messages.yml

messages.yml controls nearly every player-facing string. Legacy & color codes are supported, and sections that explicitly mention PlaceholderAPI can also use placeholders from installed expansions.

Main Sections

Section	Purpose
commands	Usage, permission, join, leave, stats, setup, reload, and admin feedback.
arena and game	Waiting, start, tag, explosion, deathmatch, draw, winner, and summary messages.
items	Leave confirmation and spectator item feedback.
game-bar	Boss-bar text for arena states and round countdowns.
action-bar	Short live prompts such as the current goal.
Scoreboard	Titles, lines, goals, and state-specific layouts.
spectator-gui	Spectator settings and teleporter menu text.
signs	Join-sign lines and sign interaction messages.
placeholders	Fallback text for empty leaderboard positions and values.
arena-states	Human-readable state names.
name-tags	Player-list formats for tagged, untagged, spectator, and permanent-spectator players.

Built-In Sign Tokens

Join-sign lines can use:

%state%
%map_name%
%players%
%max_players%

Player-List Name Tags

The name-tags section changes the name shown in the player list, not the label above the player’s head. It supports PlaceholderAPI plus:

%player%
%original_name%

Leave a value empty to preserve that group’s normal player-list name. All modified names are restored after the final round.

Scoreboards and Bars

Scoreboard titles and lines support PlaceholderAPI when it is installed. Keep line counts and YAML indentation intact. The game bar uses the state-specific messages in this file; an empty message hides that state rather than displaying blank text.

Editing Safely

1. Keep keys and indentation unchanged.
2. Quote text containing YAML-sensitive characters such as : or #.
3. Run /tnttag reload.
4. Test waiting, starting, active, ending, spectator, and draw states because each can use a different section.