  5. Test a recent lookup to confirm that current events are still being recorded.

Purge is irreversible for the deleted log records. If an investigation is open, retain the relevant data until the case and any appeal are closed.

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Choose and configure a database backend

CoreProtect’s configuration documentation describes DuckDB and ClickHouse backends. Backend choice affects operational procedures, backups, and monitoring; it does not change the need for narrow lookups or independent world backups.

DuckDB

The documented DuckDB JDBC driver is downloaded automatically as a plugin library. Confirm that the server can write the plugin’s data location and that your backup system includes the resulting database files.

ClickHouse

The documented ClickHouse JDBC driver is packaged inside CoreProtect. If you use this backend, include the external database in your backup, access-control, upgrade, and monitoring plans. A world backup alone does not capture a separate database’s log history.

Per-world YAML settings

Per-world YAML files can change logging behavior. The configuration documentation gives disabling entity-death rollback logging in a particular Nether world as an example. Apply such a change only when you understand which evidence it removes: a setting that reduces noise or storage can also remove information needed for a later investigation.

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After editing configuration, reload only through your documented maintenance process, verify with /co status, and perform a harmless lookup or test event where appropriate. Keep a copy of the previous configuration so you can revert a mistaken setting.

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A practical moderator incident workflow

  1. Preserve evidence. Note the world, coordinates, approximate time, reporter, and visible damage. Do not immediately rebuild the area.
  2. Inspect locally. Toggle /co inspect and check representative blocks or containers.
  3. Lookup narrowly. Start with the smallest useful t: and r: values; add u:, a:, i:, or e: only as needed.
  4. Confirm responsibility. Distinguish the account that made the change from later legitimate repairs or automated activity.
  5. Preview recovery. Run the rollback with #preview and review the count and locations.
  6. Approve and apply. Execute the identical command without the preview marker after the required staff approval.
  7. Validate. Inspect the area, review logs, and record the result.
  8. Escalate when history is insufficient. Use the world backup or another recovery procedure instead of guessing at a broader rollback.

Troubleshoot common failures

/co status does not show a loaded plugin

  • Confirm the JAR is in the server’s actual plugins directory, not a download or backup folder.
  • Check the startup log for an unsupported server build, Java problem, malformed file, or dependency error.
  • Verify that the downloaded build is intended for your server software and Minecraft version.
  • Restart through the normal process after correcting the issue, then run /co status again.

The plugin loads but a test event is missing

  • Make sure inspection was toggled off and that the test change occurred after the plugin loaded.
  • Check that the test account has not been excluded by a configuration rule and that the lookup time and location are correct.
  • Verify database write access and inspect the server log for storage errors.
  • Test a fresh event before granting rollback permissions.

A lookup returns too many or too few results

Reduce the time window and radius first. Then add the user, action, included-material, or excluded-material filter that addresses the ambiguity. A result count of zero does not prove that no change occurred: the event may be outside the selected range, unsupported, purged, or recorded under a different account.

A rollback affected legitimate work

Stop further edits, preserve the exact rollback command, and use the corresponding restore or documented /co undo path only after confirming the scope. If the result cannot be safely reconstructed from remaining history, recover from the world backup rather than issuing increasingly broad commands.

Purge is rejected

Check whether the command was run in-game or from the console and compare the requested age with the documented minimum for that execution context. Do not work around the limit by deleting database files manually.

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Operational limits and policies worth documenting

  • Define which staff may inspect, look up, roll back, restore, purge, or reload.
  • Require a reason, affected coordinates, time range, and command scope for every destructive operation.
  • Retain independent world backups on a schedule that fits the server’s recovery objectives.
  • Set a log-retention period that supports investigations and appeals without retaining data indefinitely by accident.
  • Review configuration changes per world, especially settings that disable classes of logging.
  • Check current release compatibility before upgrading Minecraft, server software, Java, or CoreProtect.

CoreProtect command quick reference

Goal Command Effect
Check plugin status /co status Reports CoreProtect status
Toggle local inspection /co inspect Shows logged activity at inspected locations
Search a player’s recent area activity /co lookup u:Player t:1h r:20 Narrows results by user, time, and radius
Preview a recovery /co rollback u:Player t:30m r:15 #preview Shows the proposed scope without applying it
Apply the reviewed rollback /co rollback u:Player t:30m r:15 Reverses matching logged changes
Restore a corresponding rollback /co restore u:Player t:30m r:15 Reapplies matching history when available
Remove old records /co purge t:30d Deletes data older than 30 days, subject to execution-context limits
Reverse a rollback or restore /co undo Uses the documented opposite action

The Bottom Line

Use CoreProtect as an evidence and recovery layer: verify the installation, grant narrowly scoped permissions, investigate with small lookups, preview every rollback, and keep world backups for failures that logs cannot repair.

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