RCON Commands Reference¶

Overview¶

RCON (Remote Console) allows server administrators to execute Minecraft server commands remotely. This guide covers all available RCON commands you can use with mcctl.

mcctl RCON Commands¶

Command	Mode	Description
`mcctl rcon <server>`	Interactive	Open RCON console session
`mcctl exec <server> <cmd>`	Non-interactive	Execute single command

When to Use Each¶

Use Case	Command
Manual server administration	`mcctl rcon myserver`
Multiple commands in sequence	`mcctl rcon myserver`
Debugging and troubleshooting	`mcctl rcon myserver`
Shell scripts and automation	`mcctl exec myserver <cmd>`
CI/CD pipelines	`mcctl exec myserver <cmd>`
Cron jobs	`mcctl exec myserver <cmd>`

Usage Examples¶

Interactive Mode (rcon)¶

$ mcctl rcon survival
Connecting to RCON console for 'survival'...
Type "help" for commands, Ctrl+C or "exit" to quit

> list
There are 2 of 20 players online: Steve, Alex
> say Server maintenance in 10 minutes!
[Server: Server maintenance in 10 minutes!]
> tp Steve 0 100 0
Teleported Steve to 0.0, 100.0, 0.0
> exit
$

Non-interactive Mode (exec)¶

# Single command execution
$ mcctl exec survival list
There are 2 of 20 players online: Steve, Alex

# Scripting example
$ mcctl exec myserver say "Backup starting..."
[Server: Backup starting...]

# Use in scripts
PLAYERS=$(mcctl exec myserver list)
if echo "$PLAYERS" | grep -q "0 of"; then
  mcctl stop myserver
fi

Player Management Commands¶

Command	Description	Example
`list`	Show online players	`list`
`kick <player> [reason]`	Kick player from server	`kick Steve AFK too long`
`ban <player> [reason]`	Ban player permanently	`ban Griefer Griefing spawn`
`ban-ip <ip> [reason]`	Ban IP address	`ban-ip 192.168.1.100 VPN`
`pardon <player>`	Unban player	`pardon Steve`
`pardon-ip <ip>`	Unban IP address	`pardon-ip 192.168.1.100`
`banlist [players\\|ips]`	Show banned list	`banlist players`
`op <player>`	Grant operator status	`op Steve`
`deop <player>`	Revoke operator status	`deop Steve`
`whitelist add <player>`	Add to whitelist	`whitelist add Steve`
`whitelist remove <player>`	Remove from whitelist	`whitelist remove Steve`
`whitelist list`	Show whitelist	`whitelist list`
`whitelist on`	Enable whitelist	`whitelist on`
`whitelist off`	Disable whitelist	`whitelist off`

Communication Commands¶

Command	Description	Example
`say <message>`	Broadcast to all players	`say Server restart in 5 minutes`
`tell <player> <message>`	Private message	`tell Steve Check your inventory`
`tellraw <player> <json>`	Send JSON formatted message	`tellraw @a {"text":"Hello","color":"gold"}`
`title <player> <action>`	Display title on screen	`title @a title {"text":"Welcome!"}`
`me <action>`	Display action message	`me is restarting the server`

Teleportation Commands¶

Command	Description	Example
`tp <player> <x> <y> <z>`	Teleport to coordinates	`tp Steve 0 100 0`
`tp <player> <target>`	Teleport to another player	`tp Steve Alex`
`tp @a <x> <y> <z>`	Teleport all players	`tp @a 0 100 0`
`spawnpoint <player>`	Set spawn point	`spawnpoint Steve 100 64 100`
`setworldspawn <x> <y> <z>`	Set world spawn	`setworldspawn 0 64 0`

Target Selectors¶

Selector	Description
`@a`	All players
`@p`	Nearest player
`@r`	Random player
`@e`	All entities
`@s`	Executing entity

Item Commands¶

Command	Description	Example
`give <player> <item> [count]`	Give item to player	`give Steve diamond 64`
`clear <player> [item] [count]`	Remove items from inventory	`clear Steve dirt`
`item replace <target> <slot>`	Replace item in slot	`item replace entity Steve armor.head with diamond_helmet`

Common Item IDs¶

Category	Items
Ores	`diamond`, `iron_ingot`, `gold_ingot`, `emerald`, `netherite_ingot`
Tools	`diamond_pickaxe`, `netherite_sword`, `elytra`, `trident`
Blocks	`dirt`, `stone`, `oak_log`, `cobblestone`
Food	`cooked_beef`, `golden_apple`, `enchanted_golden_apple`

World Settings Commands¶

Time¶

Command	Description	Example
`time set day`	Set to daytime (1000)	`time set day`
`time set night`	Set to nighttime (13000)	`time set night`
`time set noon`	Set to noon (6000)	`time set noon`
`time set midnight`	Set to midnight (18000)	`time set midnight`
`time set <ticks>`	Set to specific tick	`time set 0`
`time add <ticks>`	Add time	`time add 1000`
`time query daytime`	Show current time	`time query daytime`

Weather¶

Command	Description	Example
`weather clear [duration]`	Clear weather	`weather clear 1000000`
`weather rain [duration]`	Start rain	`weather rain`
`weather thunder [duration]`	Start thunderstorm	`weather thunder`

Difficulty¶

Command	Description
`difficulty peaceful`	Peaceful mode (no hostile mobs)
`difficulty easy`	Easy difficulty
`difficulty normal`	Normal difficulty
`difficulty hard`	Hard difficulty

Game Rules¶

Change gameplay mechanics with gamerule:

Command	Description	Default
`gamerule keepInventory true`	Keep items on death	false
`gamerule doDaylightCycle false`	Stop time progression	true
`gamerule doWeatherCycle false`	Stop weather changes	true
`gamerule mobGriefing false`	Prevent mob damage to blocks	true
`gamerule doFireTick false`	Prevent fire spread	true
`gamerule pvp false`	Disable player vs player	true
`gamerule announceAdvancements false`	Hide advancement messages	true
`gamerule showDeathMessages false`	Hide death messages	true
`gamerule naturalRegeneration false`	Disable health regen	true
`gamerule commandBlockOutput false`	Hide command block output	true
`gamerule sendCommandFeedback false`	Hide command feedback	true
`gamerule randomTickSpeed 0`	Disable crop/plant growth	3
`gamerule spawnRadius 0`	Spawn at exact spawn point	10

Query Game Rules¶

> gamerule keepInventory
keepInventory = false

> gamerule
# Lists all game rules

Server Administration Commands¶

Command	Description	Example
`stop`	Stop the server gracefully	`stop`
`save-all`	Save all world data	`save-all`
`save-off`	Disable auto-save	`save-off`
`save-on`	Enable auto-save	`save-on`
`seed`	Display world seed	`seed`
`list`	Show online players	`list`
`setidletimeout <minutes>`	Set AFK kick timeout	`setidletimeout 30`

Backup Workflow¶

> save-off
Automatic saving is now disabled
> save-all
Saving the game (this may take a moment!)
Saved the game
# ... perform backup ...
> save-on
Automatic saving is now enabled

Gamemode Commands¶

Command	Description
`gamemode survival <player>`	Survival mode
`gamemode creative <player>`	Creative mode
`gamemode adventure <player>`	Adventure mode
`gamemode spectator <player>`	Spectator mode
`defaultgamemode <mode>`	Set default for new players

> gamemode creative Steve
Set Steve's game mode to Creative Mode

> defaultgamemode survival
The default game mode is now Survival Mode

Effect Commands¶

Command	Description	Example
`effect give <player> <effect> [duration] [level]`	Apply effect	`effect give Steve speed 600 2`
`effect clear <player> [effect]`	Remove effects	`effect clear Steve`

Common Effects¶

Effect	Description
`speed`	Increased movement speed
`slowness`	Decreased movement speed
`haste`	Faster mining
`mining_fatigue`	Slower mining
`strength`	Increased melee damage
`instant_health`	Instant healing
`instant_damage`	Instant damage
`jump_boost`	Higher jumps
`regeneration`	Health regeneration
`resistance`	Damage resistance
`fire_resistance`	Fire immunity
`water_breathing`	Underwater breathing
`invisibility`	Invisibility
`night_vision`	See in dark
`saturation`	Food bar restoration

Experience Commands¶

Command	Description	Example
`xp add <player> <amount>`	Add experience points	`xp add Steve 1000`
`xp add <player> <amount> levels`	Add experience levels	`xp add Steve 30 levels`
`xp set <player> <amount>`	Set experience points	`xp set Steve 0`
`xp query <player> points`	Query XP points	`xp query Steve points`
`xp query <player> levels`	Query XP levels	`xp query Steve levels`

Advanced Commands¶

Execute Command¶

Run commands with specific context:

# Run as another player
> execute as Steve run say Hello from Steve!

# Run at location
> execute positioned 0 64 0 run summon lightning_bolt

# Run if condition met
> execute if entity @a[distance=..10] run say Someone is nearby!

Scoreboard¶

Track and display values:

# Create objective
> scoreboard objectives add kills playerKillCount

# Display in sidebar
> scoreboard objectives setdisplay sidebar kills

# Set score
> scoreboard players set Steve kills 10

# Query score
> scoreboard players get Steve kills

Data Commands¶

Modify entity/block NBT data:

# View player data
> data get entity Steve

# Modify entity data
> data modify entity Steve Health set value 20.0f

Help Commands¶

Command	Description
`help`	List all available commands
`help <command>`	Show usage for specific command
`help <page>`	Show help page (1-8)

> help tp
/tp <destination>
/tp <location>
/tp <targets> <destination>
/tp <targets> <location>
...

Error Handling¶

Common Errors¶

Error	Cause	Solution
`Unknown command`	Typo or invalid command	Check spelling, use `help`
`Player not found`	Player offline or wrong name	Verify player is online
`Expected whitespace`	Missing space in command	Check command syntax
`Not a valid number`	Wrong argument type	Use correct data type

Server Not Running Error¶

$ mcctl rcon myserver
Server 'myserver' is not running
Start the server first: mcctl start myserver

Reference¶

Full Minecraft commands: Minecraft Wiki - Commands
Java Edition command syntax: Command Syntax
Target selectors: Target Selector
NBT format: NBT Format